Following up on Wednesday’s post of a somewhat unusual cool-toned highlight palette, today I wanted to share a few cool-toned contour products that are just as unique, from the indie beauty brand Shiro Cosmetics (the same place that makes the Harry Potter-inspired makeup I reviewed a while back.)
Both contour powders are part of Shiro’s “Cheekbones” Contouring Powders collection, a 7-piece set inspired by ‘Benedict Cumberbatch’s impossible bone structure’. The two shades I picked up include ‘Do Your Research‘ and ‘Burn the Heart Out of You‘.
Swatches of Burn the Heart Out of You (left) & Do Your Research (right)
‘Do Your Research’ is a matte, slightly ‘warmed up’ medium grey, though as you can see in the swatches above, it is still is very much on the cool side. It’s also both eye and lip safe.
On my light-medium skin, it doesn’t take much to build up (I expect the full-size jar to last a looong time.) What I’ll do is tap a little on the inside of the lid, then swirl my brush around (I use the Real Techniques Contour Brush from their Berlin collection). Then I’ll apply 1-2 layers, swiping back and forth under my cheekbones. On my neutral skin, ‘Do Your Research‘ perfectly mimics that of my cheekbone’s natural shadow. Here’s a before and after, followed by some photos of it incorporated into a finished look:
Before & after using Shiro Cosmetics’ ‘Do Your Research‘
Wearing Shiro Cosmetics’ ‘Do Your Research‘ on its own
Wearing Shiro Cosmetics’ ‘Do Your Research‘ blended with a little berry-toned blush on top. (Also wearing the ‘Amortentia‘ lip gloss from Shiro’s Harry Potter collection!)
The other matte cool-toned shade is called ‘Burn the Heart Out of You‘. It’s slightly deeper and more purple-toned, making it a little scarier to work if you’re on the paler side. It’s eye safe, though sadly not lip safe.
On my skin, it makes me look very tired and even a little sick…which is fine if you’re going for costume makeup. (It gives off total vampire/zombie vibes…) Otherwise, for an everyday contour, I think ‘Burn the Heart Out of You‘ would probably work best for those with medium to dark skin tones. If you’re in the fair to light range, I’d recommend going either extremely light on the application, or just skipping this altogether and opting for the first shade (‘Do Your Research’) instead.
All the lids feature artwork from Amy Zen
If you’re not into cool-toned contours, Shiro also has several warmer tones in that same collection, like ‘The Game is On‘, which is a yellow-toned cinnamon brown, and ‘A Touch of Drama’, a reddened brown.
Overall, boy does Shiro Cosmetics know how to make some unique, whimsical products that are also very high quality and wearable! If you’re into the not-so-everyday neutrals, definitely pay a visit to Shiro Cosmetics! They ship worldwide, and they’re 100% cruelty free and vegan!
Have you tired Shiro Cosmetic’s makeup?
