Maybelline Master Contour Kit ($12.99 at Ulta.com) is brand new for Spring 2016 and I first spotted it at CVS last month in a huge Maybelline display that had a bunch of new products in it. I picked this up with the intention of posting a review soon afterwards, but it kind of got lost in the shuffle during the craziness of the holidays. Thankfully, I'm back on track and posting reviews every day, so to hear my thoughts on this palette, just keep on reading!
Contour palettes have been around a while and the trend doesn't look like it's going away any time soon, so I'm glad that the drugstore brands are releasing some budget-friendly options. Some kits such as the new L'oreal Infallible Pro Contour and the Wet n' Wild Coloricon Contouring Kit have only two shades...a highlight and a contour, but the Maybelline Master Contour also contains a blush, similar to the Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palettes (Maybelline and Urban Decay are both owned by L'oreal by the way).
The Master Contour kit comes in two shades...Light to Medium and Medium to Deep. Being fair skinned, I opted for the Light to Medium. Just looking at the shades in the pan, I was happy with the shades they chose...the bronzer doesn't appear too orange or too warm, the blush is a light matte pink that seems pretty universal, and the highlight is a light frosty beige with a hint of gold in it.
I should note that there is no mirror in this palette, but it does have a see-through lid which is great for being able to identify what it is in your makeup drawer. This kit also comes with a brush but in all honesty, it's so tiny, I feel like no one could use it on their face. Maybe my niece could contour her dolls with it?! It's also kind of stiff and scratchy...yuck.
Each pan is labeled for the makeup newbie who's just getting into contouring and there is also a guide on the back of the palette that shows you where to put each color on your face.
When I first swatched this palette, I was impressed with how soft and blendable the powders are. They're nicely pigmented and sit really nicely on my skin. Just a quick tap into the pan with my brush picks up a good amount of product and it blends so beautifully. Actually, that begs the question, why can't Maybelline make their eyeshadows out of this formula?! Just a thought! :)
Color-wise, I think the contour shade is just slightly warmer than I'd like it to be for my cooler toned skin, but not to the point where I can't make it work. I'm happy that it leans pink versus orange at least. The blush is a really pretty matte pink that looks very natural on me. The highlight is a little darker than I'd like it to be, because it almost blends in with my skin tone. A lighter shade would pop a lot more on my cheekbones, but overall, this one does look really pretty when it catches the light. Also, if you have more medium-toned skin, the highlight will probably be light enough for you.
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As I was working on this review, I kept mentally comparing the Maybelline Master Contour to other similar kits I have in my collection, so I decided to do some swatch comparisons to see if this could be a dupe of another contour palette!
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| Top Left: Makeup Revolution Ultra Brightening Contour Kit in Ultra Fair $5.37 Top Center: IT Cosmetics Live, Love, Laugh Vitality Face Disc $38 Top Right: Wet n' Wild Coloricon Blush & Glow Trio in Sunset Junction $3.99 Bottom Left: Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette in Naked $32 |
I broke up the swatches so we could compare the highlights, blushes and contour shades separately to make it a little bit easier.
I wasn't able to find an exact match in any of the highlight shades, although the Makeup Revolution one came very close. The Urban Decay highlight is darker and more pink, while the It Cosmetics highlight is darker and more golden. The Wet n' Wild palette had a light pink highlight.
As far as the blushes go, the Maybelline, Urban Decay and IT Cosmetics versions have a matte finish while the others contain shimmer. The Urban Decay and IT Cosmetics blushes lean more coral/peach while the Makeup Revolution and Wet n' Wild blushes are golden pinks. So again, no real dupes here.
Finally, the contour shades! Next to the others, you can really see how pink the Maybelline Version is. The Urban Decay and Wet n' Wild contour shades lean a lot warmer than the others and the IT Cosmetics and Makeup Revolution shades are closer to true browns...perfect for contouring, IMO.
Overall, the Maybelline Master Contour Kit in Light to Medium is a pretty good drugstore option if you're looking for a contour palette. The formula is beautiful...highly pigmented and blendable and the shades would work well enough for those with fair to medium skin. Ideally, I would have liked to see this palette broken up into two separate palettes...one for fair to light skin with a lighter highlight, and one for Medium skin tones with a darker blush and slightly darker contour shade.
What do you guys think of the new Maybelline Master Contour? Have you tried it yet? I'd also be interested to hear from those of you with darker skin tones to see how well the Medium to Deep shade worked for you!
Maybelline Master Contour is available at your local drugstore or at Ulta.com
I got this and did like it, but I prefer the shades in the new L'Oreal contour palette
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I liked it up until it faded into nothing after just a few hours after applying, even with setting spray. So it wouldn't be ideal for an all day look, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteGreat comparisons!! After reading your post, I think the Makeup Revolution would be my best fit.
ReplyDeleteI have that wet n wild compact. Looks gorgeous. Haven't used it in awhile. Think l'll bring it out again.
ReplyDeletei have been using the maybelline palette for about 2 months and i love the blush but i do find the contour could be a little browner and the highlight needs just a bit more pop. awesome palette for the price however. downside is i agree with MOJOBEAN above. even with setting spray this is not meant for all day use. i suggest bringing the palette along with u in your purse for touch ups
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