Anastasia Cream Contour Kit : Fair

I had been thinking about purchasing this kit for a little while, but my make up artist for my wedding mentioned that she thought that the 'light' palette would be too dark for me, so I decided to hold of buying.

Then, a month or so ago, Anastasia released her newest Contour Cream Kit in Fair. As soon as I saw it,  I knew these colours would be so much better suited to my pale complexion. Like the other 3 palettes on the market, the Fair kit has 6 shades of contouring and highlighting creams. 

The top row has the 3 lighter shades which are : Soft Light, Lustre and Fair which will be our highlight colours and the bottom row has our 3 dark shades for contouring which are Fawn, Shadow and Mink. 

I was a little apprehensive about buying this kit at first because I had read some beauty reviews saying that the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit's were more for advanced users. As a beginner, I was a little worried that I would spend a lot of money and be disappointed. In the UK, you can pick this set up from Amazon for £49.99 (Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit (Fair) NEW 2015) each and I believe they are $40 in the states. 

The colours 

Soft Light

Lustre

Fair

Fawn

Shadow

Mink

First thoughts

The first time I used this palette, I thought 'oh my god, the reviews were right, this is not for beginners'. I found that the formula was a little bit more 'dry' to apply than I originally anticipated and I wasn't able to get the look I wanted. However, given the price tag, I wasn't going to give up on my goal of using this product and having amazing cheek bones ;)

So, I tried again. This time, I was more prepared for the formula and I didn't feel like I was out of my depth. I used a mix of Mink and Shadow for my contour and Soft Light and Fair for my highlight.

For application of my highlight I used the Real Techniques Essential Foundation Brush (which is part of their core collection)  and for the contour I used the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush. 

I then used a Beauty Blender to blend everything in. It's important to make sure you 'dab' instead of rub as you don't want the dark bits where the light bits should be and visa versa!

As you can see, I have a pretty large forehead and jaw line, so I wanted to and make these look smaller than they actually are.

The finished result?

Some people like to apply a thin layer of foundation either before or after the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit, but I decided instead to just use Benefit's Hoola and Dandelion to set the cream kit.

Final Thoughts?

This is the first cream contour kit that I have ever used, so I am not in a position to compare it to others. This kit can be a little tricky to master at first, but what new product isn't? I remember the first time I tried Gel Eye Liner and thinking, 'nope not for me'! But would I live without my Gel Eye Liner now? Hell no! A little practise makes perfect and I am still far from perfect, but I think I'll get there.

Manny recommends using a little bit of Tarte Maracuja Oil to make these a little bit more creamy and 'blend-able'  in this video (https://youtu.be/ZAqQjJanxNY). The oil that he recommends is pricey even by my standards. I've never heard of it before this video, so it may be worth it's weight in gold, so I need to do my research here. But if it works and price is not an issue, then maybe give this a go if you are finding the formula a little dry.

Would I buy this again? So far, I have only used this product four times and each time I am finding it easier and easier to use. I'm pretty sure that by the time I run out (which will be a little while off I'm sure) I will be more than happy with this kit and will buy it again. Even based on my limited experience with the palette, I would recommend it to other people.

The colours are perfect for my skin tone, they look amazing (after a few practise sessions) and you do get quite a lot of product for your money.

DLJ
Xoxo