Whether you’re going for a subtle K-beauty contour or are a newbie to contouring, this foolproof palette will make you look like a pro — no art class necessary.
A couple of years ago, my husband and I visited a huge Rodin exhibit at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal. Which resulted in a lot of stupid ass pictures. (Scroll down to see them.)
But it also resulted in a serious appreciation of the amazing sculptures that man made. With that feat of fine art in mind, there's a little product I've enjoyed for quite a while: Too Cool For School's Art Class By Rodin. While not near as dramatic as a chiseled sculpture, or its fellow sculpting palettes for that matter, it's a great little palette for very specific times.
This contouring palette comes with three shades all laid out together in one solid powder pact. You can take a swirl of all three shades to define areas of your face (think forehead and jawline) or use the shades individually to do a more strategic deliberate contour. While that in itself isn't too unique (aside from its awesome Art Nouveau packaging, which I freaking LOVE since that's one of my favorite eras stylistically), this does have a very unique use for me. It's perfect for daytime contouring. This isn't your Kat Von D Shade and Light dupe; this is a very subtle but effective product.
The powders are finely milled and blend beautifully like other palettes, but the pigment is very, very muted and subtle. That might not be ideal for nighttime looks, but it's absolutely perfect for achieving a polished look at 8 am when a heavy contour just isn't appropriate. It's also great for more conservative work places or events.
Another point in its corner is its extreme portability. It's a thin disc that isn't much larger than the palm of your hand, so it slips effortlessly into the smallest of clutches. It also comes with a mirror, which I always appreciate.
It's just pigmented enough to do its job, and it's damn near foolproof. Even the heaviest of hands won't be able to mess up their face sculpting using this thing, which makes it great for beginners who want to experiment without looking like a clown. I really appreciate the way this powder blends nicely and has a pretty neutral tone, meaning that the dark browns don't pull orange on cooler skin tones and works great for warmer tones.
Here's the thing about a dark daytime highlight: Outside of a photo, it can look downright jarring, even if it's expertly blended. And sometimes, even with a light hand, you can’t quite get your shades as light and sheer as you need them to be for a true natural look. Yes, I'm aware it's a bit hypocritical to call any kind of contouring "a natural look," but I'm not here for semantics — just a forehead that looks less jarringly huge at high noon. This contouring kit ensures that.
There are people that complain that this palette is too subtle compared to others that they have. I find that a bit shortsighted because this palette isn't meant to compete with those industrial heavy duty ones. It's a bit like complaining that a hot chocolate doesn't have as much caffeine as your double espresso. You don't always need a double espresso. Sometimes your double espresso is just too damn much, even if you dilute, dilute, dilute. Sometimes the most appropriate and easiest thing for a given situation is a nice fluffy hot chocolate.
(And oh, those stupid ass pictures I promised? Here they are:)
What do you think of Too Cool For School's Art Class By Rodin? And have you tried the new Too Cool For School's Art Class By Rodin Highlighter and Lumineuse Varnish (pssst — it's our dailytap tomorrow — only $25 for BOTH!).
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