These Cream Contour Palettes From Tom Ford, Makeup by Mario, and More Are the Key to a Sculpted Look (2024)

Our Top Picks

With creamy, highly pigmented, and buildable shades, we give this palette our top marks. The fair to deep shade options work for most skin tones to conceal and contour. But the real beauty of this palette is the way the formulas blend onto the skin. No matter if you apply them with your fingertips or a brush, the colors diffuse evenly—key for convincing definition. You can also use the pigments as an eyeshadow primer; apply the tone most similar to your skin to even out any discoloration. Yet due to how easily they blend, the creams may smudge on oily skin.

Who It’s For

This sleek palette is ideal for those who consider their contour tools a travel essential. The frosted gold compact means these cream shades not only work like a dream but also come housed safe and secure to last you through many trips. It also contains a full sized mirror to make sure you can sculpt all your best angles.

Number of shades: 1 | Size: 0.42 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

Despite the ultra-affordable price tag, this quad comes with plenty of options. We greatly appreciate that it includes three contouring shades in different bronze hues, allowing you to mix and match to find the best one for you. The highlighting shade adds a pretty contrasting pop, though some may wish there was more than just one highlighter.

Who It’s For

If you are looking for a wallet-friendly contour option, there is no better offering in terms of price to quality ratio than this luscious quartet from e.l.f.

Number of shades: 1 | Size: 0.43 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

Former Byrdie Editorial Director Faith Xue vouches for this luxurious pick. The inside includes one contouring and one highlighting color, each selected to pair precisely with the other. Not only are the shades beautiful and natural, but the texture is also creamy enough to dab on with your fingertips when a brush isn’t available. Plus, the compact is chic and sleek.

Who It’s For

When it comes to makeup, we love treating ourselves to something extra special every once in a while. If you're feeling like your makeup bag could do with a touch of elegance then this divinely designed luminous duo from Tom Ford will elevate any beauty look it’s paired with.

Number of shades: 4 | Size: 0.49 ounces | Cruelty Free: No

Read Full Review: We Tried the Viral Sculpting Stick That TikTok Loves for a Snatched Nose—It's Worth the Hype

Cantor says this is one of his favorite contouring products and it out performed all the others in our contour stick test: “It’s blendable, buildable, and contains its own removable brush to make application easy and effortless,” he explains. That should come as no surprise, given that it was created by celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, best known as Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist. (And you know, she loves a good contour.)We also love how the shades offer that cool tone that accurately mimic shadows on your face, though we wish the shade range was more extensive.

Who It’s For

The blending brush that is tucked away neatly on the other end of this stick, won us over immediately purely for the fact of how convenient it makes contouring. Even on our most lazy days, we can muscle up the energy to do a quick cheekbone sculpt with this wonder stick.

Number of shades: 6 | Size: 0.37 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

If you’re dealing with breakouts, dark circles, or hyperpigmentation, this palette is just for you. The inexpensive product contains shades to color correct and conceal, so you can even out your skin tone before defining with the included contouring shade (an excellent medium-coverage formula that doesn’t look muddy on your skin). With four shade combinations, you can easily find a good match.

Who It’s For

This is a great multi-purpose palette to have in your makeup bag. In addition to its contour shades it also provides options to conceal and reduce the appearance of an array of skin issues. There are colors to lift dullness, conceal spots and even a green tone to neutralize redness.

Number of shades: 4 | Size: 0.05 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

Contouring can admittedly be intimidating if you’ve never done it before, but we find that using a stick makes it feel somewhat more approachable off the bat. The formula on this stick is also a choice: “It’s surprisingly sheer and looks incredibly natural on the skin,” says celebrity makeup artist Bryan Cantor. AKA, you really can’t goof up. You can also apply them directly onto the skin with your fingertips or blend them into the skin with a brush.

