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18 August 2016

Review: Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Stick Trio

Contouring is a major beauty trend that doesn't seem to be dying down anytime soon. Celebrities and makeup artists share their contouring before-and-afters on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube, and the whole world follows. Most brands are now catering for the contouring fans out there and today I'll be sharing Smashbox's contouring sticks.


Now, just as a disclaimer, I am by no means an expert at contouring or bronzing. This is just my opinion and my thoughts on a specific makeup product. If you're not entirely clued up on contouring, you may be asking, what is the difference between contouring and bronzing? Bronzing is a way of enhancing your skin's tone and making it look sunkissed and golden, without going into the sun or applying self-tan. Bronzer is either liquid or powder and is dusted (or tapped) on the points of your face that would normally tan first (think cheeks, chin, tip of the nose). Contouring, on the other hand, is more of a set of products rather than just a single product. Contouring sculpts the face, but in most kits, such as this one, there is a contouring shade, a highlight shade, and a bronze shade. The sculpting (contouring) product is usually the darkest and works to sculpt your face by creating shadows. The highlighter lets the high points of your face glow. It is the lightest shade that pulls the features forward. The bronze shade is a transition shade that eliminates harsh lines by blending the contour and highlight shades.

Bronzing gives you a healthy sunkissed glow, while contouring sculpts your face to make it look more chiselled and sleek. So in short, contouring is a lot more work! Smashbox has made this process so easy with their step-by-step contouring stick trio. I honestly don't have the time to contour in the mornings before work, but I do like playing around with it in the evenings and over weekends. I'm a bit hesitant to use contouring powders as I'm afraid of ending up with harsh lines on my face. Not that a pencil won't do the exact same thing, but these sticks from Smashbox are SO creamy and blend-able, that it is easy to over-blend and blend it in completely.



The set contains three chubby pencils (contouring, bronzing, highlighting), as well as a sharpener and an information booklet. You locate your face shape on the chart and simply follow the instructions of where to draw lines on your face with which pencils. I felt ridiculous the first time I drew lines all over my face, but the end result is worth it! I didn't suddenly end up looking like a supermodel with chiselled cheekbones, but I did look like a more sleek and chiselled version of myself.



I won't lie, these pencils are not cheap. At around R520 for three pencils and a sharpener it is very expensive, but I'm not convinced that you would find another contouring set of this quality for cheaper. That being said, maybe wait until Red Square has a 20% discount or until you have a gift voucher (like I did). Every bit helps...

Have you ever tried these contour sticks? What other contouring products can you recommend? Let me know in the comments section.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

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