Battle of the brands: Contour ranking

For the latest post in my battle of the brands series, I’m ranking my entire contour collection to tell you which is my all-time fave.

My battle of the brands series is where I rank my makeup collection by a specific product type. From foundations and bronzers to lip liners and brow products, battle of the brands is my ultimate makeup collection rating, so you can see my holy grail products.

Starting from my least favourite product and working my way up to my number 1 product in any given category, this is the fastest way to see my thoughts on my makeup collection. I’ve previously ranked my cream blushes, mascaras, skin tints and tinted moisturisers, lip glosses, brow products, and more.

Find out which contour is my fave in terms of colour, definition, ease of blending, texture, longevity, and application.

*This post contains some affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you, I earn some commission if you purchase a product through my link. All thoughts are my own, though, as always. If you want to find out more, visit my affiliate disclosure page*

8. e.l.f. Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand

£10 for 10ml

The e.l.f. Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand is affordable, easy to apply, and glides smoothly onto the skin. For a drugstore contour, it’s pretty good. However, it’s shimmery, which I don’t think works for a contour, as the areas where you create shadows and definition on your face should not be reflective. I also find the shade to be a bit too warm, so I use this as a liquid bronzer instead of a contour wand. It’s fine, but I just don’t reach for it.

7. Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour

£26 for 6g

The Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour is a cult classic and loved by many. This contour stick is easy to apply, blends seamlessly, and never looks patchy. However, I find the shade too warm for a contour. I love that it doesn’t have an orange undertone, but I’d only ever use this as a bronzer for that reason. Also, I find this contour stick almost too creamy, as it blends into nothingness quickly. I prefer my contours to be a bit firmer, so I can get a more precise application.

6. Illamasqua Gel Sculpt

£25 for 8g

The Illamasqua Gel Sculpt is a great natural contour product. In my full review of this product, I noted that the contour stick has a lovely cooling effect when applied, which is really fun. Despite its ease of application and buffing into the skin, this contour stick is a bit too natural for my liking. It easily blends into nothingness, and I find that any definition I’ve created disappears quickly. Although this is largely due to me not being great at applying contour, but other products in this post work better for me.

5. Peripera V Shading

£11.10 for 9.5g + up to 5% off at YesStyle with CONFIDENCE10

I included the Peripera V Shading compact in my powder bronzers ranking post, as this product works as both a bronzer and a contour due to its neutral hue. This is a gorgeous and affordable powder contour product. The consistency is buttery, smooth, and soft. It blends beautifully without any patchiness. And the compact is very versatile, because the neutral tone means it works with any makeup look. It’s not super pigmented, but it’s great for soft definition across the cheekbones, jawline, side of the nose, and forehead.

4. Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Crème Contour & Powder Bronzer Duo

£37 for 15.8g

I also included the Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Crème Contour & Powder Bronzer Duo in my powder bronzers ranking post, as this duo contains both a powder bronzer and a cream contour. For this post, I’m focusing on the contour section. This is a stunning contour. It’s cool-toned without looking too grey or ashy, blends like an absolute dream, and is impossible to overdo. It never looks like a strip of colour on my face. Instead, the formula buffs into the skin effortlessly. This is more of a natural contour, but it adds noticeable definition to any makeup look.

3. Milk Makeup Sculpt Stick

£22 for 5.7g

The Milk Makeup Sculpt Stick is a true cool-toned contour, without looking ashy or too grey. This is my favourite product for when I want to add sharp definition, as it creates a realistic matte shadow, which is what you want when you’re trying to sculpt and highlight different areas of your face. This formula is quite stiff and firm, which I love, as when you buff it into the skin, the product doesn’t just disappear. But if you apply too much product, you can just keep blending to get your desired intensity. This contour stick is also the longest-wearing in this post, as the formula doesn’t budge throughout the day.

2. Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow

£49 for 22.5g

I’ve had the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow for years, and it’s still my favourite powder contour. The powder is so finely milled that it’s buttery soft, blends itself out, and never looks patchy. It doesn’t cling to skin texture and always looks seamless. If I want to contour in a hurry, this is the product I’ll reach for, as the results are excellent every time. This is a fairly neutral contour shade too, so it works with any makeup look. It can be layered for more intense definition or buffed out for soft sculpting of the face. I love it.

1. Makeup by Mario Soft Sculpt Shaping Stick

£32 for 10.5g

My holy grail contour product is the Makeup by Mario Soft Sculpt Shaping Stick. This contour stick everything I want: cool-toned without being ashy or dull, easy blending but doesn’t fade away, creamy, doesn’t cling to texture, creates soft or sharp definition, layers seamlessly, never looks patchy, and is super comfortable. I find this contour pretty long-lasting too, despite its soft consistency. It has a gorgeous natural matte finish that never looks or feels dry.

Whether you draw this contour directly onto your face and blend with a brush or beauty sponge, warm the product on the back of your hand and dip a brush or sponge into it, or use a brush and dab it onto the contour then apply the product to your skin, this formula will work. It’s super flexible and forgiving, and you’ll never overdo it. This contour stick is absolutely worth the hype.

Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 7 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has combination skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.