10 Best Drugstore Contour Products & Their Reviews For 2021
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Contouring is the key to sculpted cheekbones, a sharper jawline, and a defined nose, and having the best drugstore contour will help make this a reality.
Being the present trendiest makeup trend, a contour kit is a must-have in your beauty bag and thankfully, not everything good has to come with a hefty price tag.
You can find some amazing best drugstore contour kits and we’ve picked out the 10 best in the market right now.
Each product is accompanied by a detailed review, so whether you want a Kardashian style full-on sculpted face or just need a tad of it – get set to contour without breaking the bank.
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Last update on 2025-01-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
10 Best Drugstore Contour Products Reviewed
Here are the 10 best drugstore contour products rated and reviewed.
1. Maybelline Master Contour V-Shape Duo Stick
An ideal pick for beginners or girls who have no time, this is one best drugstore contour that comes in an easily applicable stick form with two shades to contour and highlight.
The stick twists up to bare the darker contour side and lighter highlighter side – a feature that facilitates effortless angular application to your cheeks, nose, and forehead.
Its duo-formula adds structure to your cheekbones while enhancing its features.
The applicator is such a bonus because you don’t have to use a brush to apply the product.
This also kicks off the problem of getting excess or less product on the brush.
This is can even be termed the best drugstore contour as it’s a travel-friendly product.
The contour stick comes in three shades – light, medium, and dark.
Depending on the depth you want in your contour and your foundation shade, these are the best options that won’t confuse the buyers as well.
Coming to the formula, it has a creamy matte texture, perfect for all skin types.
This also means the blending comes with little effort.
Another great buying point is the subtle finish.
Rather than giving a dramatic look, the product blends to create a soft contour.
Isn’t that all you want in your everyday contouring kit?
Maybelline Master Contour Stick stays on for long, but not super long.
It would stay put for a couple of hours but you might need a touch-up after that.
‘Get killer cheekbones in an easy glide’ is a perfect product that we all agree with.
Pros & Benefits:
- It has a creamy matte formula, suitable for all skin types
- Blends well
- Stick facilitates easy application
- Best for beginners at contouring
2. Covergirl Trublend Contour Palette
When one of the most influential celebrity makeup artists designs a product, there’s hardly any room for trust issues.
British MUA Pat McGrath created this ultra-blendable contour palette.
It’s ideal for both makeup novices and maestros and comes in a gorgeous gradient of colors to highlight, contour, and bronze the face.
It’s available in three shade options, light, medium, and deep skin tones, so there’s something for everyone.
As it’s a cream-based contour, this product is ideal for anyone with dry skin.
Powder contours on dry skin can make fine lines and wrinkles more visible and also increases the chances of creasing.
However, this is a more perfect option for those with said dry skin.
Also, the product’s oil-free and fragrance-free formula makes it a superb choice for women with acne issues or sensitive skin.
Its ability to blend with your skin is great as you may not even need to have a sponge or brush to be able to use it.
Your fingers will work just fine.
The contour isn’t crazy pigmented, so you might need to build the coverage a little if you want a deep contour, let’s say for an evening party look.
Although for light, natural makeup, one or two strokes do the job.
For everyday use, the palette definitely fits the bill.
When applied to the skin, the formula feels very light-weight, it doesn’t feel like you’ve put on makeup, so your skin would be able to breathe while you will look fabulous.
Pros & Benefits:
- Light-weight and looks natural
- One palette does the job of 3 makeup products
- Blends quite easily
- Cruelty-free
- The buttery cream formula makes it ideal for women with dry skin
3. Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Highlight + Contour Palette
The Physicians Formula Highlight + Contour Palette is another drugstore product you can completely rely on.
Some say it’s even better than popular high-end contour palettes.
Celebrity makeup artist Monika Blunder whose client-list boasts of Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Alba, and Emilia Clarke, love this contour kit to get her clients’ ‘ red-carpet ready’.
Who wouldn’t want the seamless defined cheekbones of these celebrities?
The secret is Physicians Formula contour palette.
The packaging of this product is quite different from others on the list.
It comes in two compartments, the upper one has the powder trio while the lower one holds a brush and a mirror.
The brush, mirror trio make it easier to apply your makeup on the go.
However, the lower compartment opens awkwardly, less than 90 degrees, which is slightly problematic.
Other than that, there are hardly any other complaints you will find about the product.
All three powders blend in easily into the skin.
They are super pigmented so you might need to dust off some of the excess product.
Being a powder formula, we’d recommend our dry skin beauties use a hydrating base before diffusing the palette shades onto their face.
Apart from being used as a contour, the splendid colors can double as eyeshadows as it has a crease-shade, highlighter-shade, and eyelid shade – all in one.
Physicians Formula products are specially made for sensitive, acne-prone skin so this will be like a holy grail for all skin tones and skin types.
Pros & Benefits:
- The shimmery formula adds a subtle glow to the face
- Approved for sensitive skin
- Comes with an angled contour brush for flawless application
- Great pigmentation
4. LA Colors I Heart Makeup Contour Palette
This is a super-affordable and super-effective contour palette that comes in 8 shades – 4 setting shades, 2 bronzer shades, 1 contour shade, and 1 highlighter shade.
