Battle of the Contour Palettes: Kat Von D vs Anastasia Beverly Hills (Review + Comparison)
Contouring has come a long way in makeup during the past year. It went from being a technique that a lot of us (yes me included) were afraid to try to a being a makeup step a lot of people want to include into their daily routine. Anastasia Beverly Hills was one of the first to come out with a contour powder palette about 2 years ago and with the recent release of Kat Von D’s Shade & Light Contour palette everyone’s first reaction was to compare the two being that both are such amazing brands and customers have high expectations of both. When I received the KVD palette I asked on my instagram and facebook if any of you would be interested in a review and comparison and since a lot of you said yes here it is:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Original Contour Kit (Review):
I’ve been using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit for almost a year now. It was one of the first contour palettes on the market and as soon as it came out I knew I had to have it. It has three highlight shades (one matte yellow shade ‘Banana’, one matte pale pink tone ‘Vanilla’, and one shimmery pearl ‘Sand’) and three contour shades (all matte – one cool tone ‘Fawn’ and two warm tone shades ‘Java’ & ‘Havana’). I have found that when used moderately these shades can be very universal; I’ve used the same shades on myself (medium tan skin tone) and also on clients with lighter skin tones and the shades look absolutely flawless. I do find myself however using mostly the yellow ‘Banana’ shade and the cooler brown shade ’Fawn’ than any of the others as I find this to be the most flattering highlight and the other browns are a bit too warm and reddish to seem like a contour and appear more as a bronzer. The highlight shade ‘Sand’ is beautiful and will be flattering on anyone. All shades are extremely pigmented and you only need the slightest amount of product to get the desired look.
What a lot of people don’t know about this particular contour palette is that on the Anastasia Beverly Hills website this palette is completely customizable as you can order each powder individually and there is a wide variety of shades to choose from (that is why this palette is sometimes referred to as the ‘original’ palette). This specific contour palette is the one that is available at Sephora and other cosmetic stores but I would recommend going with the customizable option directly from the ABH website as you can choose exactly which shades you prefer and for the same price.
Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette (Review):
I received this palette a little over two weeks ago and have been using it daily ever since to make sure I can provide a fair review. This palette comes with all matte shades: three highlight shades (one pale pink ‘Lucid’, one yellow ‘Lyric’, and one warm pink shade ‘Levitation’) and three contour shades (one warm brown ‘Sombre’, one cool tone brown ‘Shadowplay’ & one deep warm brown shade ‘Subconscious’). This palette does not come with any shimmery highlighting tones like the ABH palette. I personally don’t use the two darker highlight and contour shades on the right on myself as they are too dark for my skin tone but it is a good option for people with tan to dark skin tones. Just as the ABH palette I find myself reaching more for the yellow ‘Lyric’ and cooler brown ‘Shadowplay’ shades as they are the most flattering. The powders are a bit sheer which allows this palette to be great for daily use where you might not want your contour to be too harsh. My only complaint about this palette is that it has a large amount of dust or kick-up when you use it. For example, with just a simple pass of the brush to pick up product not only will you have product on the brush but you will also see a lot of powder left on the palette itself. I’m usually not bothered by this and just dust it off but after using it non-stop for two weeks I am actually starting to worry about hitting pan soon which is really disappointing.
Side by Side Comparison:
In general the shade selections are very similar; both the pale pink and the yellow highlight shades are practically identical. The variation in shades are definitely in the contour shades, while they both include two warm shades and one cool, the KVD palette includes a much darker shade of brown for anyone who may want a more prominent contour or has a darker skin tone. I personally like the added bonus of the ABH palette including a shimmery shade for added highlight on the cheekbones and find myself at times wishing the KVD palette would have done the same.
It may not be noticeable in the photo but it is worth mentioning that the ABH palette is far more pigmented than the KVD palette. I swatched the ABH palette shades in one swipe where as the KVD swatches took two or three swipes. I probably shouldn’t have done that so you could see just how sheer the colors were but I wanted the actual comparison to be based more on the color variation and not the pigmentation. You can also see a bit of the extra dust I mentioned above in the KVD swatches making them appear a bit chalkier.
The Verdict:
This battle is a matter of personal preference. If you are looking for a natural everyday contour look I would recommend the Kat Von D Shade & Light palette as the shades are sheerer which allows for a more buildable coverage. However if you are looking for a complete contour palette with rich pigmentation including shimmery highlight I would recommend the Anastasia Beverly Hills palette, especially if you need your makeup to look flawless for photographs or a special event. I’d also give extra points to Anastasia Beverly Hills for making this palette fully customizable on her website and would advise anyone looking for a contour palette to take advantage of that option to create the palette to his/her liking.