Not all of us are born with cheekbones and jawlines so sharp that they could cut a watermelon (we’re looking at you, Timothée Chalamet). The best contour sticks are perfect for your makeup routine, emphasizing natural bone structure. Think about contour sticks as painting on shadows, where the natural hollows of your face would be the canvas, and your contour stick the paintbrush. (As someone with a round baby face, I know a thing or two about adding a little oomph to a soft jawline.)
The best part of contour sticks is that they are portable and easy to use—simply draw them on and blend them with your fingertips or favorite makeup brush or sponge. Whether you want to create the illusion of hollowed-out cheeks (no buccal fat removal necessary!), adding subtle definition can be achieved with these 11 formulas.
Vogue’s Favorite Contour Sticks
In This Story
Best for Precision: Victoria Beckham Beauty Contour Stylus
- Why We Love It: There’s a reason why this contour stick went viral: its ultra-slim design makes it easy to apply to the hollows of your face with expert precision. Whether you choose to sculpt your cheeks, nose, or jaw, simply draw the lines and blend in with fingers or your favorite blush. The best part is its buildable color deposit—you’ll never fear applying too much with this creamy, plant-based formula.
- Ingredients: Squalane, linefill, blue lotus wax
- More to Know: Non-comedogenic, vegan, dermatologist tested, hypoallergenic
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 4
Best Clean Beauty: Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour
- Why We Love It: Westman Atelier gets undertones just right with its “Face Trace” contour stick. Its lightest shade, Biscuit, perfectly nails the ashy tone that emulates natural shadows of bone structure. The formula is 100% clean—it’s packed with nourishing botanical oils and powerful antioxidants—with kaolin clay included in the formula to ensure long wear.
- Ingredients: Jojoba seed oil, raspberry leaf stem cell extract, kaolin clay, vitamin C, vitamin E
- More to Know: Cruelty-free, phthalates-free, paraben-free
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 3
Best Longwear: Dior Forever Skin Contour Stick
- Why We Love It: Dior’s contour stick boasts up to 24 hours of wear with a waterproof formula—dare to take it out for a night on the town and see if your cheeks are still perfectly sculpted in the morning? The dermatologically tested formula is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog pores. Meanwhile, nourishing ingredients like sunflower seed and candelilla wax moisturize the skin without leaving a greasy residue.
- Ingredients: Sunflower seed wax, iris extract, mica, candelilla wax
- More to Know: Non-comedogenic
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 4
Best Cool Tone: Milk Sculpt Stick
- Why We Love It: Milk Makeup’s Sculpt Stick provides a cool undertone for skin tones ranging from fair to very deep, with all four product shades. Unlike a bronzer used for mimicking a sunkissed glow, this ash-toned contour creates the illusion of dimension by darkening the natural shadows of the face. Apply to the hollows of your cheekbones, jawline, and temples to amplify bone structure.
- Ingredients: Castor seed oil, thyme extract, mango butter, sunflower seed oil ,sunflower seed wax
- More to Know: Vegan, clean, cruelty-free, non-comedogenic, paraben-free
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 4
Best Viral Contour: LYS Beauty No Limits Cream Bronzer and Contour Stick
- Why We Love It: There’s much to love about Black-owned beauty brand LYS, from its shade inclusivity to its high-performing formulas. Its contour stick—a viral TikTok phenom—boasts seven shades, covering fair to deep skin tones. Meanwhile, the formulation packs green tea extract for soothing and antioxidant-rich rosehip oil for skin brightening.
- Ingredients: Rosehip oil, green tea extract, sodium hyaluronate, watermelon seed extract
- More to Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, talc-fre
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 7
Best for Subtle Sculpting: Kevyn Aucoin The Contrast Stick
- Why We Love It: The late and great Kevyn Aucoin popularized contouring techniques from professional to mainstream—can everybody say a resounding “thank you, Kevyn”? The makeup artist’s namesake brand honors his expert technique, with a matte contour stick that provides a semi-sheer color payoff. The pigment is subtle enough to wear on bare skin and easily buildable with makeup (either way, you’ll give yourself a little extra sculpt).
