Contour Stick Throw Down: Who wins?

I reach for contour powders more than cream ones because I prefer layering the color instead of diffusing it. The final result is more natural, more subtle, but here's the catch - it takes more time to achieve. When I'm in a rush, I would rather pick up a contour stick, draw kooky lines all over my face, and just blend everything with a dense oval brush! I don't have that many contour sticks but here's a comparison of the ones I have. ^_^

Maybelline V-Face Duo Stick (P499 in drugstores). This is attractive because you get two products, a contour and highlighter, in just one stick. Honestly though only the highlighter is passably good! The contour is too orange (unless you like the Trump look, this should work) and it pills when you apply it on skin. It's easy to blend but the color is pretty much unusable. 

Try this if: You don't care about money, haha. You're better off with the V-Face Duo Powder

Panda’s Dream Contour Stick (P578 at Tony Moly stores). Don't let the packaging fool you - it's more than the cute tube! This is my go-to for the most natural contour, since the color is light even though it's quite pigmented. It's this neutral nutty brown with a grey undertone so it works for my skin. If you're dark though, this may be too light already, so I wouldn't recommend it.

This stick is a dream to blend and doesn't settle on skin to leave harsh lines. Staying power isn't very good though - expect it to fade after three hours. It's ok for dry to combination skin but definitely not for oily skin. Here's a video where I use it!

Try this if: You have fair to medium, dry to combination skin. It looks great and is easy to apply but is quite limited in terms of staying power.

W-Lab 3D Face Shading Stick (P600 at Althea). I would describe this as a warm taupe, perfect for Filipina skin. It's a goldilocks shade for my NC35 skin since it's juuuuuust the right mix of warm and grey tones! It's not too dark too so blending is fairly easy. This sticks better than the Tony Moly as the texture is a bit harder. On my combination skin, it lasts a good 4-5 hours before starting to fade.

Try this if: You harm a warm skin tone and want a contour stick that's easy to work with, with good staying power.

Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour (P1,400). It's quite expensive but it's the most long-wearing out of the four. It even sorta stains, too! It lasts for about 6-7 hours when set properly. The color is best described as a warm cocoa, and it should work for medium to deep medium skin. It looks good on me although I have to mention that the finish is kinda satiny. All the other contour sticks I've mentioned above have a matte finish; this is strange because, well, it has a bit of shine even after blending. Powdering it should do the trick though!

Try this if: You have medium to deep medium, combination to oily skin. It's a dependable stick that's easy to blend if the color work for you!

The winner of this round for me is the Clinique Chubby Stick, although the W-Lab stick is a close second. Both perform well and come in pretty good shades for my skin tone! How about you, which contour stick do you think would be perfect for your needs?

Liz Lanuzo

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

I eat makeup for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

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