Here's the Scoop on the New Revlon PhotoReady Contour & Highlight Duo

A few weeks ago, I spotted the new Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Fix Contour & Highlight Duos at Bed, Bath & Beyond and I had so many questions! 

Is this the same Insta-Fix foundation stick from 2015? 

If so, why are they putting a foundation stick in a box and calling it a contouring product?

I already have the foundation stick, why do I have to buy that again just to get the highlighting stick? 

Not to mention the price...$16.99 at Bed, Bath, & Beyond means that this will likely be a few bucks more at drugstores. I understand that you're getting two products, but I had a hard time spending that amount of money for one product I already had. It felt like paying $17 for a drugstore highlighter. Still, I was so curious about the whole thing, I picked up the lightest shade combination, which is Fair (there are 6 shades total...see my original post here for photos of the display). 

The three lightest shades (Fair, Light, & Light Medium) come with a pearly pink highlighting stick, while the three deeper shades (Medium, Medium Deep, and Deep) come with a bronzy gold highlighter.

Once I opened the package and looked at everything, my questions were (mostly) answered. It turns out that the Insta-Fix foundation stick they included in the Fair duo is actually more of a medium shade...#140 Nude. Here it is next to the original Insta-Fix stick I purchased in the shade #130 Shell (the third lightest shade in the range).

So basically, when you purchase one of these kits, you're going to get a foundation stick that's darker than the shade name on the outside of the kit. That's where the "contouring" aspect comes in. I'm not sure how I feel about it...I'm glad that they included a darker shade to contour with (that makes a lot more sense now), but it's also disappointing that it's not an actual contour stick. It feels kind of like getting jipped that it's just a repackaged Insta-Fix foundation.

Here's what the shades look like on my skin...the foundation stick in Nude #140 is a couple of shades darker than my skin tone and the highlighting stick is pretty, but kind of underwhelming at the same time. I feel like I have a few that are just like this one. It feels creamy and blendable, but again it's a similar formula to others that I already have.

Overall, if you're looking for a drugstore highlighting stick (which is what I was most interested in), there are more affordable options than buying this kit. This particular highlighter isn't unique enough to warrant spending $17 (unless you really want to use both products). 

If you're just looking for a drugstore cream highlighter and don't want to purchase this whole kit, I would recommend picking up the Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick (there's a pink and a gold shade) or the Flower Glisten Up! Highlighter Chubby (one of my faves!) Or, if you're willing to buy online, the L.A. Girl Velvet Contour Sticks have a few highlighter options that are only $5. 

What are your thoughts? Do you think it was a good idea for Revlon to create these kits?