Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit: Review and Swatches

Disclaimer: Product featured was provided for review.

Given how contouring is one of beauty's trickiest techniques, many more makeup brands are coming out with customized, no brainer kits to make contouring easy peasy. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit ($50 CAD), available in "light to medium" and "medium to dark", the palette includes three contouring shades and three highlights. So how well does the kit work, click........

Packaging:
The contour kit comes in a simple matte black cardboard. The packaging is quite thin and sleek, suitable for travelling. Each pan is removable from the palette for easy customization.

Anastasia Contour Kit

The powders can be popped out with a simple wedging using a knife or something slim.

Removable magnetic pan.

Formulation:
With the exception of Sand, all the shades are matte. Each is pigmented but not overly so and the formulation is smooth, silky, and finely-milled.
Vanilla: Soft pale pink.
Banana: Soft pastel yellowish ivory
Sand: Satin champagne with very subtle shimmers

Highlighting Shades

Java: Cool tone milk chocolate
Fawn: Smoky taupe
Havana: Warm bronze

Contouring Shades

I think all the shades are good for someone with fair skin. Havana is a bit warm and may come off a bit orangish on very pale skin tones. However, both Java and Fawn make great contouring shades. Banana is my favorite highlight out of the bunch, it truly brings light to the face. Sand is a great brow and cheek bone highlight as it holds some subtle shimmers.

Left: Bare face with powder foundation.
Right: Wearing Banana and Sand as highlight and Fawn and Java as contour over powder foundation.

Overall:

If you've always wanted to try contouring but have been hesitant, this kit from Anastasia is really great in that it offers a variety of shades to play with (the kit is also available in a dark theme). All the contouring shades are matte and the formulation of each color is smooth and silky!

Availability:

Anastasia is available online and in stores at Murale and Sephora.