Don’t feel intimidated by the 8 shades in the palette as the product comes with a complete ‘how to use’ guide for your forehead, chin, nose, and cheeks.
The description makes it fairly easy to use for anyone starting with contouring or who wants to become a pro at it.
The palette comes in 2 variants – light to medium and medium to dark, lesser options means no confusion among buyers.
The packaging is straightforward with a glass case so you can look at the shades inside, a very travel-friendly packaging overall.
The colors are finely milled, pressed tightly, and have a buttery smooth, which means this is a long-lasting product that diffuses into your skin flawlessly.
Another thing to note is the super-pigmented shades, you just need to tap the brush to get the required product for the subtle contour.
After that, work slowly to get the smooth buildup.
The contour and bronzer shades are cool-toned so they look natural when applied, while the highlighter is a satin finish to give you a delicate, beautiful glow.
To sum up, it’s an affordable, effective contour palette that fulfills the needs of all kinds of women, no matter if you’re a beginner or a makeup ninja.
Pros & Benefits:
- The creamy formula makes it easy to blend
- Has a descriptive guide on how to use the 8 shades
- Great pigmentation
- Stays on for long
- Travel-friendly
5. Rimmel Insta Contour Duo Stick
This is another stick-style contour product that comes with a base contour shade and highlighter, kind of like the Maybelline Master Contour with some differences.
The Maybelline Master Contour stick has both contour plus highlighter on one side, which can make it quite uneven if you don’t use equal amounts of both products.
Rimmel London contour has two sticks on opposite sides, giving you the liberty to apply what feels best at the moment without worrying about inconsistency.
Another upside is the pointed edge it comes with, which’s easy to draw on your nose, chin, and neck, while the flat part is superb for your cheekbones and forehead.
It has three different shades fitting into all skin types – dark, light, and medium.
Many makeup influencers and beauty gurus have rendered it to be a drugstore dupe for Kim Kardashian West (KKW’s) contour stick, and we can’t agree more.
Kim’s kit wins in staying power and pigmented colors, but Rimmel’s stick is equally good with a natural sculpting appearance and a product that blends gorgeously.
What’s more?
The amount of product is way more on Rimmel’s contour stick than KKW.
Throwing in some extra brownie points for the highlighter, this product is such a flattering champagne shade and one of the best highlighters you can ever put on.
Needless to say, it’s a travel-friendly product as you can literally put it in one of your pockets.
Pros & Benefits:
- The pointed and flat-side makes it easy to apply
- Fine and silky texture, so blends in superbly
- Functional packaging
- Stays on for a good 5 to 6 hours
- Doesn’t take much space in your makeup bag
6. E.L.F Contour Palette
The drugstore upped its game when they started selling ELF contour palette, a product deemed by users as one of the best matte finish contours they’ve got their hands on!
It comes with four shades – contour, bronzer, highlighter, setting powder – and two variations – dark/ deep and light/ medium.
All the powders are buttery smooth and blend well even on dry skin, the secret being Vitamin E infused in the product.
The pigmentation of the powders is great, just one or two brush swirls are enough, you don’t have to keep swirling multiple times for enough pigment.
Both the contour and bronzer shades have a warm, cool undertone to them to give a skin-like finish, setting powder has a banana-colored shade and the highlighter is a subtle shimmer.
Coming to the absolute best part about this palette – the tiny, removable compartments these shades come in, just like their other popular palette products – blush, foundation, and highlighter.
So, for example, if you have a shade that you like more in the blush palette or highlighter palette, you can totally customize as per your liking and have one handy palette available on the go.
ELF is probably the only drugstore brand offering this benefit, a pretty brilliant idea to create a unique selling point.
In our opinion, it’s a total win.
An ideal pick for someone new to contouring and doesn’t want to invest much.
Pros & Benefits:
- Blends with a super-natural finish
- Smart packaging
- Good mix of shades
- Free of harmful ingredients like parabens, phthalates, hydroquinone, etc
- Properly pigmented
7. NYX Highlight And Contour Pro Palette
Well, honestly, it’s not exactly a drugstore product, but it’s also not high-end, NYX pricing always lies somewhere in the middle.
So classic NYX, we guess?
Anyways, the product comes in eight shades, four top rows are the highlighter shades and the bottom 4 rows are contour powders.
There’s something for all kinds of skin tones right here!
Two of the highlighters offer a shimmery finish and the other two are matte.
All the contours give a satin finish, not matte, nevertheless look natural when put on.
All the powders are crazy pigmented, just a tap or two is enough to get the product on, so go easy on darker shades.
Blending is easy and you won’t have to break a muscle while diffusing the product into your skin.
Its good pigmentation is a great thing because the palette can double up as an eyeshadow kit, especially on days when you just want warm, cool brown eyes.
Product compartments pop up in this palette as well.
One advantage of this could be if *fingers crossed* any of the powders break, you can remove it so it doesn’t get mixed into other shades.
