Beauty UK Ultimate Contour Chubby Sticks

There has been an explosion of contouring products in the drugstore ranks. Almost every brand came up with their version, some more successfully than others, but we no longer only have Sleek's little palettes when we want to contour on a budget like a few years ago. I actually got three in just one month to try and I'm not even that into contouring (I only very occasionally use something on the cheeks), but it was nice to test the newbies. Beauty UK launched both the powder and cream versions, the latter I got, but both version come in several shades. I got the lightest two in both contour and highlighter sticks. I have one other creamy contour duo from Catrice and they are actually quite similar.

Texture: These are very siliconey-creamy, have a great colour payoff when you touch the skin and glide with ease. Blending comes very easy with these, which could be a double edged sword at contours as you want to keep some intensity and too much blending turns that sharp contour into a muddy blob on you cheek. I suggest using a thin flat brush like this metallic contour brush or a small pointed fluffy brush like Real Techniques contour brush, I saw some people using a beauty blender with this, but I never tried it. The highlighter shade is not at all problematic to apply, in fact it's one of the easiest ever, I just run it on the high-points of my face and blend in seconds with fingers. These feel greasy to the touch when they are on the skin and they don't really set, so I would suggest using a light dusting of powder over them.

Highlighter: I got the shade called No.3 Beige Highlight which is a gold-beige-champagne colour with warm, but not gold reflect. It's similar to Catrice's version (swatched bellow side-by-side), but more yellow, yet the glow is the same, so very natural looking, however, it could turn greasy-looking on oily skins.

Contour: my shade No.1 Medium Contour comes in a scarily brown packaging, but the actually product is a lot cooler, so don't judge the book by its cover at this product. It's a medium cool brown shade, there's not much grey in it, but there is some that gives it that shadow effect. It's very similar to Catrice's version, only a shade lighter. This is not the best contour on me, though on pictures it works, but in person, it's just too warm. Better than for porcelain skins like mine, this would suit light-medium skin tones with a warm undertone, while those with pink will find this muddy looking. It's very pigmented when you apply it on the cheeks, but most of it disappears with blending, so you need to build it up gradually.

I've tried the proper full face contouring with these and while it looked ok enough under the cheekbones, on the jaw and on the forehead, using it for the nose proved to be more challenging. For one the packaging is too big for such a precise work. I've seen a video using a brush with this product, so that's a solution, however, it still doesn't really make that effect of slimming the nose, it just makes it look dirty on my skin tone. The highlighter was ok, but I would stay away from it if you have an oily T-Zone.

I have a picture of me facing the camera with the contoured nose here, I just didn't want to include it in the post because I really dislike myself with a nose contour (in general, not because of the wrong shade like here). I've just never been a fan of the trend.

Staying power: I didn't really notice anything special in regards to the staying power. At the end of the day, I couldn't tell if the it's the highlighter on my cheeks or my natural shine, but the contour wasn't' there when I was removing the makeup with micellar water. Both products are so slippery, they probably slid off, that's why I think that with powder they would perform better.

Packaging: These come in a jumbo crayon packaging that winds up, which is cute, but because of the size, I find the contour design impractical. Highlighter is great for applying on the tops of the cheek bones, but you can't use it straight from the packaging to apply it in the inner corner or above the upper lip. Contour should be more precise because it's impossible to get a sharp line and I feel it's too wide (then again. I have a child-size face), but you can work with it.

Price and availability: Mine are from Ličila.si where each costs 9.95 € (highlighter and contour. Link to the Beauty UK site). There is 6 g of product in each crayon.

Koda BEAUTY-UK vam na Ličila.si prinaša 15% popust na neznižane izdelke Beauty UK do konca oktobra.

Using a different camera for reference and a much lighter contour just under my cheekbone.

I expected the shade won't be that good for me, but we very fair people are special little snowflakes who need a very cool taupe contour to pull it off, but of course, Beauty UK created shades that fit a wider selection of skin tones, as I think these might work both for light and more medium skin tones, preferably with a warm undertone. The highlighter is lovely for those who want a natural looking grow. I think that it would be more practical if the contour had a sharper design for a more practical application, but if you have good face brushes, application shouldn't be a problem. These are very similar to Catrice's offering, however, you get more product. I tried to find you a review of someone with a darker skin tone, but I can't find any, but there are a few quick videos on Beauty UK's Instagram.

Have a great day!

*PR products.

Posted in: Skincare