The 15 Best Contour Kits for Subtly Sculpted Cheekbones, Tested by Makeup Lovers and the Contour-Curious
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We achieved modelesque cheekbones with the MAC Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape Contour Palette
People / Kristin Kempa
If you’re reading this, you probably know about contouring thanks to Kim Kardashian. She divulged the beauty trick responsible for her signature sculpt around 2012.
“I like to think of contouring as a secret weapon makeup technique that helps you to bring out your best features,” says Elyse Reneau, makeup artist and executive director of global beauty at Too Faced. “When applied right, contour is a transformative tool for creating [and] redefining the appearance of your bone structure.”
A Quick History Lesson
The contouring technique enhances the cheekbones and jawline. It predates Elizabethan-era stage makeup, and the first official “tutorial” can be credited to makeup artist Max Factor Sr. in 1945.
We searched high and low for the most popular contour kits on the market and tested 23 products from top beauty brands, including MAC, Charlotte Tilbury, Fenty Beauty, and more. Keep reading for the 15 contour kits that gave us Kardashian-level cheekbones with just a few swipes and a blend. (One of the best we tried is only $9!)
Best Overall: MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape Contour Palette
Pros
Weightless feel
Natural-looking results
Easy to mix and customize
The formula plays nice with acne-prone skin
Cons
The palette doesn’t have shimmery components
With two palettes each offering 12 highlight and contour shades, the MAC Studio Fix Sculpt and Shape Contour Palette provided the most natural and the most customizable looks across skin tones.
Our tester had a fun time experimenting with customization, swirling brushes across several of the deeper shades to create a hue that both bronzed and contoured in one go. Other times, they only used one shade to create a naturally sculpted look.
They quickly found that a little powder goes a long way for both natural and full-glam beats. Our tester’s skin was diffused on the areas where they applied the powder, leaving behind a matte finish that people with oily skin will appreciate. But the cherry on top is the non-acnegenic formula, which means it shouldn’t cause breakouts on acne-prone skin.
Size: 0.50 oz. | Shades: 6 | Formula: Powder | Finish: Matte
Best Budget: e.l.f. Cosmetics Cream Contour Palette
Pros
Blendable, lightweight, and buildable cream formulas
Leaves a healthy-looking, dewy finish
Didn’t sink into pores or fine lines
Cons
The darkest contour shade is too light for deep skin tones
For $9, we were wholly impressed with the beautiful, blendable, and buildable results of the e.l.f. Cream Contour Kit. It includes one highlighter shade for lighter skin tones, a tan shade to contour fair skin or highlight darker skin, a medium-tan shade to contour light to medium skin tones, and a darker contour shade for deeper skin tones. Each buttery pan applied beautifully with a brush, delivering a naturally sculpted look with a few light strokes and a deeper, more dramatic effect with a heavier hand.
Our tester liked that their combination skin looked radiant without appearing greasy, and the color kept its shade even after hours of wear, settling into the skin without oxidizing or accentuating uneven texture. In fact, this formula diminished the appearance of pores and fine lines.
Unfortunately, the darkest hue included just isn’t dark enough for dark skin tones. However, the stellar results, especially for the price, make this palette a strong option for those with light and medium skin tones.
Size: 0.43 oz. | Shades: 4 | Formula: Creamy | Finish: Satin
Best Splurge: Tom Ford Shade And Illuminate Cream Contour Duo
Pros
Easy to blend and build up
Lightweight feel
Several shades to choose from
Cons
The highlight shade is very sheer
This subtly sculpting highlight and contour compact from Tom Ford is perfect for someone who prefers a natural look and a simple product that’s easy to throw in a travel makeup bag. We like that it comes in four shade combos, helping you achieve a more customized look.
The compact we tested (Intensity 1.0) features a bronzy-brown contour shade and an eggshell highlighter flecked with micro glitter. Both were easy to blend out, but the highlight wasn’t so easy to build up. If your goal is natural-looking radiance over a true highlight, then this is the contour kit to try.
