I was excited to get my hands on this and have been using for a few weeks now but wanted to wait a while before posting about the Kat Von D Beauty Shade + Light Creme Contour Palette (UK* / IE*) mainly to give it a proper go (as I like to do with everything, but) with the simple reason…I just don’t tend to cream contour as often as powder. Cream contour palettes/ products I’ve had in the past have just been more of an unnecessary step in my own makeup routine and even with this one, sure I’m not going to use it every day (I don’t properly contour every day anyway!) but I’ve been using it way more than I thought and more than any other cream contour product before!
So yeah, a cream version of one of my (and so many others globally!) everyday makeup essentials the OG KVD Shade + Light Contour Palette (UK* / IE*)…I had to try it. It comes in the new hard case packaging and similar to the new powder contour palette, is refillable which is way better if there’s certain shades you get through faster than others save buying a whole new palette. 3 contour shades and 3 highlight shades, equivalent cream shades to the powder ones…
light shades:
• parchment – cool nude
• banana – neutral yellow beige
• bisque – warm peach
shade/ contour shades:
• spice – cool taupe
• woodland – neutral soft brown
• chestnut – warm deep brown
A bit more about the palette…
• 24 hour, high pigment creme contour palette
• velvety, non greasy, blendable
• suitable for all skin types
• cruelty free, vegan
The contour creams are super blendable! Smoother and more pigmented than others I’ve tried so it makes the whole cream contour step so much faster. I’ve been really liking the KVD Beauty Edge Creme Contour Brush (UK* / IE*) to apply the colour/ give that initial placement/ blend and then using a beauty blender (usually the NYX one* or the BeautyBlender Pro*) to really push the creme in to the skin for a seamless blend. If I want to contour any smaller areas like my nose etc, I still finish with the sponge but go in with the KVD Lock It Edge Concealer Brush (UK* / IE*) instead. It just gives more control and a precise placement for those smaller areas. I do love the KVD brushes and they work really well with the palette, but most affordable brands do similar synthetic precision brushes too if you haven’t much experience with cream contour and/ or wanted to experiment before investing in the KVD brushes. The Zoeva 109v Vegan Synthetic Face Paint Brush* would be a great alternative!
I like to use cream contour set with a powder contour for a stronger, longer wearing finish. The deeper/ warmer shades are good for general bronzing and warmth just applied really sheerly for a natural glow. I’ve been using the lightest shade Spice for contour and the 2 darker shades to bronze as well as on my eyes…perfect for a quick natural no fuss eye makeup if I’m in a rush/ in a cba but need to wear something makeup mood. I’ve been using the 2 lightest highlights for tidying up my contour/ sharpening edges mainly. To actually highlight my pale skin, I’d definitely need something lighter again nearing on white. The warm peach shade Bisque (darkest of the highlights) actually works pretty well as colour correction under my eyes for days when I need a bit extra, although my concealer paired with the KVD Brightening Powder in Petal (UK* / IE*) does the job well and I try and avoid (as everyone should really) too much product around the eye area as a general rule.
Similar to the OG powder version…as good as the shade range is for a palette containing just 6 shades, it isn’t diverse enough to cover all bases in the one palette. There wouldn’t be a highlight light enough for me as I mentioned before (I’m pale but there’s plenty paler) nor would there be anything suitable to properly contour a deep skin tone, although it could be used to highlight a deeper skin tone (I’ll often dip in to my deeper eye shadows for really good deeper skin contour shades in my pro kit) instead to create the illusion of contour. It would be ideal if there was even 2 versions, with this (slightly tweaked) being light/ medium and a whole other palette for those of you with deeper skin tones. Lets hope this is in the pipeline for the future, especially with the KVD Lock It foundation and concealer range already being pretty inclusive!
I’ll still reach for the powder version more often, but that’s just preference of powder contour on a day to day basis. You all know I’m a fan of Kat Von D Beauty in general as a brand…I’m yet to be disappointed by anything, this is no exception! If you’re a cream contour fan, wanting to give it a go or are looking for a cream contour palette to add to your collection/ kit…this would be a really good one to go for in my opinion. Creamy (but not too much slide, they set to a beautiful soft matte finish), blendable, plenty of play time so user friendly too. If you’re a cream contour novice, you’ll get the hang of it in no time as the formula is so easy to work with. The only thing you need to remember…cream before powder always! It’ll prevent your makeup from turning in to a cakey mess…stick to that rule and you won’t go far wrong!
It wears well too and I can’t confirm the 24 hour claim (who wears makeup for that long?) but it stays put all day until I take my makeup off and that’s good enough for me! I’m impressed and will definitely keep using it.
Get the Kat Von D Beauty Shade + Light Creme Contour Palette (UK* / IE*)
Lyd x
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