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During my shopping trip today I managed to score a great makeup deal at sportsgirl. After a rummage through the sale section I found one of the most beautiful contour palettes hiding at the back with a big red sticker marked $7.95. I couldn't believe how cheap the palette was considering it was so big and came with so many shades. After I purchased the palette my mind began racing with all the ideas I had for blog posts I could write about the palette so here it is. This post is both a review of the palette and a tutorial of how it can also be used to create a natural bronzy eye look.
The Details
The Sportsgirl California Contour Palette retails for $25 and can exclusively be bought at Sportsgirl or its online store. It is described as a 'highly pigmented powder contour palette' with 'six shades that can be blended seamlessly for every complexion.' The palette has a shiny gold cover with the name printed across the front and the inside has a mirror, evenly spaced pans and a palm tree print to add to the beachy aesthetic which I love.
The Shade Breakdown
As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, I find it hard to choose a bronzer/contour palette that works for my pale skin tone but this palette has such a variety of shades that I knew there would definitely be at least a few that would match my skin tone. Each shade swatches well without being patchy and with minimal excess powder except for the last shade 'Cali' which had a fairly large amount of loose powder fly out when a brush is dipped into the pan.
Left to Right: Cruise, Hollywood, Slide, Bomb, Hella and Cali
CRUISE:
A light yellow colour which I would use under my eyes or to highlight my brow bone. I liked this shade and feel that it fits in well with the rest of the shades in the palette without being too light.
HOLLYWOOD:
This is a slightly glittery medium brown shade which I don't find very practical as a bronzer on the cheeks but it would definitely work well if lightly dusted along your forehead. I am not a big fan of sparkly bronzers as I prefer them matte but the glitter is not overpowering in this shade.
SLIDE:
My favourite shade in the whole palette. It is such a pretty cool toned bronzer that looked so nice against my pale skin while giving me a subtle bronzed glow. I cannot do this shade justice in pictures because it looks so much nicer in real life. If I could buy it on its own I would instantly add it to my cart.
BOMB:
It is a very warm shade which I liked because I think that all contour palettes should have a warm bronzer for a truly contoured look.
HELLA:
Personally this bronzer is too dark for me to use in large areas of my face but it was great for sculpting my nose and to use in smaller areas. It is good for the palette to have a range of different shades because I may need to use the darker one in the summer months.
CALI:
This highlight is stunning. I'm so glad that they decided to add in a glittery highlight into this palette. It added to the glowy look perfectly and wasn't too overpowering on my face. I would however not use this shade heavy handed because a lot of powder comes onto the brush which can end up looking cakey on your face.
Tutorial: Natural Bronze Eye Look
When I first looked at this palette I had the idea to do a natural bronze eye look with it since it had all of the colours that I would need a pale yellow base, warm brown for the crease, darker brown for the outer corner and a sparkly highlight for the lid. After reviewing the palette I created this eye look on someone else to see if the palette would be easy to use as an eyeshadow palette as it was to use as a contour palette. Here's what I did...
1. Use a fluffy flat brush to swipe CRUISE across the entire eyelid
2. Dip the tip of the same flat brush into SLIDE and use windshield wiper motions to brush it into the crease of the eye
3. Grab a smaller flat brush and using HELLA do the same motion but into the outer corner of the eyelid to deepen the crease
4. Using the same brush and shade, make circular motions on the outer corner of the eyelid creating an ombre look with the eyeshadow that is already on the rest of the lid
5. Continue using the small brush and lightly dip it into HOLLYWOOD then drag that along the lash line as if it were eyeliner
6. Put concealer onto a thin flat brush and from the tear duct wipe it across half of the eyelid creating a sharp line
7. Use the same brush and pat it into CALI then pack that shade over the area that has concealer
8. Using the first brush use BOMB to blend the two halves of the eyelid together by using circular motions and mixing the eyeshadow shades together
9. Spread concealer along your under eye and up across to the side of your eye to create a sharp eyeshadow look. Blend as desired
10. Dot CALI into the tear duct and apply mascara
This is how the eyeshadow should look