Size: 0.53 oz. | Shades: 2, 4 options | Formula: Cream | Finish: Radiant
Best for Beginners: CoverGirl TruBlend Contour Palette
Pros
Easy to blend and deepen the shades
The look, feel, and performance belied its low price
Didn’t sink into pores and fine lines
Cons
We needed a lot of product for visible results
It felt a bit oily
This compact from Covergirl consists of three face shades and comes in three color combos for light to deep skin tones. It was pretty easy to blend all three shades, and the formulas didn’t dry down too quickly, leaving time to blend. The product didn’t pick up our tester’s foundation when she buffed it into her skin, either.
We had to use a heavier hand with this palette compared to others, so it’s better suited for those who like a natural look over dramatic makeup. Plus, it didn’t oxidize throughout the day, staying on top of the skin rather than sinking in and accentuating texture. The result had a bit of an oily sheen, but hey, dewy skin is in right now.
Size: 0.42 oz. | Shades: 3, 3 options | Formula: Cream | Finish: Radiant
Best Natural: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Duo
Pros
Subtle yet very buildable
It beautifully blurred the skin
The highlight shade was more of a pressed powder than a true highlighter
Cons
The pearl finish may not be for everyone
If a subtle contour is what you’re after, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the ethereal everyday look that this palette from Charlotte Tilbury can provide. We had no trouble blending, using the deeper color to define cheekbones and jawlines while sweeping the lighter shade across high points to highlight (and set) our foundation. It takes a few swipes to build the color up, so you may need to pack on the powder for a deep and dramatic look.
The powders glided beautifully onto our tester’s slightly dry skin and didn’t grip onto texture. But because these shades have a pearlescent finish, both hues were quite luminous — a look that not all shoppers might want.
Size: 0.35 oz. | Shades: 2, 2 options | Formula: Powder | Finish: Natural
Best Double-Ended: NYX Professional Makeup Wonder Stick Contour & Highlighter Stick
Pros
Blends beautifully
Travel-friendly
User-friendly
Performed like a luxury product at a drugstore price
Cons
The formula dried down pretty quickly
Contour and highlighter, all in one slim, travel-friendly stick? The shade our tester tried was perfect for her skin tone, mimicking the look of a shadow rather than leaning muddy or orange. Though it dried down fast, it was incredibly easy to blend out and build if you worked quickly, whether with fingers, a sponge, or a brush.
Just a little bit gave a good punch of pigment, and the non-cakey formula didn’t crease throughout the day. It did sink into pores a bit, but that’s to be expected with a drugstore product.
Size: 0.28 oz. | Shades: 2, 8 options | Formula: Cream | Finish: Satin
Best for Deep Skin Tones: Fenty Beauty Match Stix Duo Contour Highlight Set
Pros
Several shade options for deep skin tones
Blends easily before drying down
Highly pigmented
Cons
Not everyone will like the shimmery finish
These twin tubes from Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty feature twist-up contour and highlight sticks, with a matte-satin finish on the contour side and a shimmery, glowing result from the highlighter. Available in four color combos, they help create natural-looking sculpts, especially on deeper skin tones.
Just one swipe of each product offered medium coverage, but we could build the color up pretty easily. And since the formula didn’t dry down too quickly, our tester was able to blend before it set. Neither clung to dry spots or accentuated texture; instead, the featherweight contour and highlight complemented her foundation.
Size: 0.25 oz. each | Shades: 2, 4 options | Formula: Cream | Finish: Matte, radiant
Best Cream: Make Up For Ever HD Skin Cream Contour and Highlight Sculpting Palette
Pros
Very pigmented and blendable
Best for advanced makeup lovers who want full glam
Cons
Not for beginners
The formula clung to some dry spots
Our favorite cream palette is this compact from Make Up For Ever with 12 blendable, customizable shades, including earthy mattes and golden shimmers. With it, an experienced makeup wearer could do everything from spot-correct and bronze to highlight and contour.
