Ever wonder how models, actresses, and beauty bloggers get those gorgeous sculpted cheekbones and defined features?
Maybe she’s born with it…
Maybe it’s contouring!
Quick NavigationOur 3 FavoritesWhat is Contouring?Why Should I Use a Contour Kit?How to Choose a Contour Kit1 – Cream vs. Powder2 – Picking the right colors5 Best Vegan Contour KitsBH Cosmetics Forever Nude Sculpt & Glow Too Faced Cocoa Contour Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Bringing Out Your Best Features
Our 3 Favorites
Don’t have time to read the whole article? Below are 3 quality vegan contour kits we recommend.
- BH Cosmetics – Forever Nude Sculpt & Glow
- Too Faced - Cocoa Contour Chiseled to Perfection
- Anastasia Beverly Hills - Contour Cream Kit
What is Contouring?
Contouring is the art of using shadows and highlights to define and shape your features. Just a few swipes of dark and light makeup can transform the shape of your face, and make your features look more flattering.
It’s easy to get started contouring!
Considering it’s become such a popular practice in magazines, YouTube, and beauty blogs, you don’t have to look far for professional tips or patterns perfect for beginners.
You don’t need much to get started – in fact, you can get to shaping with just a few colors of foundation, and something to blend them with. Of course, you could buy all these items separately – or, you could take the guesswork out of the whole process and invest in a vegan contour kit.
Why Should I Use a Contour Kit?
I don’t know about you, but whenever I try to buy things “a la carte” for a project, it rarely turns out well. Either the items don’t go together because I’ve purchased them all separately, I’ve spent way too much money on each piece, and half the time I wind up forgetting something.
Contour kits are great because they come with instructions, they’re portable, and everything you need to start contouring is contained right in the kit.
Kits are ideal for the beginning contour artist. While you’re still getting the hang of contouring, it’s super helpful to have all your materials ready to go.
Once you have a good handle on actually creating the contour, you can always mix-and-match your favorite products, but having everything together makes starting the process foolproof.
How to Choose a Contour Kit
To get the best result from your contour kit, there are a few decisions you’ll want to make before you purchase. These will help guide you to the kit that’s best suited to your skin tone and lifestyle.
1 – Cream vs. Powder
While the decision about cream versus powder contour ultimately comes down to preference, they do handle a little differently.
Powder contour is best for beginners and those who prefer a lighter, more natural contour. The powder is easy to blend into your foundation, which means it’s more subtle – and it’s easier to blend away any mistakes.
Cream contour is a little harder to navigate – it’s less forgiving than its powdery counterpart, so if you make a mistake, you might have to start over. However, cream does make for a dramatic, professional makeup look, so if you prefer stronger makeup trends, or are doing your contour for a special occasion, cream creates a real glam factor.
2 – Picking the right colors
For a very basic contour, you’ll need at least one dark color and one highlighting color. To find the perfect color for your contour, look to your regular foundation for guidance.
When picking your contour kit, look for a highlighter and shadow that are 1-2 shades lighter and 1-2 shades darker than your base foundation, respectively.
As far as color and hue is concerned, you’ll want to consider your natural skin tone. People with fair skin tones should steer clear from contour kits with orange undertones, while medium skin tones should look for a kit that uses a hefty bit of bronze.
Dark complexions have a lot of leeway with their contour palettes. Those with rich skin tones can experiment with gold and red undertones – it’s all a matter of preference.
Lastly, consider purchasing a kit that includes a blush for the apples of your cheeks. While not absolutely necessary for contouring, the blush will add a little pop of color and soften the overall appearance of your contour.
Once you have these basic questions answered, you can find the perfect contour kit for you. Want to make a simple purchase even more foolproof? Try one of our top five vegan-friendly, cruelty-free contour kits to start your contouring adventure.
5 Best Vegan Contour Kits
BH Cosmetics Forever Nude Sculpt & Glow
The Forever Nude Sculpt & Glow kit contains everything you need for full-face contouring. The kit includes two contour shades, for defining the angles of your face, two highlighters, for bringing out your features, and a versatile blush to use on the apples of your cheeks.
The BH palette is a powder contouring kit, so it’s ideal for beginners and those who prefer a more subtle contour application. The lightness of the powder also makes it a great option for your summertime makeup bag, as it wears well in the heat.
The colors have no orange undertones, so even reviewers with very fair, pale skin found them to apply beautifully. You can choose from two palettes to find the one that best complements your skin tone – a light/medium palette, or a medium/deep palette.
What We Love
Purchasers also noted it’s very easy to blend these colors for a flawless, natural final look. The palette is also extremely affordable, making it accessible to those with even the tightest budgets.
What We Didn’t Like
If you don’t have your own brushes and blending tools, you’ll need to purchase them separately. This palette doesn’t come with application tools, so you’ll need to use your own or make another purchase.
Too Faced Cocoa Contour
The Cocoa Contour kit from Too Faced is one of the brand’s best-selling products. The pigments are matte color (no shininess or shimmer here!), and the powder texture controls oil and blends in beautifully.
The kit comes with two sculpting shades, a perfect matte highlighter, and a “pop of light” pigment to bring a glow to your contour. It also includes a brush for blending and application.
Each of the pigments is infused with Too Faced’s exclusive Cocoa Complex. This is an antioxidant powerhouse that protects your skin from free radicals and damage. The best part? It has a buttery chocolate scent!
The kit even comes with a Glamour Guide, which walks you through the basics of creating your best look. The guide includes three contour looks, which is perfect if you’re a beginner and want a tried-and-true tutorial to help teach you the ropes.
What We Love
This kit is a non-stop shop! In addition to the contour and highlight colors, this kit also comes with a contour Buki brush. That way, you don’t have to make a separate purchase for brushes and blending tools to use.
What We Didn’t Like
Those with sensitivities to fragrances and perfumes will want to avoid this palette – it can be irritating for people with sensitive skin or allergies to common makeup ingredients.
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The cream contouring kit from Anastasia Beverly Hills provides you with a lot of colors for maximum customization and flexibility. Each of the pigments is a creamy formula with a satin finish.
The kit comes with three dark sculpting shades and three creamy highlighters. You can choose the best color palette to suit your skin tone, whether you have porcelain skin or a deep complexion.
The palette comes in four color options: fair, light, medium, and deep. This cruelty-free contour kit is best suited for experienced contour artists or those who have been working with makeup for a long time. The pigments are a little difficult to blend, so they take a deft hand to blend and make look natural.
This palette is formulated without the use of parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. While the brand isn’t necessarily a natural one, it’s nice to opt for a product that doesn’t include these harmful ingredients.
What We Love
Having six pigments instead of the standard four really puts the power in your hands. You can use the pigments as is, or you can blend the colors together to make the exact huge you need for your look.
What We Didn’t Like
For the steep price point, the palette is on the smaller side. Some reviewers were surprised at how little product was included in the kit.
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Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette
The Shade + Light Contour Kit is modeled after an artist’s palette, containing six matte shades that are well-suited to most skin types. These pigments are powders, which means they are light and easy to blend.
Kat Von D is an expert sketch artist, so these are high-quality colors that help make the most of shadows and highlights. The colors are highly pigmented, so they’re great for people who want a very dramatic, airbrushed look without having to pile on heavy, cakey makeup.
Vegans can really get behind this cosmetics line – the entire Kat Von D collection is cruelty-free and not tested on animals. Kat Von D recently announced that all Shade + Light formulas were replacing the Carmine ingredient with a plant-based alternative, making it suitable for those leading vegan lifestyles.
Purchasers with all different skin tones have found success with these cruelty-free contour kits – the colors are formulated to work well with your skin type. The one-size-fits-most approach makes it great for beginners, or for those who don’t have the time or patience to try many different kits.
What We Love
The texture of this contour is incredibly light and silky. Reviewers noted that they could hardly feel it was on all day, even when layering it for a more dramatic look.
What We Didn’t Like
While the product itself is highly rated, some purchasers ran into problems with the seller. A few people received broken or damaged products.
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Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples
The Coconut Multiples contour kit from Pacifica are creamy, shimmering pigments housed in beautiful sleek packaging.
The colors are made from natural mineral makeups combined with healthy, natural coconut oil. The coconut oil gives the pigments a great texture that’s easy to blend, and also moisturizes and protects skin while you’re wearing it.
The pigments also contain Vitamin E, the most potent antioxidant that protects skin against free radicals. Safflower oil nourishes, moisturizes, and firms skin – this palette is the best of both worlds, as it decorates and heals skin!
This contour palette is perfect for buyers that want a lot of flexibility and options when it comes to their kit. It blends beautifully and can be used sheer for a natural look, all the way to layered for a high-drama look for Saturday nights.
What We Love
This option is great for those looking for natural, good-for-you makeup. The natural minerals and whole plant ingredients like coconut oil and safflower oil nourish your skin while you’re wearing it.
What We Didn’t Like
While reviewers love the color this palette provides, some found that it comes off easily. You may need to reapply halfway through the day.
Check Price on AmazonBringing Out Your Best Features
Contouring is all the rage right now for a reason – the sculpting and highlighting allow you to bring out your best features and create a camera-ready look.
By choosing a contouring kit instead of having to purchase separate products, you save yourself time and money. The colors are guaranteed to go well together, and you can spend more time experimenting with your palette than searching for one.
Each of these kits proves that you don’t have to sacrifice quality for cruelty-free, vegan products. All of them deliver beautiful, sculpted results without the added suffering of animal ingredients or testing.
Ready to bring out your best features? Try adding a contouring palette to your makeup routine and let the compliments rain in!