Aside from having a flawless base, another one of my must-have is a contour/bronzing product to shape and add warmth to my complexion. Although both sets of products technically do very different things, I tend to use them quite interchangeably. I’ve written a little bit about some of my favourite high-end bronzers that are worth splurging on, here are a few of my favourites that don’t cost a fortune!
+ NYX Bronzer in Taupe ($8, available here)
I have been looking for this shade at Target for the longest time as it is definitely a very popular shade for many people, and for a good reason too! Look at the colour – a matte, true grey-brown shade that’s perfect as a contour shade. The colour doesn’t lean too warm or cold, making it colour suitable to many different skintones.
+ Inglot HD Sculpting Powder in #506 ($17, available here)
Available in over 10 different shades, Inglot’s HD Sculpting Powder is as true of a contour powder as it gets. #506 is my favourite as it is a slightly more intense and pigmented brown shade to the NYX Bronzer in Taupe. It is a matte colour and more pigmented than your average sculpting powders, but guaranteed to get you that V Beckham-esque cheekbones in no time.
+ Illamasqua Hollow Pigment ($19, available here)
I picked this up when it was announced that Illamasqua was leaving North America. Hollow has received a lot of love from many bloggers online and for a good reason too! It’s a product that is multi-functional, and the colour makes it a very versatile one-product-does-all staple. Ever since I bought this, I’ve been using it for my brows, as a contour product, and an eyeshadow base. Hollow is much muddier and more grey-brown than the brown in the pan – in fact, once you scrape the top off, the colour inside the pan is just slightly more grey-brown than the more neutral top would lead you to believe. Grey can be very tricky to apply on the face as it can make you look incredibly sick, but applied with a light hand, this shapes and sculpts the face very efficiently.
+ Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick ($9, available here)
This was one of those products that sucked a lot doing what it was advertised to do (i.e. as a foundation), but if you get a little creative, and get the darker or lighter shades than your actual skintone, it actually makes for a very good bronzer/highlighter stick! Since the range was marketed initially as a foundation, all shades tend to have a slightly yellow/orange tone to it, making it a better bronzer stick than an contour product. The most important thing to remember is to blend out really well because it’s very easy to get that oompa-loompa look!
I love finding drugstore (or drugstore priced) alternatives to many high-end favourite products, especially the ones that I use regularly.
Now it’s your turn! Have you tried any of the products mentioned here? What are your favourite drugstore bronzer or contour product? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share with me comment section or through Twitter or Instagram!
Bourjois has some great picks and you can get it on Asos!
I haven’t tried any of these, wish there was an inglot in vancouver! I bought this burberry face powder couple years ago and love it as a bronzer/sculpter but I’m not very skilled in using that to sculpt still!
Inglot’s sculpting powders are my favourite! So natural. I’ve been dying to try Illamasqua Hollow too ????
I hardly ever contour and think I really should start playing around with it, it’s been too long!