Though made popular in recent years by stars like Kim Kardashian, contouring has been used on the red carpet and photo shoots in Hollywood since the early days of movies. But until recently, only makeup artists and professionals knew how to apply it to bring out cheekbones and frame the face, but still look natural. But with all the tutorials on YouTube and Instagram, and a range of new highlighters, brushes and palettes, it’s easier than ever to do it at home. Clownface is a thing of the past…

Personally, I think if it looks like you’re not wearing any makeup, in the sense of foundation and concealer at least, then you’re doing it right. But that said, I love a bold look. I just don’t want my whole entire face to be bold! So if you’re trying out a little gentle contouring for the first time and you want to look great, but in that effortless kind of way, then you could do a lot worse that Revlon’s Sculpt + Highlight Contouring Kit £14.99 (BUY HERE).  I tried this out at a beauty event recently, and liked it so much I bought one.

It’s not crazy expensive, so you can buy it to play with, without breaking the budget. It’s a palette of four powders. A banana powder to conceal under the eye, a highlighter, a bronzer and a slightly darker sculpting shade too. It also has a cute little card guide to show you where to apply the different things. I’m wearing it in Light/Medium.

If you want to get really into contouring and things, then there are other guides, and of course videos, that will go into what to do for each face shape type. But here, nice and simple. The banana powder goes under the eye to conceal. This shade I use lightly because it’s a little yellow on me, but it’s a handy thing to blend into the darker shades to even them out if you use a little too much. The highlighter isn’t too bright and shiny, so you won’t over do it on the shine. It’s great for the brow bone, along the nose and the tops of the cheek bones. It’s brings them out a little bit, but with it’s soft shade, it’s not too white and bright. Finally, bronze around the hairline, sides of the nose and define the cheeks, with a little sculpt shade to define those cheekbones a little more.

So, what’s great about it? This palette is like an entry level product. It’s not too dark and thick, so you can blend it and keep it natural, building colour where you want. The guide is handy for those just starting out and because it’s light, it looks natural and doesn’t deposit loads of colour. You can mess around with it and get it right without having to remove all your makeup if you make a mistake. It lasts pretty well too, and suits different skin types. I have combination skin and I feel like it kept my skin a bit matte, which is nice. The downsides are that the banana powder might not suit lighter skin tones, and when I looked today there were only two shades: light/medium, which I use and medium/tan, which is darker. But that’s it. Surely that’s not going to suit all skin tones?

On the whole, though, I think it’s a great product for those of you who want to try out contouring but don’t know where to start, or who don’t want to look too done. It’s a great palette to keep it simple, but add definition, and you can keep it light or build it a little but you don’t need a lot of skills or knowledge to use it. (In fact, you don’t even need a lot of brushes to apply it, I sometimes use my fingers a bit too!)

What are your contouring tips? Have you tried this product or another product you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments below. You can also find me on Twitter @CravenWild or on Instagram @hermioneflavia

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I’m wearing: