[REVIEW] NYX Wonder Stick in WS04 Universal

Hey guys! I'm back with another blogpost! Woooooo~

I've been looking an affordable and decent contour and highlighting stick that doesn't need to be absolutely amazing or life-changing so I've gathered a list of good and affordable contouring and highlight sticks and narrowed down to this and Etude House's Play 101 Stick Contour Duo.

The reason why I picked NYX over Etude House was because the price was much more cheaper and more reasonable compared to Etude House's.

This is the contour side of the stick.

This is the highlighting side of the stick.

I really liked this product. I wasn't expecting much from this because not a lot have raved about this online. I was surprised when this worked out better than expected.

The colour matches my skin tone very well and suits my fair skin tone. It is very smooth and creamy. It glided on my cheeks easily and the colour pay-off was really nice and natural. It was very easy to blend with a brush or a sponge so I was very pleased with the result.

the swatch of the contour

the swatch of the highlighter

The contour is more on the warm side so it looked very natural. It does have a yellow to orange undertone, but it's not too obvious and doesn't look weird on my face. The highlight looks more on the neutral to cool side. It's actually quite difficult to see the colour appear on my hand or my cheeks but it does give a natural and healthy glow on my cheeks.

contour only

This is how it looks like on my face after blending in with my makeup sponges from Daiso Japan. They're actually really good disposable makeup sponges if you're looking for one or you don't have the budget to buy a beauty blender.

highlight only

This is how it looks with both the contour and highlight on my face. Blending them was like a dream because it was so easy to blend despite it being in a stick form type of contour and highlight stick.

The contour and highlight did not come out as blotchy as I have expected, which is a plus, because no one wants to look flakey when they're out. It also didn't look oily or dewy so I'm assuming this product is suitable for dry and oily skin.

This product is also very affordable so that's another pro. However, if you're looking for a super intense contour or highlight, this stick is not for you. Why? Because the contour is just right for people with fair or pale skin. I picked the shade that looks natural on my skin tone. Especially the highlight, it is very subtle. It doesn't give you an intense glow or anything like that.

I like how easy it was for me to apply the product and blend everything in with a sponge or a blending brush. It's definitely great for travelling as it's lightweight and the packaging isn't bulky or heavy.

However, there aren't much product in the stick so it won't last very long, I suppose.

I have to admit that the contour is much better than the highlight because the shade of the contour is just right. The highlighter though, is hard to see on my cheeks, even under the sunlight or just light to be very honest. It's not very visible or obvious.

Price: RM52

Store Location: Sephora Malaysia (Southeast-Asia), Ulta.com, NYXCosmetics, Boots.com, Target.com

Size/Amount of Product: 0.28oz

Would I repurchase? No, I would very much prefer using a powder contour and highlight, but this was a very interesting product and it's an excellent contour and highlight stick, for me.

Pros:

-good colour pay-off

-natural finish

-easy to blend

-easy to apply

-affordable

-great for travelling

-lightweight

-not too drying or oily

-variety of shades and colours

-suitable for all skin types

Cons:

-easily accessible

-highlighter too subtle, colour doesn't show up

Overall Comment:

I really enjoyed using this product. It is an excellent contour and highlighting stick that has nice colour pay off, blends really easily, looks very natural and doesn't blotch or grease up during the day. It's also very affordable and can be found in many beauty stores worldwide. However, I prefer using a powder contour and highlight because the pigmentation is stronger and much deeper.

Rating:

[REVIEW] Too Cool For School ArtClass by Rodin

Hello peeps! I am finally back with another blogpost!

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! 

Today, I'm going to review the best-selling product of Too Cool For School, the ArtClass by Rodin createur du contour palette!

I have seen so many beauty gurus raving about this contour palette and they seem to love it very much so I decided to purchase it.

The packaging is light and portable (great for travelling). It comes with 3 shades (one for highlighting and two for contouring).

It also comes with a mirror so it's very useful.

