Contouring With Taupe Eyeshadow

Now, I'm not one to do a crazy Kardashian-style contour on an everyday basis, but I find adding some definition to my cheekbones is a nice way to sculpt my face after applying foundation. I have quite a few things in my stash but nothing was giving me the result I was after. I've tried all the ones that people in the blogging world have raved about: the Sleek Contour Kit was much too dark and pigmented to work with for everyday wear; the NYX Blush in Taupe was a promising ashy tone but I really struggled to get a good colour payoff; the Makeup Revolution Blush Stick in Matte Malibu was definitely more of a bronzing product and just looked ridiculous... basically, everything I tried was made for medium skin tones. They were orange and dark, and a dead giveaway - far from the natural-looking cheekbones I was after. I considered getting a face powder a few shades darker, but again they all looked a little orange for the job.

I was constantly searching for the perfect grey-toned/ash/taupe/light-brown contour product but it just didn't exist, so I looked for blushers in that colour instead but again couldn't find anything. Then it occurred to me that it would probably be easier to look for a matte eyeshadow - a powder is a powder, right? Of course, I already had a few of those lying around. I dug out the Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow in Hung Up and dipped my Real Techniques Contour Brush into it, and tried sweeping it from the top of my ear to the middle of my cheeks. I couldn't believe it, I'd found the perfect contour product for me... and it was a £1 eyeshadow hiding in my collection the entire time.

I know it sounds a little strange to use a cool-toned greyish taupe eyeshadow to sculpt your cheekbones, but if you're pale and hate products that look orange you seriously need to give this a go. If you have a look in your collection, the chances are you probably already have something hiding in an eyeshadow palette.