Top five contour kits

Thanks to a million YouTube tutorials, celebrity selfies and Instagram stars, contouring – the art of sculpting, shading and highlighting one’s face in all the right places – is now the beauty trend that everybody wants to emulate.

The idea is simple, but if you’re low on time and not quite at the top level of make-up artistry, contouring can be notoriously tricky. Fortunately, almost all of the top cosmetic brands have released their own version of a contour kit, each designed to help us mere mortals on to the quickest and most convenient road to the perfect contour. Whether you aspire to the chiselled cheeks of a Kardashian, or covet the shimmering complexion of a silver screen siren, there’s a contour palette for you.

To help you wade through the thousands of kits that have appeared on the market since this beauty trend first exploded, we’ve rounded up a selection of our favourites to suit both beginners and contour connoisseurs.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Pro Series Contour Kit

Available in three shades (Light/Med, Med/Dark and Dark/Very Dark), Anastasia Beverly Hills’ palettes feature a combination of matte and sateen textures to allow you to really emphasise your best assets. A favourite amongst amateurs and professionals alike, this must-have kit has everything you need to achieve a youthful, subtly defined look.

NYX Cosmetics Highlight and Contour Pro-Palette

The best part of NYX Cosmetics’ Highlight and Contour Pro-Palette is that each of its eight shades are customisable, allowing you to perfectly match your unique skin tone as well as offering the convenience of replacing each colour as it is used up.

Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Kit

Ideal for the contouring novice, a small tutorial inserted into Smashbox’s Step-by-Step Contour Kit offers a helpful guide on how to use the enclosed contour, bronze and highlight powders to sculpt and define the face. The kit also includes an angled brush to get you started on your contouring journey.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow

Simple yet beautifully effective, Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze and Glow features all you need to shade and highlight your face in order to bring forward your best assets. Infused with light flex technology for a luminous complexion, this highlight-and-bronze duo is easily blended for a flattering, sun-kissed finish.

Sleek MakeUP Cream Contour

Available in light, medium and dark shades, Sleek MakeUP’s Cream Contour palette features six smooth, buildable shades to suit a wide range of skin tones. With two highlights and four complex contouring shades, blend carefully to create the illusion of natural shadows for a flawless finish.  

Grace Cain