Who It’s For

Makeup newbies, no makeup makeup fans, or simply those who favor a hassle-free beauty routine can all benefit from having one of these handy little contour sticks in their collection. Use it to lightly draw a figure 3, starting from the middle of the forehead then down into under the cheekbones and finish off along the jawline to create a failsafe definition that then just needs a little bit of blending to achieve the perfect subtle sculpt.

Number of shades: 4 | Size: 0.32 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

Sotomayor vouches for this trio of contour, blush, and highlighter sticks. “They’re easy to hold, so you can just streak them onto your face and blend with a brush, fingertips, or a sponge,” he explains. Each one packs certified organic ingredients like jojoba seed oil and coffee seed oil—these emollient additions are great for moisturizing mature skin, which tends to err on the dry side. Although this product is a bit more expensive than others on the list, we think the humectant formula justifies the spend.

Who It’s For

These wonder sticks make contouring easy, and unlike palettes you can take your favorite shade with you. The super smooth consistency means even newbies to makeup can achieve a professional looking finish and the sheer color makes it almost impossible to go wrong when applying them.

Number of shades: 3 | Size: 8 grams each | Cruelty Free: Yes

“This is one of the go-to palettes for professionals,” says Sotomayor. “It’s one of the most pigmented options out there, so it’ll last you a long time since a little goes a long way,” We like it for fair skin, which can be tricky to contour: Go even the slightest bit too dark, and you easily start to look, well, like you’re trying really hard to contour. There are six shades to conceal or even out skin tone, two contour shades and four highlighters, all in a buildable and blendable cream formula that doesn’t feel even the slightest bit sticky or tacky on the skin.

Who It’s For

If you take your contour game seriously and invoke your inner artist everytime you start to add shading to your face then this is the palette to reach for. The 12 perfectly formulated shades enable you to level up when it comes to using contour and expertly enhance and define your bone structure.

Number of shades: 1 | Size: 0.25 ounces | Cruelty Free: No

There are fives shades of this dual compact available, the two lightest of which, “She’s Statuesque” and “She’s Sculpted,” are both nice options for more medium skin tones. This pick is also unique in that it comes with both cream and powder; layering both ultimately yields the most natural and longest-lasting result.

Who It’s For

Have the best of both worlds with this gorgeous cream/powder combo. If you're intrigued by cream contour but know powder is what works for you, then this dream team will enable you to stick with your trusty finish while also experimenting with a cream consistency to add a little bit of dewy magic into your look.

Number of shades: 5 | Size: 0.25 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

This palette has just-right undertones for olive skin, and you can select a light-to-medium or medium-to-dark trio of pigments to suit your skin tone. The creamy pigments compete with some of the pricier options on our list, so it’s a good option if you’re interested in contouring but don’t want to invest in a product quite yet. The formulas contain a small amount of mica, so you can use them to highlight, too.However mica can potentially clog pores, so you might want to be wary if you have oily or acne-prone skin.

Who It’s For

This palette ticks all the boxes for those with medium skin tones, there are three shade options, with both providing three colors each to contour, shade and highlight. The inside lid of the compact also includes a guide stating exactly where in the face to apply each shade, making application ever so simple.

Number of shades: 3 | Size: 0.26 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

This cool-looking (and space-saving) stack comes with five shades, all specially formulated for dark skin. They can be used to contour, yes, but also conceal, highlight, and more, all without imparting any unwanted grayish cast. Plus, they all pack a nice level of medium coverage.

Who It’s For

These five rich shades can be worn together or separately depending on the level of contour you wish to achieve. We love the genius design of having all the colors stack on top of each other as, unlike a palette, it keeps them clean and avoids the pigments mixing.

Number of shades: 1 | Size: 0.66 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

Though this isn’t technically a contouring product, the deeper palette (Dew It Undercover) contains four light to medium shades with cool undertones that work beautifully to define and highlight your complexion. The tacky texture grips onto your skin and lasts well throughout the day, all while imparting moisturizing benefits from jojoba seed oil and shea butter. Do note, it's best to apply these shades with a brush.

