REVIEW | Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette

I've been absolutely in love with this product for the past few months, and knew right away that this baby would be featured in my first ever blog post. Let’s get started!

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette 

$46 USD at Sephora

3 Shade powders and 3 Light powders

First of all, you need to know that I am a bronzer-over-blush-any-day type of person. Who doesn't love a good contour and a bronzed up face? No blush, no problem. No bronzer? Houston, we have a problem.

So when Kat Von D came out with this palette a while back, I was dy-ing to get my hands on it. It’s not sold here in Hong Kong, so when I found out my best friend was coming back from the states for the holidays, I made a tiny haul (she would say otherwise) from Sephora and made her lug it back halfway across the world for me. That’s what best friends are for, right?!

The Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette consists of 3 Shade powders (Sombre, Shadowplay, Subconscious) for bronzing and contouring, and 3 Light powders (Lucid, Lyric, Levitation) for highlighting that you can use to create depth and dimension in your face. The packaging is made of sturdy cardboard with a magnetic closure, and comes with a full sized mirror so it would be easy to travel with. All shades are matte, which is great to create a natural contour and a subtle highlight, and the powders are all super soft, pigmented and most importantly, blendable. The shades are pretty much universal, and you'll definitely find something in there that suits you - you can even mix shades together. For myself, I like to mix Sombre and Shadowplay as my bronzer, use Lyric for setting and brightening up my under eyes after concealer, and Lucid on my cheekbones as a subtle highlight. During the summer, I can definitely see myself using a bit of Subconscious and Levitation as well. Just a tip - I even use all these shades as eyeshadow, it works amazing. A little bit of Sombre in the crease is everything. 

Lucid, Lyric, Levitation

Sombre, Shadowplay, Subconscious

Swatches in natural light

According to Sephora's website, Lucid is a pinkish nude, Lyric is a yellow beige, Levitation is a soft peach, Sombre is a true taupe, Shadowplay is a soft brown, and Subconscious is a deep brown. The swatches on my skin in natural light seem to reflect those descriptions to a tee. Sombre is one of the best grey-toned powders I've found that actually mimics a shadow perfectly and makes your contour look so natural. Paired with Shadowplay, which has a touch more warmth, it's the perfect bronzing combo. Love.

Price-wise, I think it’s a very good deal at $46 USD for 6 shades with a total of 0.72 oz. Let’s compare it to my two other bronzer favorites, Benefit’s Hoola and Nars’ Laguna.

Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer | $29 USD, 0.28 oz

Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna | $39 USD, 0.28 oz

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette | $46 USD, 0.72 oz (0.48 oz shade powders)

So for a slightly higher price tag, you get 2.5 times more total product, and almost double the amount of shading powder alone. Come on. Needless to say, this palette will last you a looong time.

The only con about this palette is that the shades aren't in refill pans, so if you run out of a shade, you need to buy a whole new palette. But word through the grapevine is that Kat Von D will be coming out with refill pans for individual shades. Fingers crossed! 

Bottom line, I love this palette and it is hands down the best contouring palette in the market. It is a must for those of you who love a good contour, appreciate high quality, and like the ease of having a palette that you can travel with, and that has both bronzing and highlighting shades together. If so, then I suggest you put on your eyebrows, slap on some pants, run out the door and get this NOW. (Or, if you're in the same situation I was, beg your best friend to bring it back for you.)

Who else loves this palette? Do you guys have other favorite contouring palettes? I would love to hear your thoughts!