Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews

You know what I suck at? Contouring. It’s a bummer too, because I have a really round head and whatever the opposite of defined facial structure is (my sister is blessed with the perfect jawline, and a face shape that hangs perfectly in the balance between oval and heart-shaped). I see pictures of contouring magic all the time. I’ve watched countless contouring YouTube tutorials and followed diagrams in magazines, but when I tried it myself, I just looked like I lost control of my bronzer. At some point I realized that part of the problem is that although I’ve always been told to use bronzer for contouring, in practice it’s usually too red or brown to create a realistic looking shadow for me. Then I bought The Sculpting Powder by Kevyn Aucoin ($42). I can now contour.

The Kevyn Aucoin Scuplting Powder comes in one shade – Medium. The thing that makes it idea for contouring is that it’s a really cool-toned brown, so it actually looks like a shadow when you apply it along your cheekbone. It’s a sheer powder, so you can layer it to your heart’s content and stop before it starts looking unnatural.

It does come with a brush, though I haven’t used it. Instead, I opted to use my BH Cosmetics highlighter brush ($3), which kind of looks like a larger version of an eye blender brush. It’s just the right shape and size to give me a natural looking shadow that’s soft around the edges.

I use this BH Cosmetics Highlighter Brush to apply the Sculpting Powder.

I’ve found this Sculpting Powder to have remarkable staying power. I apply it in the morning and it looks exactly the same at night when I’m ready to wash it off.

This is my makeup without any contour.

This is my makeup after applying Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder. Look! Cheekbones!

This shot is from a different day in different lighting, but it shows how the Sculpting Powder looks when you view it head-on. I guess I can quit my day job and become a special effects makeup artist now!

If you’ve had trouble with contouring in the past, the The Sculpting Powder by Kevyn Aucoin might be just what you need. It’s not cheap at $42, but I bought mine from this Amazon Seller for $35 and it arrived brand new in perfect condition. It’s also available at Nordstrom, Barneys, and Bergdorf Goodman.

Skin & Tonics Rating:

Performance: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Value: 3/5

Overall: 4.3/5

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