Who It’s For

With colder weather on the horizon, so are chapped lips and flaky skin. While we can’t make summer last forever, we can recommend how well these dewy pigments made our skin look and feel, both while wearing them and also after removal. If there is anything to get you pumped for winter it’s these balm-like creamy colors.

Number of shades: 2 | Size: 0.88 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

This limited-edition palette is for those who like barely-there definition. The shades deliver a sheer, watercolor-like finish on your skin, but you can easily build up the pigment for a medium coverage finish. Each color in the pan glistens on your skin (the formula contains hydrating shea butter and avocado oil), and you can choose from four blush shades, from peach to soft mauve.

Who It’s For

Luminous and creamy, the shades in this palette are rooted in pink, rose, gold and peach as opposed to the traditional browns normally used for contour. If you lean towards cottagecore and whimsical styling or just like to always keep your complexion looking fresh and dewy, then these dreamy tones are the perfect option.

Number of shades: 1 | Size: 0.04 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

Easy-to-use and travel-friendly, these blush and bronzer sticks are great for a low-maintenance routine. Some of the bronzer shades have warm undertones, which are a no-no for contouring, but you can choose from four options with cool and neutral undertones to sculpt your cheeks and nose.

Who It’s For

If you’re not a fan of foundation but feel you would like a slight flush of color and a little extra depth under your cheekbones then this dual ended stick will add a subtle lift to your face without leaving you looking overdone. The two shades are designed to compliment each other, giving you a put together makeup look on the go.

Number of shades: 9 | Size: 0.3 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

There aren’t a ton of cream contour palettes to be found at the drugstore, making this one all the more noteworthy. The trio of shades in this palette work great on their own but can be mixed and matched, too. (It comes in options for light, medium, and dark skin.) The formula is creamy yet oil-free—a major win for those with acne-prone skin—and is beautifully blendable. Fun fact: This palette was designed by makeup industry legendPat McGrath, so you know it’s going to be good.

Who It’s For

Those with oily skin may have shied away from cream contour out of fear it may leave them looking too shiny, but this cheekbone defining trio is oil-free, meaning you get all the richness and blendability of a cream color without having to worry about clogging your pores or excess oil.

Number of shades: 3 | Size: 0.28 ounces | Cruelty Free: Yes

FAQ

• How do you apply a cream contour palette?

  “You can use either a brush, sponge, or your fingertips,” says Cantor. Contouring is all about painting in natural-looking shadows, so soft brushes that help to blend color without any hard edges is what you’re looking for, Sotomayor adds. If you’re using a brush, dip it into the color and draw the lines of the contour on your face, then blend it out. For a sponge, press it into the color, then bounce across the skin where needed, using the clean side to buff it out. And if you want to use your fingers, simply dip your fingertips into the color, then swipe and blend in where desired, repeated until you reach your desired intensity.
  

• Do you apply cream contour before or after foundation?

  “I like to apply cream contour after foundation and concealer, but before cream blush or highlighter,” says Cantor. “It’s helpful to define the bone structure before applying the other products,” Sotomayor notes that you can also try a technique called underpainting, where you apply contour before foundation for a subtler finish.
  

• Is contour stick or palette better?

  Sticks have the benefit of easy, brush-free application: You can swipe the formulas directly onto your skin and then blend out with your fingers, a brush, or a makeup sponge. Some sticks, like Makeup by Mario SoftSculpt Stick, actually have a brush included. Palettes give you more control of the color payoff, as you can apply the pigments with your fingertips for more payoff or diffuse it out with a fluffy bristled brush. Palettes also have more color options than sticks.

• Is it better to contour with cream or powder?

  Like most things with makeup, it boils down to personal preference. Cream contours have a more skin-like, dewy finish that looks natural (powder formulas, on the other hand, are typically matte). Sotomayor likes to combine both types of formulas, using powder to set cream contour for longer wear time.If you want the best of both worlds, try Patrick Ta Creme Contour, which includes both a cream and a powder.