Anastasia Beverly Hills cream contour kit review

Contouring is really popular at the moment, Kim kardashian showing her makeup secrets like 'baking' threw all the rules we knew about makeup out the window and into question. I first found out about this particular contouring kit by watching YouTube tutorials on how to contour, many people had this kit and they're makeup was flawless and beautifully contoured. So I thought I would give this product a try as its different from all my other makeup products.
I bought mine from Beauty Bay  and the delivery was super quick. The packaging of the kit is beautiful with golden writing of Anastasia Beverly Hills with a sleeve to protect the case from opening which is handy if your travelling and are cautious about the palette opening as the sleeve will prevent it from doing so. The top of the lid is clear allowing you to see the colours, once opening the lid they're is a plastic sheet to protect the palette from being smudged which I like as it another protection the colours.
At first I was confused as to know whether to put it on before foundation or after, so I gave both of them a try.

Applying after foundation

I contoured using the palette firstly applying the banana shade in a triangle shape below my eyes and above my cheekbones, along the bridge of my nose, on my Cupid's bow and my chin using my finger for application as it deposits more pigment onto the skin, rather than using a foundation/concealer brush. After I applied cinnamon using my damp beauty blender by dapping it into the colour first then under my cheekbones, either side of my nose and my temples. I feel that dabbing the beauty blender into the darker colours first then onto the skin makes it so much easier to blend especially on dry skin. After I have applied my highlighter and contour colour I blend the dark colour into the lighter colour by feathering upwards. I blend my nose using my fingers as its a smaller area and may need more defining depending on how small you want to contour your nose.
I also felt it was so much easier to blend after foundation as the creaminess of your foundation really helps blend the colours together and blend away any harsh lines too. I feel it's a more defined contour look if you do it after foundation but you can apply as much or as less product as you want, I tend to build it up so if I don't apply enough I can just re apply rather than blending the colour into the lighter shade. If you go too far down with your dark I always clean up using the banana shade underneath the dark colour as this really gives you a clean crisp cut of contouring.

Applying before foundation

You I did this a lot when I first got the product as I wasn't sure if I'd be able to blend the colours together on top of the foundation - I was very wrong. I felt like doing this made it safer in a way because if I applied too much of a dark shade then I knew I could apply my foundation on top and it would mostly blend away. Although that was also a down side as I found myself having to apply the darker shade again on top of my foundation so that it was more noticeable. The good side of applying before foundation is that if you want a natural look but still contoured, this is a perfect technique as it is subtle and not too defining. ( If you read above I tell you how I apply each shade onto my face after foundation, I also use the same application before foundation)  if your wondering if you apply colour corrector before or after contouring, the way I found best was before contouring. So apply the green concealer to any red areas and orange to dark areas on the skin, then apply your contour then foundation.
I've been using this product for about three months now and used it roughly 2-3 times a week and I haven't gotten to the bottom of the pan yet as you do not need much product at all. A little really does go a long way, as its a thick, highly pigmented contouring product.
Many people have struggled with this palette as they don't find it very creamy, that's why having a creamy foundation is important. I find contouring works best with Esteé Lauder Double Wear or if your on a budget as the Esteé Lauder can be out of people's price range when it comes to makeup, I found a dupe of this it is revlon ColorStay It has a similar consistency and gives great coverage. If you can't get your hand on either of these particular foundations try finding one that is thick and build able. I've tried Fit Me by maybeline foundation with this palette and the consistency is too thin and doesn't allow that beautiful blend like the thick foundations.
Another tip for contouring is to always use a damp beauty blender to blend! As it gives a flawless finish to the makeup leaving no traces of unwanted lines between the lighter shade and darker shaxde. I have a W7 beauty blender and it has last me 4 months until I need to buy a new one, it is cheap and great if your starting off contouring and not sure what to buy.
The down side to this palette is it is pricey for many people especially for beginners just getting into contouring, there is another contouring palette that is creamier and cheaper, the brand is called Contour Cosmetics.
If your still unsure or just need to watch a video I have demonstrated how I contour on my Facebook page on a video. Facebook - beauty blogger Charlotte 
Thank you for reading, look out for my blog about Dupes of high end makeup.
Charlotte x