I have one word for you: Amazing. I am so impressed with this contour palette. The shades are great, fits perfectly on my pale skin, very buildable, not muddy or too pigmented (because it would look too obvious) and it smells good (?).

three shades in the palette

It looks very natural on my skin and it's not too cakey or anything. It also doesn't move around the face and it practically stays on my face til the very last hour of the day. No need for touch-ups because this baby got it covered. It's long-lasting (since it has the powdery-matte texture, but it's not cakey or powdering). The powder is fine so no worries.

I'll just use my Olive Young Makeup Brush (Foundation) and swirl all 3 of the shades and just use it as a bronzer for your face. 

I would start from the tip of my ears (same length of my face) and slide it gently down to the bottom of my ears with an up and down motion, blending it as I put it on. Then, I'll use the remaining bronzer on my brush to contour the temples of my face.

You can definitely use them separately without mixing them together like I did.

Price: 16,000KRW

Store Location: Too Cool For School branches

How much/heavy product: 9.5g

Would I repurchase it? Yes, until I find a better contour palette, this would be the best option for me right now as it is affordable.

Overall Comment:

Definitely better than my Australis AC On Tour Contouring and Highlighting Palette as you all know, that palette was too muddy and pigmented to me (also, it's not buildable and was difficult to blend the product with ease). This was far better than Australis's. I am very impressed with the product and I'm always excited whenever I apply this onto my face everyday (okay, maybe not on school days but you know...).

Pros:
-natural-finish
-blends well
-can work as a brozer or contour
-suitable for fair to tanned skin
-long-lasting
-doesn't move around
-matte, not shimmery
-affordable

Cons:
-not really suitable for people with darker skin colour

Rating:

[REVIEW] Australis AC on Tour Contouring & Highlighting Kit

Hello guys! This is my first time reviewing a contouring and highlighting kit, much less use it (since I don't own one until I bought one 2 months ago).

I decided to pick this up (despite the mixed reviews by beauty gurus and beauty bloggers) because it was quite affordable and it is like a dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (well it looks like it anyway.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

Australis

Very similar indeed. Surprise surprise.

So there were reviews saying that it's not exactly a bad product, but it's not very buildable and has this muddy texture. I was a bit confused with the term 'muddy' but I ignore that fact anyway.

The palette is smaller than I thought. I don't know why (I expected anyway) but it was pretty small.

It's a bit hard to open the palette but I have to say, I kinda like the look of the palette because it has so many different shades (a very versatile product for light-skinned to dark-skinned people).

There were instructions written at the back of the palette, but I didn't really follow it and just swiped it across my cheek.

• Review:

It is definitely hard to build up because the colour itself is very pigmented and strong that one swipe across the face and the colour is very obvious already. 

I only use 5 of the shades because the shade that I marked 'Not Great' had a grey-ish tone to it and it looks too muddy. The rest of the shades were fine. I was impressed by the highlighting shades. They really highlighted my non-existent cheek bones and nose bridge. 

The contour however was quite difficult to blend because once you dab the product onto your cheek, the product stays there so you got to quickly blend it altogether.

I don't have that much of a problem for blending but for those who are new to this, don't purchase this product first as because it requires a bit of skill to do it.

• How to apply it onto the face?

-I actually treat this contouring and highlighting kit as a bronzer. I just dab my contour brush onto the palette and swipe it across my cheeks to and fro many times until they don't look too obvious. It also apply it onto the temple of the face and also, the upper part of the forehead, around the scalp area.

Also, use a thinner brush to contour the sides of your nose.

As for the highlight, I just use a foundation brush to highlight my cheekbones and blend them altogether as well as the T-zone area of the face.

This is how I contour my face. I think I put a little bit too much on because the lighting in my room is very dim so when I went into my bathroom, it was so heavy and thick (sorry if it looks weird). 

• Where can you purchase this product?

-It is only available in Australia. Priceline Pharmacy.

• How much was it?

-$16.95AU.

Overall Comment:

It's not bad for a drugstore product/brand. It's a cheaper alternative to Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (but obviously it's not as great). It's very affordable as it has 6 different shades (3 for contouring, 3 for highlighting). It's also good for travelling because it's a slim palette, so you don't have to carry 1 bronzer and 1 highlight separately. You can also mix and match the shades together to get the desired shade.

Rating: 4/5