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Shade & Light Contour Palette joins the numerous options recently launched by many cosmetic brands (capitalizing on the trend with a capital C). Thankfully, it's a refreshingly exceptional palette, which stands out from the crowd for several reasons that we'll review!
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of contouring with makeup, it is the strategic placement of deeper and lighter tones to the face—the goal to create an optical illusion of a more defined bone structure (cheekbones, for example), or a smaller nose or forehead.

Housed in Kat Von D's trademark heavy matte-black packaging, Shade & Light Contour Palette contains six powder shades of varying depth: There are three larger neutral brown tones for contouring, and three smaller pans of lighter shades for highlighting. All have a true matte finish—not even a hint of shimmer—and each has a beautifully soft texture that's pigmented yet blends easily into skin (no fallout among them). Another bonus: Each pan size is wide enough to work with that color cross-over isn't a problem.


In a thoughtful move, Kat Von D cleverly categorized this palette of six shades into three matching duos, with each contour and highlight shade complementing the other's tone and color depth. This grouping takes some of the guesswork out for you, but don't be afraid to experiment with any of the shades depending on your intended purpose (Kat Von D also included a handy instruction card demonstrating a few techniques to get you started).

All six shades are mostly neutral, with some straying a bit into a slightly warmer undertone range. Let's take a closer look at each.

Contour Shades:

•     Subconscious: A taupe/tan shade that is the lightest of the contours and has subtle grey undertones.
•     Shadowplay: A soft, tawny brown that has a slightly warmer undertone than Subconscious.
•     Sombre: A deep chocolate shade with warm undertones.

Highlight Shades:

•     Lucid: A pale, pink-hued sand shade.
•     Lyric: A light, golden beige.
•     Levitation: Light to medium peachy-pink.

Each of the highlight shades lends a brightened look to skin without shimmer, and doesn't leave a grey or ashy cast.

The shades are easy to work with and are suitable for multiple skin tones, but those with very fair or porcelain complexions may find that they are limited to the very lightest of what this palette offers. We should note that all of the shades are also suitable for use as powder brow color or eyeshadow.

On that note, you may also find Shade & Light Contour Palette appealing for a different reason: It also doubles as an excellent bronzer "palette," allowing you to create a more natural tanned appearance to skin. We tried it on a few different skin tones, and the lighter and deeper shades worked well for this purpose, as a natural tan isn't uniform in color.

It's tricky to use bronzers to contour because such products tend to have inherently warmer undertones, but here you can have the best of both—one more reason we're loving this truly versatile palette!

Shade & Light Contour Palette earned our highest rating for its concept, value (there is a substantial amount of product here), and range of shade options for different skin tones. Each shade looks beautifully natural on skin, and lacks the shimmer and unnatural undertones of other contour palettes we've come across. If you've been searching for a contour (or bronzing) palette, this is one to check out on your next trip to Sephora!


Pros:

•     Contains a wide range of natural-looking shades.
•     Each color is matte, blends easily, and wears well.
•     Clever design groups highlight/contour shades into groups.
•     Doubles as a bronzer palette.
•     Fragrance-free.

Cons:

•     None

Talk about a long time coming! Well past the time when Clinique clearly knew Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion wasn’t dramatically different in the least, they still recommended their poorly formulated lotion as an essential skin-care step in their famous three-step routine.

Although the original lotion remains a mundane, not-as-good-as-Lubriderm option for normal to dry skin, it is and always has been ill-suited for those dealing with oiliness or breakouts. Therefore, for those loyal to Clinique’s basic regimen and for those looking for a more affordable department-store moisturizer, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel is a welcome addition.


The formula is more a lotion than a gel, but does feel quite light and silky on the skin. It does not contain any oils or heavy thickening agents, and this fragrance-free moisturizer is appropriate for normal to slightly dry or slightly oily skin. The only issue we have with the product is its meager antioxidant content (most of which function best as anti-irritants). Most of Clinique’s moisturizers are brimming with state-of-the-art ingredients, but this one, though certainly effective for its intended skin types, is plain by comparison—yet dramatically better than their original and still incredibly popular lotion.

