Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour palette

Lately, Kat Von D has become quite the controversial brand as her personal opinions have sparked quite the reactions in the beauty community. However, aeons before all that mess happened, I purchased the Shade & Light Contour palette. Not to be confused with the Shade & Light eyeshadow palette, this is the face version of that palette. Of course, contouring and face palettes have had their moment in the beauty community as well it seems, but I like this enough still to talk to you about this in a review.

Kat Von D Shade & Light face contour palette

I bought this a few years ago, back when contouring palettes were all the rage and everyone was going crazy over the Anastasia Contour palette. My choices were torn between that and this palette. I had a makeup artist apply both to my face and found the Anastasia palette too dark for my fair complexion, which is why I opted for this. It retails for $49 and contains roughly 14 grams of product. It is up to you to decide whether you still want to purchase from the brand now that Kat Von D has become a little controversial in terms of your makeup choices.

The Packaging

I still have this in the old packaging as I bought this not too long after it launched. It now comes in plastic rather than cardboard packaging. Also, in the updated version, the pans are refillable and can be taken out. In mine that cannot be done, but I have no hopes of using this up any time soon. I hardly ever contour anymore. However, if I am struck with the urge this palette would certainly be one I would be reaching for instantly, as it has the exact shades that are right for my complexion.

The Palette

The palette contains 6 pans. The three pans at the top are light powders that do not contain a whole lot of product. They are best used for setting or doing a bit of spotlight/ matte highlighting. The bottom three pans contain the contour powders. Depending on your skin tone you should be able to find something in here. I personally never use the shades on the far right: those are too dark.

The four other shades are great though. I use the lightest shade for brightening my nose/ forehead/ chin if I am using this powder. The banana powder is light enough to do some brightening on my under eyes. However, what makes this palette for me are the two bottom left bronzer/ contour shades. The one on the left is a perfect cool toned contour on me. The middle shade is a perfect light toned bronzer for everyday if you are fair skinned.

The Swatches

As I mentioned in my matte eyeshadow palette video, the Kat Von D Shade & Light palettes aren’t too exciting in terms of shade range. What makes these a musthave item is the quality of the powders. As with the eyeshadow palette, these powders are some of the best cheek products I have ever used. The powders feel buttery smooth and the pigment is great.

I like using a ELF Small Stipple Brush for my contour and a larger stippling brush for applying my bronzer. I find the pans just big enough for fitting a large brush and the powders apply well to the skin. The blendability is superior to many bronzers I own: they blend flawlessly onto the skin. I love the natural finish this gives and more importantly, these powders stay put all day.

The Application

In these closeups you may be hard pressed to find a very distinct effect. That just shows you though how natural these powders go on. They can be build up to more intensity, but I prefer a natural softly bronzed look and nothing too crazy. In the first picture you can see my bare face. The middle picture shows the bronzer. The final picture includes the contour. Since those are the shades I use the most, I figured I would show you those.

The Conclusion

Whether I should recommend the Kat Von D Shade & Light contour palette depends on where you stand on Kat Von D at the moment. Judging purely on the quality of the product, then this is one of the best contour palettes on the market. That cannot be denied. However, if you are currently avoiding Kat Von D because of all the controversy surrounding her personal choices, then you may want to steer clear of this and find another option instead.

What contour palette do you use?