The palette helpfully offers cool and warm counterparts to cater to different undertones. And since the creams are super pigmented, you don’t need a lot of product to achieve Hollywood-level contour. When applied lightly, our tester achieved a glamorous sculpt that left her skin with Instagram-filter results IRL.
Size: 0.90 oz. | Shades: 12 | Formula: Cream | Finish: Satin
Related: The 10 Best CC Creams of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
Best Powder: KVD Beauty Shade + Light Powder Face Contour Palette
Pros
Ultra-silky feel
A little goes a long way
Smoothing and blurring
Cons
Couldn’t find any
Powder is an essential step in every makeup routine, whether you’re setting or baking your makeup. While powder contour products can be categorized as drying or too matte, this contour palette from KVD Beauty is a timeless must-have that even dewy skin lovers can appreciate.
Each pan of pressed powder is so light, airy, and blendable that you could be fooled into thinking it’s cream. Both brushes and sponges were perfect conduits for these powders, making it easy to buff the contour and highlight shades into the skin and create a soft-focus effect. But the best part might be how buildable they are, which lets us create looks that range from subtle to dramatic.
It neither clung to nor accentuated dry spots and enlarged pores, and it didn’t settle into fine lines, either.
Size: 0.72 oz. | Shades: 6 | Formula: Powder | Finish: Matte
Best with Powder and Cream: Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Creme Contour & Powder Bronzer Duo
Pros
Having both formula types allows for both dewy and matte looks
Travel-friendly
A little goes a long way
Cons
It was easy to over-apply
Patrick Ta is a major beauty industry player not only for his stacked list of celebrity clients, including Gigi Hadid and Sydney Sweeney, but also for his award-winning eponymous brand. Complete with a cream contour and a powder bronzer, this compact has everything you need for definition and warmth.
We like that this product is available in five different depths to provide buildable options for all skin tones. The cream side feels buttery and smooth, blending beautifully with both a sponge and the brand’s Major Sculpt Dual-Ended Sculpting Brush, which we got better results with. It blurred fine lines and smoothed skin, providing a glowy look wherever it was applied.
Pro Tip from Patrick
Apply the contour shade directly on top of your cheekbones rather than underneath to define the shape and “lift” of your face. Blending contour in the hollows of your cheekbones can draw your face down or end up looking muddy.
Size: 0.47 oz. | Shades: 2, 5 options | Formula: Cream, powder | Finish: Natural, matte
Related: The 13 Best Foundation Brushes of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
Best Blendable: Anastasia Beverly Hills Powder Contour Kit
Pros
Blends very easily
Plays nice with foundation
Didn’t cling to dry patches
Cons
The powders could have more pigment
The shade range could be expanded
As far as blendability goes, Anastasia Beverly Hills takes the cake. Its powder formulas were so airy and smooth that they truly mimicked the look of sunshine and shadows on our faces, with powders so finely milled that we couldn’t tell where one shade started and the other finished.
The lightweight skin-perfecting powder didn’t cling to dry patches, nor did it intensify the appearance of texture. We do think that this product could be improved with a sister palette designed for deeper skin tones, as this one features a pretty fair-to-medium spread that doesn’t even do much for olive skin tones.
Size: 0.66 oz. | Shades: 6 | Formula: Powder | Finish: Matte
Best Buildable: Make Up For Ever All-In-One Face Palette
Pros
Includes shades and formulas for every step of your makeup process
Travel-friendly
Suitable for all skin tones
Cons
The lighter shade wasn’t a replacement for concealer
The Make Up For Ever All-In-One Face Palette includes 12 cream shades that can be mixed and matched for all parts of your makeup routine: foundation, concealer/color correction, contour, blush, and highlight. Each cream shade had medium coverage and can be built up to achieve fuller coverage. Plus, it comes in two versions to suit a wide variety of skin tones.
The creamy formulas were easy to blend, working well with sponges and brushes but blending best with fingers. Each swipe glided smoothly onto our tester’s skin without clinging to dry spots or accentuating fine lines. However, the lighter “concealer” shades ended up settling into the creases of her eyelids. But overall, the makeup didn’t oxidize as the hours passed, keeping her face looking snatched all day long.
Size: 0.90 oz. | Shades: 12 | Formula: Cream | Finish: Natural
Related: Lizzo Gives Her Makeup Artist the Day Off and Shows Her Own Beauty Skills: 'I'm Getting Nervous'
Best Radiant: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
Pros
Micro glitters made skin look ultra-glowy
Super buildable
Smoothed imperfections
Cons
It’s on the pricier side
Substituting for a warm California sun is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, a trio of shades that produces complexions so dimensional, it looked like a lighting crew was following us around.
Rather than separate contours and highlights, each pan holds a buildable finishing powder that can be applied in layers to sculpt your face or intensify your glow. Each shade was easily diffusible yet buildable, didn’t cling to dry spots, and didn’t amplify imperfections. We also loved their luminosity, which gave skin a natural-looking glow. Just an extra sweep of the deepest shade switched up the look from natural daytime to a dramatic sculpt for a night out.
Size: 0.30 oz. | Shades: 3, 3 options | Formula: Powder | Finish: Radiant
Best Full Glam: Smashbox The Cali Contour Face Palette
Pros
The buttery powder is highly blendable
The highlight shades were actually visible
Suitable for all skin types
Cons
Couldn’t find any
Including matte highlight and contour shades as well as two shimmer options, this palette from Smashbox plays the full glam game well. No matter which shade we went for, each swipe was pigmented and smooth, dusting over imperfections and smoothing fine lines. Even the highlighting shades made a noticeable difference, which is where many other palettes fell short.
But the best part about these powders was how they blended beautifully with our tester’s makeup. We’d trust this one to get us through a long evening out without looking any different than how we first applied it.
Size: 0.69 oz. | Shades: 6, 2 options | Formula: Powder | Finish: Matte, radiant
Best Multi-Use: Danessa Myricks Beauty Groundwork Defining Neutrals Palette
See at Danessamyricksbeauty.com
Pros
It’s a full makeup kit, not just contour and highlight
Talc-free powder
Smoothed over pores and fine lines
Suitable for a range of skin tones
Cons
Might be intimidating for beginners
Expensive
Though this Danessa Myricks palette touts a higher price tag than your average contour kit, it does so much more than contour and highlight. While there are a plethora of shades suited for fair to deep skin tones, the best part is that beside each of the 10 powder pans are smaller pans of buttery pomades in matching shades for other parts of your makeup routine.
The powders were so pigmented that one tap was enough to bronze up an entire cheekbone. Its lightest shades can be used to highlight high points of your face, like under the eyes, the bridge of your nose, and your chin, while the deeper shades can be dusted along your cheekbones, jawline, and sides of your forehead to define your natural features.
Size: 8.43 x 0.65 x 3.54 in. | Shades: 10 powder, 10 pomade | Formula: Powder, pomade | Finish: Matte, satin
Related: The 7 Best Eyebrow Pencils of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
Other Contour Kits We Tried
Morphe 8F Fair Play Complexion Pro Face Palette: From shimmery highlight shades to bronzy browns and even a few blushes, this palette has a slew of shades to mix and match. We liked the versatility, the reasonable price, and the smooth application over foundation. But in true Morphe fashion, these powders are extremely pigmented, and sometimes they were a little hard to blend.
Glo Skin Contour Kit: This mineral powder palette has an equal split between matte and shimmer formulas that are buildable and easy to blend, making it easy to achieve both natural definition and full glam. Though it was pretty blurring and mattifying to the naked eye, the powder clung a bit to dry skin.