• Cream formula
• Nude/luminous barely there eyeshadow
• Soft and satiny feel and even color pay-off
• Preservative free
• No animal testing
• Smudge-tip applicator for easy blending and smoking

BIOTHERM's Aquapower Hydration Programme. This ultra-hydrating moisturizer is specially designed for keeping skin constantly quenched. It contains the equivalent of 5,000 litres of Thermal Spa Water in every bottle. Plus, it is rich in vitamins B, C, E and trace elements to keep your skin balanced and regenerated. Apply this ultra-moisturising light gel moisturiser to instantly quench, cool and soothe your skin while keeping it hydrated for 24 hours, non-stop.  Use daily and your skin will never feel parched or dry again.
BenefitsTEXTURE: An aquatic, green-water gel with a highly-invigorating and refreshing texture and scent for men

• Quenched and refreshed skin
• Constantly moisturized skin
• Healthier and stronger skin

How to

• Apply a nut-sized amount of product after having applied the lotion.
• Smooth the product into the skin with stroking movements.
• Finish at the chin.
• Use morning and evening on cleansed skin.

Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 is a mixed bag of excellent qualities and unfortunate drawbacks. Housed in a 1-ounce heavy glass bottle with a dropper applicator, this lightweight formula delivers moisture and medium coverage plus a dewy, natural-looking finish best for normal to dry skin. What could've been a more recommended foundation was held back due to its degree of fragrance in the form of lavender oil.In general, it's best to avoid fragrance in your beauty routine due to its potential to irritate skin. Products that use fragrance in lower amounts—or less problematic varieties of fragrance—are sometimes given a "pass" if they're included in a formula that is otherwise exceptional. Unfortunately, lavender oil has its share of issues beyond the norm (discussed in the More Info section) and Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 includes it in an amount that made it a challenging product to award a higher rating. We were so torn on this one!Bobbi Brown included UVA/UVB sun protection via its blend of titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and the non-mineral active octinoxate. At SPF 40, it's one of the higher levels of broad-spectrum sunscreen foundations available—it's unfortunate that that the type and degree of fragrance makes this one we can't be more enthusiastic about.The packaging and name is similar to the brands Intensive Skin Supplement, and the "serum" part of this product's name refers to the added antioxidants in this formula. Though the Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 doesn't rise to the level of potentially replacing your go-to anti-aging serum, it does feature a variety of beneficial plant-based antioxidants such as watermelon, apple and litchi seed extract. Bobbi Brown also added the interesting ingredient Cordyceps sinensis extract, which is a fungus that's related to the mushroom family. It has some research showing physiological benefits in mice, but none as of yet (that we could locate) concerning people's skin, topically or otherwise (Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2009). There's a peptide and sodium hyaluronate as well, but in relatively lower levels.As is the case with most Bobbi Brown foundations, the shade range is a winning assortment of 16 neutral to warm-toned options that offer choices from the very fair to deep complexions. There's much to like about this foundation: Its light but moisturizing texture, natural-looking coverage, a dewy finish and beautiful range of shades. Despite these positives, the amount of lavender oil made it difficult to recommend with more enthusiasm. When you're paying this much for a foundation, you should expect that drawbacks (if present at all) are minor, but in this instance the drawbacks are likely to be too risky for your skin. Rather than deal with the cons of this formula, we would recommend checking our top-rated Foundations with Sunscreen section instead.Pros:

• Natural-looking, dewy medium coverage.
• Superior shade range.
• Broad-spectrum sun protection (unusually high for a foundation).
• Added beneficial antioxidant ingredients.

Cons:

• Contains the ingredient lavender oil—in an iffy amount—which research has shown poses more of a risk to skin than other forms of fragrance.

• The amount of alcohol poses a risk of irritation.
• Witch hazel is an additional source of irritation.
• Formula isn't the best for use around the eyes.