- Ingredients: Mica, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid spheres
- More to Know:
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 4
Best for Mature Skin: Ogee Sculpted Face Stick
- Why We Love It: Ogee’s sculpted face stick is the perfect multi-purpose product for mature skin. While the stick comes in 12 shades total, two are ideal for contouring: Copper and Obsidian. The creamy texture is formulated with 83% organic ingredients, powered by a blend of botanic oils and fatty acids that are lightweight and nourishing. (Meaning: the formula won’t settle in skin to emphasize fine lines.) Best of all, the radiant finish blurs the appearance of pores, while coffee seed oil stimulates collagen for plumpness. Coverage is buildable, so apply as little or as much as you like.
- Ingredients: Olive fruit oil, beeswax, jojoba seed oil, coconut oil, carnauba wax, coffee seed oil, elderberry fruit extract, vitamin E
- More to Know: Certified organic, cruelty-free, gluten-free
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 2
Best Liquid: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand
- Why We Love It: Charlotte Tilbury is the woman behind the faces of many A-listers who grace red carpets—it’s no surprise her contour wand is a favorite for a slim and sculpted look. Siloxanes, a synthetic compound, make this formulation lightweight, buildable, and easy to blend: simply squeeze and dot onto cheekbones, blending out in a tapping motion.
- Ingredients: Glycerin, dimethicone, siloxanes
- More to Know:
- Type: Liquid
- Shades: 7
Best Shade Range: Fenty Beauty Match Stix Contour Skinstick
- Why We Love It: With nine different shades, Fenty Beauty’s contour stick provides targeted application, with options for a range of skin tones. Matte, with buildable consistency, this cream-to-powder formulation ensures the product glides on smoothly, then dries down to a powder-like finish.
- Ingredients: Mica, coconut oil, sodium hyaluronate
- More to Know: Cruelty-free
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 9
Best for Warm Undertones: Nudestix Tinted Blur Sculpt Stick
- Why We Love It: Another cream-to-powder option, this chubby contour stick boasts a subtle finish. While the three shades aren’t cool-toned, they still provide a soft-focus result rather than a full-glam makeup look. This product best suits those with complexions and warm undertones.
- Ingredients: Mica, camellia sinensis leaf extract
- More to Know: Clean, vegan cruelty-free, synthetic fragrance-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 3
Best Drugstore: NYX Wonder stick
- Why We Love It: If you’re looking for a high-performing, cruelty-free product that won’t hurt your wallet, NYX’s Wonder Stick is a solid choice. It’s dual-ended, with one side for contouring and the other for highlighting—the chubby tips allow for targeted placement. Use the contour side of the stick to define bone structure and the highlighted side to emphasize the tops of your cheekbones and nose bridge. (Pro tip: this can double as a cream eyeshadow stick.)
- Ingredients: Synthetic wax, candelilla wax, castor seed oil
- More to Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
- Type: Cream
- Shades: 8
What is a contour stick?
Celebrity makeup artist Alexx Mayo explains that a contour stick is exactly what it sounds like: a liquid or cream pigmented stick that’s used to emphasize the face’s natural bone structure. This is achieved by strategically placing shadows along the cheekbones, temples, jawline, and the nose. The idea behind is to “sculpt” the face for definition, creating a slimmer look.
How To Use a Contour Stick
Once you’ve applied your base and concealer, Mayo says, “you can then use a contour stick under the cheekbones to slim the face and define your jawline.” She adds, “you can also use it to define the sides of your nose or create the appearance of a lifted nose tip.” Her preferred method? “Apply the contour stick directly onto the skin on your choice of where you want to sculpt, and using a small dense cheek brush, softly blend and diffuse to create shadows and definition.”
What is the difference between a contour stick and a bronzer?
Mayo explains the difference between a contour stick and a bronzer comes down to two aspects: undertone and product placement. Bronzers are used to add warmth to the skin to mimic the look of that “just back from vacation” look. A bronzer would be placed on the high points of the face, mimicking where the sun would hit (picture laying on a beach—bronzer is placed where you feel warmth on your face). Meanwhile, contour, often a cooler and more “shadow” like tone, is used to chisel out the natural hollows of the face.
Meet The Experts
- Alexx Mayo is a Los Angeles based celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Lizzo, Yvonne Orji, and more.
