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Chiseled cheeks come easy with these faves from Sephora, drugstores and more.
A great contour stick can sculpt and chisel your face in a way that'd make even a Greek statue envious. Unlike bronzer, which adds warm colors for a sunkissed look, contour uses cool tones to both emphasize the shadows where you want to recede areas of the face and sculpts for snatched cheekbones and a razor-sharp jawline.
Though contouring can seem a little intimidating to the novice user, a contour stick makes easy work of contouring with a simple swipe, blend and go. Pair it with a concealer, blush and a highlighter and prepare for impressive depth and dimension. The sheer amount of creamy, blendable formulas out there is enough to confound anyone, so we rounded up the top 10 contour sticks coveted by our very own GH beauty enthusiasts, celebrity makeup artists and online reviews.
For all things contouring, read on below for what to look for in the best contour stick, plus a rundown on how to contour your face. Complete your full-faced makeup look with our guide to the best bronzers for dark skin and tips on how to apply concealer and how to apply blush.
As the holy grail of contour sticks, makeup lovers can find a sure staple in Fenty Beauty's creamy contour stick. True to its name, nearly everyone can find their perfect match thanks to its 10 shades — it's one of the most inclusive contour sticks on the market and thus also earns the title of best contour stick for dark skin. Celebrity makeup artist Nydia Figueroa keeps it in her beauty kit because of its color range and its "super blendable" cream-to-powder contour. The creamy formula layers well on makeup without giving that blotchy or patchy finish. Offering medium coverage, "it's super pigmented, which is great for days when I want a full glam look, but [it] can easily be sheered down," says Product & Reviews Updates Editor Raena Loper.
A true cool-toned contour stick, NYX's Wonder Stick creates the illusion of shadows wherever you apply it. Beauty and Health Reviews Analyst Chiara Butler swears this is the best contour stick for fair skin, and its impressive eight shade range is a rarity in drugstore brands. What's more, the creamy formula and rounded tip mean it glides on and blends with ease. Feeling a full-faced makeup look? Its convenient shimmer highlighter end complements the contour.
Dual-ended with a built-in blending brush, this Makeup by Mario contour stick is the all-in-one, foolproof way of applying contour. Deputy Editor Jessica Teich says it's highly pigmented with a stunning matte finish, plus the longwear formula truly lasts all day.
Introduce this two-in-one contour and highlight stick that Amazon reviewers call "contouring made easy" into your makeup routine. Though we've yet to try and master this Maybelline contour stick, it's earned a ton of hype for its pigmented application. The drugstore pick comes in three matte shades, plus an accompanying sheer shimmer.
Tout your contour sticks on the go with this tin kit de trois, including a mini contour, blush and highlighter. "I like to apply them by first rubbing them on the back of my hand and then picking the product up with my fingers and patting it on," says Home and Apparel Reviews Analyst Amanda Constantine. "They have a nice natural pigment, and there are other kits available for different skin tones."
Butler says this contour stick feels light and cooling and that it's easy to blend out. "The best thing about this stick is that it goes on sheer, which makes it easier to create a subtle contour," she says, so don't worry about going heavy handed. Its wider surface area makes contouring the forehead and cheeks even easier. Swipe it onto a thinner beauty brush to nail the nose contour.
This Milk Makeup contour stick is a great option for oily skin since it offers a matte finish and has a drier formula. A little bit goes a long way here as it offers a ton of great color payoff, says one GH editor. It blends best with a sponge since the formula feels a bit too budge-proof for a makeup brush. Hues of warm brown sneak in, so it works well on eyelids, too.
The brainchild of early beauty YouTuber Michelle Phan's makeup brand, EM Cosmetics' contour stick stands out by far for its creamy contour. "It's super buttery and can be easily applied directly to the face or with a brush or sponge," says Constantine. "It blends out nicely without losing too much pigment." Subtle enough to double as a matching eyeshadow, opt for it on more natural makeup days.
This Wet N Wild contour stick blends like a dream and pairs best with those dewy, "glazed donut" days. We've yet to try this one ourselves, but several Amazon reviewers rave about its easy application and great size for contouring all areas of the face. Both advanced and beginner contour enthusiasts enjoy it. "Its pigments are extremely vivid, where by the time you're finished blending in, it is both noticeable but subtle," says a reviewer. "It doesn't dry out my cheeks in winter, but simultaneously doesn't 'grease crease' or sink into my pores on my nose."
No cakey face, here. Figueroa chooses to contour with Be a 10's contour stick because of its "perfect" pom-pom application that allows for "flawless" blending. It offers a true cool-colored undertone that goes on lightweight and sheer, with great buildability. Those who love the perpetually sold-out Charlotte Tilbury contour wand may find a new favorite in this similar option.
Our list above includes a combination of staffer favorites among others we vetted from trusted brands we've tried in past Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab's testing. We also consulted professional makeup artist Nydia Figueroa for her tips on shopping for contour sticks to help inform our top picks, including a favorite from her own celebrity beauty kit.
✔️ Formula: Keep an eye out for creamy, easily blendable formulas. "I love using cream or liquid contour," Figueroa says. Liquid goes on a bit sheerer for dressed-down looks, while cream offers some more drama and opaqueness.
✔️ Shade: Go for a shade that is at least two or even three times darker than your skin tone. It both blends into and emphasizes the shadows of your face, so it won't look as dramatic as you think.
✔️ Tone: Rather than warmer tones, look for a color that "mimics the cool tone shadow and how it would naturally hit your face," Figueroa says. Swatch against your skin — preferably where you would place the contour — to make sure it doesn't look ashy or too grey. If you are shopping online, try to look up photos of women wearing a product that might be similar in skin tone to you.
✔️ Ease of use: For beginners, contour sticks with dual-ended colors or built-in brushes give you all the tools you need to get started. One with a precise tip allows you a bit more control and can let you build as you feel more comfortable, she says.
Start off by understanding your face shape. Figueroa recommends to locate the cheekbone, then place two fingers underneath to find a good place to contour. If you'd like the appearance of an altered forehead or nose, you can apply more contour shading on the outer edges to create a narrowing illusion, as well as beneath the jaw for a more pronounced jawline.
If applying directly with the stick or wand, create dots in the places where you would like to contour and then blend outward and upward toward the edges of the face. For more control of the product, Figueroa loves using a fluffy tapered brush to gradually build color instead of placing the contour stick directly on the face.
GH Beauty and Health Reviews Analyst Chiara Butler regularly tests makeup as part of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Beauty Lab. Butler recommended some of the above picks based on her industry knowledge and favorites she's personally tried. Armed with a rotation of contour sticks and experience as a former style & beauty reviewer at Insider, GH Associate Editor Jacqueline Saguin recommended her favorites, scoured other top picks among our team of product experts and interviewed celebrity makeup artist Nydia Figueroa for her expert advice on contouring.