REVIEW & SWATCHES: Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette

ITEM: Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette
PRICE: $46USD (U.S. Sephora. For my fellow Aussies, this can only be purchased from Sydney Sephora in Australia for the time being)

Every single company in the beauty industry has come out with a contour palette. But one of the most raved about is the Kat Von D Shade + Light Palette. So this is a review and swatches of this coveted palette.

I will also be doing some comparisons with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Palette and other contour palettes in the future for those that are curious. So remember to follow this blog for more in the future! 

If you would like to see my review and swatches of every single colour of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Powder Contours please click HERE. For a review and swatches of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit please click HERE. 

I am going to start with a spoiler and let you guys know that I really love the palette. A lot. At the moment, it is my favourite contour palette of all the ones that are in my collection. (But I am still testing out some others and haven't given them a fair go yet).

I think that there is so much to love about the formula of these powders. They are all extremely pigmented (a little goes a long way), they do not apply patchy or blotchy or skip, they are easy to blend into the skin, they are beautiful and creamy, and they are great colours which cater for a huge range of skin colours. They have a good balance of neutral, cool and warm toned shades. The products are all matte so it's perfect for setting the under-eye concealers or for contouring. It's really just a well thought out palette with a great product inside. There is a mirror that's great (unlike the Anastasia Palettes) and the packaging, although slightly fat, is very sturdy and reliable.

I really love to use the shade Shadowplay (the centre shade bottom row) for more subtle contours or everyday contouring. I then like to use the colour Sombre (the left shade bottom row) for more dramatic or strong contours. They are really easy and versatile for different looks and different intensities.

I am also obsessed with the highlight shades. They don't only set the concealer under my eyes amazingly, but they truly do brighten my under-eye area really well. I use the shade Lyric (the centre shade top row) the most and it's beautiful - brightens amazingly but doesn't feel or look cakey. On days where I want to be a little bit more obvious with the under-eye highlighting, I like to mix the shades Lyric and Lucid (the left shade top row). This is a bit brighter because it mixes the yellow hue and the pink hued shades together. I love it.

I do want to say that I like the highlight shades more than I like the contour shades. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy using both. However, I feel like the contour shades are not a leap or jump better than other contour shades. They are great (as I said above), but not something that is like WOW IT'S SO DIFFERENT. However, the highlight shades are something that has blown me away. They really do something that no other highlight powder that I have used does. They are seriously brightening and give you a lifted look like no other. It's amazing.

However, the cons for the product are few but do exist. Firstly, I don't use the far right shades (Levitation and Subconscious) at all. They are suited for darker skin tones, but they are too dark for my skin. As much as I love that the palette is versatile and suitable for everyone, I think that the pro for the Anastasia Contour Kit is that you can pick and choose the shades that are available. In the same way that I am wasting the darker colours, the lighter colours are likely to go to waste for those of a dark skin colour. And this potential wastage of product breaks my heart a little. However, this con is somewhat a pro since it means the Palette can suit a lot more people. (And, I want to try the darker shade on a friend of mine who is dark *grace*)

Another con is the limited availability of this product to the Australian market. Kat Von D is a Sephora exclusive brand so in Sephora Sydney is currently the only store with this available. I find this frustrating but... nothing can be done about it.

So, the following are swatches of the product. I used my fingers to get the full pigmentation so you can truly see the colour differences.

Left to Right:
Lucid - Lyric - Levitation - Sombre - Shadowplay - Subconscious

Lucid: the slightly pink highlighting shade (for fair to light skin tones)
Lyric: the slightly yellow highlighting shade (for light to medium skin tones)
Levitation: the slightly orange highlighting shade (for tan to deep skin tones)

Sombre: a cool-toned grey shade (for fair to medium skin)
Shadowplay: a warm-toned brown (for fair to medium skin)
Subconscious: a deep neutral brown (for tan to deep skin)

To see looks of this on my face follow me on instagram: @mnh.beauty - for a link CLICK HERE

Overall: I really love the products in this palette that I used frequently (which are the four shades on the left). I love the sturdy packaging that makes it reliable to take around places with me when travelling. However the packaging is slightly bulky, I do hate the thought of not using the other two shades, and I really am sad that my fellow Aussies cannot get this easily.

Rating: 9/10