Melt Cosmetics The Sculpt Stack: We loved that this stack had options for contouring and bronzing for a sunkissed complexion. The powders were pigmented but not muddy, and they smoothed texture beautifully. However, the contour shades are really only suited to those with fairer skin.
People / Jhett Thompson
Complete the Look
The best contoured looks start with a great foundation. We hand-picked the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation in our search for the best full-coverage foundation.
Highlight is not a substitute for concealer, just an extra step to add dimension to your face. While highlighters are a bit too thin to cover up eye bags, we loved the NYX Bare With Me Concealer Serum for its crease-free wear, hydrating formula, and drugstore price.
If the kit you’re adding to your cart doesn’t include a bronzer shade, consider buying a separate one. The Rare Beauty Bronzer Stick was the best bronzer we tested, and the Wet n Wild MegaGlo Makeup Stick is a great option for cost-conscious shoppers.
What to Know About Contour Kits
Formula
Contour kits typically come in one of two options: cream or powder. Reneau recommends powder for contour newbies, as these formulas are “more forgiving to apply” with their light washes of color. “Cream is incredible for a more advanced makeup wearer, people who have dry skin, or for when you know you are going to be photographed,” she adds.
However, many makeup artists will use both formulas together to lock their makeup in for the day. “All reality TV stars are contoured to perfection using creams and then layering powder on top,” says makeup artist and content creator Aditya Madiraju.
Makeup artist Natalie Dresher agrees: “Working with both cream and powder products allows for the powder to lock in the cream for a longer wear time,” she explains.
While both cream and powder products work well with mature skin, certain formulas work harder to smooth over fine lines and wrinkles. Madiraju calls the Danessa Myricks Groundwork Palette (powder) and Fenty Beauty Match Stix (cream) “go-to’s” for mature skin in his makeup collection.
Shade Range
It can be hard to identify the shade of contour and highlight that works best for your skin tone just by looking at a palette, which is why it’s important to have lots of shades to choose from. With 12 pans, the Make Up For Ever HD Skin Cream Contour and Highlight Sculpting Palette has the most shade options, and the Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Crème Contour & Powder Duo has five different bronzer and contour pairings.
Pro Tip
For a naturally sculpted look, choose a contour shade that’s two to three shades darker than your skin tone. “A contour should always mimic a shadow,” says Dresher. “If you’re a more seasoned pro, you can choose a shade that’s four to five shades deeper than your skin tone and blend, blend, blend.”
Finish
Oftentimes, powder products will produce a matte finish, meaning that your skin will look smoother, more poreless, and shine-controlled. However, some powder palettes, like the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, include luminous highlighting powders that leave behind a glowy wash.
Cream products often deliver a satin, shimmery, or radiant finish because of their emollient texture. The budget-friendly e.l.f. Cream Contour Kit Palette excelled here, leaving behind a healthy glow.
“A matte or satin highlight is more appropriate when highlighting under the eyes and in the center of the face,” Dresher explains. “Shimmery and radiant highlights are better suited for the tops of the cheekbones, cupid’s bow, and décolleté area.”
Contour Terms to Know
Matte: A smooth, flat finish that doesn’t reflect light and controls oil
Satin: A cross between matte and dewy, offering a subtle radiance while keeping oil levels controlled
Shimmer: Flecked with micro glitter or finished with pearlescent pigment; makes your skin look glowy
Radiant: Creates the appearance of dewy skin; these formulas usually have more ingredients that promote hydration and moisturization than others
People / Jhett Thompson
Behind the Scenes
To find the best contour kits, we called in 23 popular kits to our PEOPLE Tested lab. We used both brushes and sponges to blend cream and powder formulas of contour and highlight shades. Throughout each step of the testing process, we rated key performance indicators of each product on a scale of 1 to 5 (worst to best).
These were the qualities we gave the highest weight when calculating product scores.
Blendability: Did the contour easily buff into skin and create a “shadow” so diffused that we couldn’t tell where it started or ended? Or did it cling to dry patches and get cakey? We also assessed how the product interacted with the foundation we were already wearing.