The packaging is sturdy and heavy, anyone who travels a lot may not find this a suitable option.
Our final verdict is, apart from not being ‘portable’, we’ve only great things to say about this contour palette.
Pros & Benefits:
- Perfect for all skin tones and purposes
- Great pigmentation
- Dewy and natural finish
- A cruelty-free brand, certified by PETA
8. L’oreal Paris Infallible Pro Contour Palette
Have you always wondered how you can slay a full-on contour look without being late for work?
These little palettes are the answer.
Available in three variants – light, medium, deep – each accompanied with two shades – a darker one for contouring and a lighter one for highlighting.
The product comes in pretty plastic packaging with transparent glass so you can see the product and when you open the lid, there’s a mirror and a brush.
Generally, the brushes with the palette aren’t on par with professional brushes, but this one is an exception.
With its angular shape, it properly fits into the curve of your cheekbone and the depth makes it easy to contour your nose and forehead.
Speaking of the formula, it’s super-creamy and you can literally feel the powder melt on your fingers, assuring you of the product blending in super-quick with a natural, even finish.
The pressed powder is very finely milled, no fallout, and has an easier application.
Aside from that, the highlighter is also a gorgeous champagne color with good pigmentation and subtle finish; say hello to the natural rosy glow.
All the aspects of the kit scream quick contour for girls on the go.
L’oreal is a drugstore brand that always delivers what it promises in a budget-friendly product and with this palette, it stays true to its claim of ‘contour in 30 seconds’.
Pros & Benefits:
- Comes with an angled brush
- Easy to apply
- Quite pigmented
- Best for girls who want a quick contour
- Gorgeous highlighter
9. Black Radiance True Complexion Creme Contour Palette
If you’re looking for a contour kit that caters specifically to colored skin, Black Radiance is your boo.
Designed specifically for dark-skinned beauties, the palette comes in two variants – light to medium and medium to dark, with three pressed shades to contour, sculpt and highlight.
The palette also has a built-in guide right there as you open the lid, making it perfect for contouring novices.
The contour and sculpt shades have a very cool-tone to them, unlike others that can end up looking muddy or ashy on colored skin.
The highlighter also has a very effortless, natural finish, so it’s not meant for those who like to go extra with their highlighter.
The pigmentation is amazing and the products feel smooth when applied, making it easy to sculpt your face without moving your foundation.
Unlike some palettes though, it comes with only three shades so there are no unusable ones and you can get the value out of them better.
Also love the idea of how portable, affordable, and effective they are!
Pros & Benefits:
- Finally, something women of color can rely on
- Buildable and good pigmentation
- Natural finish
- Value for money
- A good amount of product
10. Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette
Saving the best one for the last, Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette is the holy grail for experts and beginners alike.
With eight different shades in the palette, you have everything you need for a perfect contour – setting powder, banana powder, highlight, warm contour, cool-toned contour, bronzer – you name it, this palette has it!
So, you can use it for practically any purpose.
Whether you want a kit for daily use or occasional use, this can give you a natural contoured look or the glamorous Insta-worthy sculpted face.
The palette is often deemed as a beautiful dupe for Anastasia Beverly Hills contour kit because of the similarities in pigmentation and shades.
Packaging, as expected, is a black case with a transparent lid.
The mirror is tough though, so don’t worry about scratches or breakage.
All the powders are nicely pigmented, just one gentle tap is enough to get the required product and you can build on it slowly.
Moreover, the consistency is so buttery, influencers are raving about the smooth sensation on their fingers when they pick the product as it just fades away into your skin.
For a change, the staying power of this palette is a good 6 to 8 hours, which is amazing considering it takes just a few minutes to blend it in.
Overall, the quality craftsmanship and easy application make it an excellent budget option.
Pros & Benefits:
- Good selection of colors
- Pigmented and long-lasting
- Blends well
- You get a good amount of product
Things To Consider When Buying A Contour Kit
Purpose
Do you want to use the kit for everyday use or just occasionally for parties?
Depending on the purpose, choose the one that’s quick to apply and comes with fewer shades or one that’s deeply pigmented.
Our detailed review will help while making this decision.
Foundation Shade
Your foundation should always be a shade or two lighter than the contour.
This is the ultimate rule to follow for a natural look
Blush is a Must
A pop of blush balances out the contour shade and gives a smooth finish to the highlighter.
Complete your chiseled look by applying some blush to the apples of your cheeks.
Invest in Brushes
The magic of contour won’t come to fruition without proper blending.
Even though some kits include brushes with them, nothing beats proper application with a professional contour brush.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been looking for the best drugstore contour product among many in the market, then I’m sure you know the top 10 then.
Based on your skin tone and purpose, go for the product that suits you the best.
Also, since they are all easy on the pocket, even if it doesn’t work out, there would be no money guilt afterward and that’s the best thing about drugstore products.
Whether you’re looking for a cream contour, easy everyday usable stick, or a full-on kit for sculpting your face, we’re sure you can find ‘the one’ in our curated list.
