Hello, makeup fans! As promised we are going to talk about our top picks for cream contour, bronzers, and highlighters! Sadly, this will be the last article in our contour/bronze/and highlight series. If there are any other beauty tips or trick you want to get an insider POV on, just let us know! As always grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let’s talk beauty!
Cream Contours
Anastasia of Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit.
This baby comes with three contour shades and three highlight shades, but sadly no bronzers. This kit is great if you have oilier skin since it is a bit drying. We know, a cream product for oily skin?! We got excited too! If you are on the drier side this cream will actually dry you out even more, so we recommend mixing a little bit of oil like MAC’s Prep and Prime Essential Oils in to add additional hydration.
MAC Matchmaster Concealer Sticks
Technically these are labeled as concealers BUT the deeper shades actually work really well for contouring. They come in all shades and look absolutely beautiful on everyone after they are blended into the skin. What we like about these guys is that they come in a stick form and are small, so it gives you more precision when drawing your contour line than using a bigger, thicker contour stick. Bonus: You can use the lighter shades to highlight too!
Smashbox Step‑By‑Step Contour Stick Trio
This is probably one of our favorite products. It works well on all skin tones and since it comes in a pencil form (the tip looks like a jumbo pencil); it makes it really easy to get your contour right where you want it! The formulation makes it really easy to blend out as well and it dries down to a matte finish. Bonus: It actually comes in a set with a bronzer and highlighting stick!
Brushes/Beauty Blenders:
After applying our contour cream, we like to use the Sigma P84 and Sigma P82 brushes to blend it out. The P84 brush we like to use for blending out the contour on our cheeks. It is a small angled synthetic brush that really helps to get into those cheekbones. The P82 we use to blend out the contour on our nose. It a small rounded synthetic brush that makes it really easy to blend out in small areas. Another option is to also use a beauty blender. We suggest getting a small one with a pointed tip to help blend out the nose and cheek contour. We like the beauty blender micro minis. Just make sure to clean it well after each use since sponges tend to hold onto bacteria.
Quick Tip: just make sure to set all your cream products with powder products otherwise they will move throughout the day, and trust us you don’t want to look like the wicked witch of the west, melting all over the place! The only time you can skimp on powder is if you are so dry the Sahara desert has nothing on you!
Bronzers
Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel
This is our holy grail of cream bronzers! It has zero shimmer in it and does not look orangey. It goes on smooth and blends out extremely well, giving you that natural sun-kissed glow. Only downside is it does have a slight fragrance to it, so if you’re sensitive to smells, or have sensitive skin it might be a bit too much. We advise going into a counter and doing a patch test first of the product to see how you react to it before purchasing.
Giorgio Armani Maestro Liquid Summer in 100
This is a liquid, not a cream, but we had to put it in here! This is literally the best liquid bronzer we have ever seen. You only need a small amount, really you only need a single drop! It gives you that sun-kissed, you just laid out in the sun on a tropical beach glow! It is very yellow based, so it is ideal for those who have medium to olive undertones.
Brushes
We like to use the Sigma F80 brush to put on both our cream and liquid bronzers!
Highlighters
Benefit Watt’s Up! Cream Highlighter
This goes on so smooth and blends out like butter leaving you with a natural looking glow without looking like you have chunky glitter particles on your face. This is perfect when you just need a little pick me up, but don’t want to wear a full face of makeup!
MAC Cream Colour Base
We know MAC has popped up on this list again. What can we say, they make great products! We love their cream colour base highlighters. They are light weight and go on sheer giving you a nice dewy subtle highlight. Perfect for that summery glow that we all crave!
BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Poured Creme
Hold on for a second while we finish swooning over this baby! This product is the holy grail of cream highlighters. It gives you that natural lit from within look without looking greasy or oily. It blends like a dream, and comes in a wide array of shades so there’s something for everyone!
Tip: To give it an extra kick, set it with the highlight powder of the same name. For example, if you used the poured crème in the shade Opal set it with the Shimming Skin Perfector pressed powder in the shade Opal and watch that highlight go into overdrive!
Brushes
We like to use Sigma F79 brush to put on our cream highlighters. It is a small duofiber brush so you can use it with powder as well!