Pigment: We recorded whether the powders and creams tested were visible with a single swipe, if we needed to go in with extra layers, and if they showed up too dark or too light, requiring correction. The best products were buildable, meaning they started with a natural-looking wash of color and easily deepened when we added more.
Texture: We analyzed how each product felt on our fingers and faces, then noted whether it blurred uneven skin texture or sank into fine lines and pores.
People / Jhett Thompson
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you contour your face?
“I personally contour after foundation, before concealer,” says Dresher. “I like to add any shadows to the face after my complexion base and bring the light back to my face via concealer.”
Most artists contour their clients by applying a dark shade to the cheekbones, along the jawline, and near the hairline. To highlight, take a light shade and blend it into the center of the forehead, under the eyes, the center of the chin, and under the cheekbones to further define the facial structure. Exactly where you’ll apply contour and highlight depends on your face shape.
How is contour different than bronzer?
“Bronzer is used to warm up the complexion and should be placed on top of the bone structure where the sun would naturally kiss your skin (think across the forehead, tops of cheekbones, bridge of nose and chin),” Reneau explains. “Contouring is a technique used to shape and define the structure of the face, add the illusion of symmetry, or to soften or sharpen features of your face.”
Dresher says that you can picture it like this: “Contour products are cooler toned and about mimicking a shadow, while bronzing products are really about mimicking the sun.”
How do you choose the right shade for your contour and highlight?
Since contour is meant to emulate shadows, Reneau recommends choosing a shade that’s “at least two shades deeper than your natural skin tone in a similar or cool undertone.” For the correct highlight shade, go two shades up from your typical foundation.
What is underpainting, and how is it like contouring?
“Underpainting is the technique of contouring and highlighting (and even blushing!) before foundation” and was popularized by celebrity makeup artist Mary Phillips, Dresher explains.
“Concealer, bronzer, blush, and contour are blended out, and then a thin layer of foundation is applied to diffuse the colors and harsh lines,” adds Madiraju. “It’s like baking a cake!”
We wouldn’t recommend trying this advanced technique out until you’re comfortable with your new contour kit. To dip your toes in, “you can always try applying the bronzer or contour to your face lightly to get a good base before applying your foundation,” suggests Reneau.
What tools should you use to blend your contour and highlight?
“I like using brushes to apply contour but always have a makeup sponge to blend out any harsh lines,” says Dresher. Madiraju suggests using your fingers for cream contour, though we recommend keeping a few makeup brushes nearby in case things go south.
Why Trust PEOPLE?
Alyssa Brascia is a staff shopping writer at PEOPLE, covering beauty, fashion, home, and lifestyle. She has previously written for InStyle, Shape, Southern Living, and Real Simple. For this article, Brascia analyzed testing insights, incorporated first-hand experience, and consulted cosmetic brand executives, makeup artists, and content creators to deduce which contour kits were worth recommending to readers and how they should be used.
Meet Our Experts
Elyse Reneau is the executive director of global beauty at Too Faced Cosmetics and has more than 20 years of experience in the beauty industry. Her previous work can be found on hit shows such as Saturday Night Live, The Big Bang Theory, Orange Is the New Black, and more. Based in Los Angeles, she frequently travels to New York City, including for NYFW shows such as Alice + Olivia and Selkie.
Natalie Dresher is a Miami-based makeup artist and hairstylist known for her full-glam moments with content creators like Remi Bader and Dylan Mulvaney. She has extensive experience in editorial beauty, working closely with brands such as Cover FX, Milk Makeup, and Cupshe, as well as a robust portfolio of bridal clientele.
Aditya Madiraju is a makeup artist and content creator based in New Jersey with over 1.4 million followers on Instagram. Madiraju makes educational beauty content across his social media platforms and has been part of the official Sephora Squad since 2023.
What Is PEOPLE Tested?
We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.
But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.
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