Current Favourite Cream Contour: Contouring Routine

My current favourite way to contour my cheekbones

Recently I have been loving using this product to cream contour... And it may not be what you expect. Because, well it's technically a cream eyeshadow base. But bear with me, it works amazingly!

It's the Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe.

I stumbled across this and tried it for contouring on a complete whim. It's something I have had in my collection for over a year or maybe two since they first came out and I bought like every initial shade. But most of them I really don't get a lot of use out of, despite them being amazing products- they're amazingly longwearing and are a great primer for any eyeshadow look or to wear alone just blended out. 

But crazy dark eyeshadow looks isn't something I go for that much, so I never really found myself reaching for it as a base.

So one day on a clear-out I saw this again and thought to myself that it might be a good cream contour product. And it is, for a few reasons.

1. It's highly pigmented, but it's super easy to blend. I apply with the Real Techniques limited edition duo fibre Contour Brush, sticking the brush into the pot and swirling it around, it fits perfectly where most brushes would be too big. I then use the ELF Small Stipple Brush, another amazing duo-fibre brush to blend it all out. This combo blends the product seamlessly.
2. The colour is great. It's what I assume the NYX blush in Taupe (a cult favourite) is like, but in cream form. It's taupe, as the name suggests, so because it doesn't have brown, orange or red undertones it looks really natural as a contour shade, instead of just bronzing your face it actually emphasises the cheekbones and makes you look like you have a natural shadow, therefore making your cheekbones look more pronounced. For someone as pale as me, most of the bronzers or contour powders available are much too orangey/browney for my skin, so this is a perfect alternative for me, and even those lighter than me (although that might be difficult to achieve!) I still think this method and product would work for darker skin tones though.
3. Further, it is completely matte and has no shimmer in it, therefore it looks more natural.

I sometimes set it with a taupe bronzer/blush or even eyeshadow, but it doesn't need to be set. I wouldn't say it's a cream to powder finish, but it's not shiny in any way, or glistening like a lot of cream blushes I have tried are.

I'm so happy with this contouring routine right now!

The only problem is, I think it might be slightly breaking me out. I've been getting little bumps on my cheeks recently, reminding me of acne which is something I've never had any problem with. But I can't say if this has been caused by using this on my cheeks, as I have been for the past few weeks now. I can keep you updated.

But as with the use of any skin product it's very personal, you never really know how things will react to your own skin. So just try it out a bit first and see if it's good for you, as you would with any skin product.

Anyway, I've managed to keep these skin problems under control with my use of tea tree oil on my face, which I did a whole blog post on because I've been loving it so much.

Dirty brushes- sorry! Thought it might better show you how I use the product and what it looks like on the brushes

So yeah, I've just been loving this recently and I thought it would be nice to share this product and this method with you, because I haven't seen anyone using this for contouring before and I think people should!

If you also have this product and you never use it on your eyes, give it a go on your cheekbones! Or even if you don't have it, go out and buy it for this purpose! The Colour Tattoos are £5.99 each from the 'drugstore'- in the UK Superdrug or Boots. Some of the colour names are different in the UK to the US, so bear that in mind if you can't find 'Permanent Taupe', but I think this one is the same.

The Eyestudio Colour Tattoo 24 Hour cream eyeshadow by Maybelline in number 40- Permanent Taupe

As you can see, I really have been loving this and using it a lot recently. The texture is like that because of the stippling brush I use to pick the product up from the pot. I'll be running out of this soon, something I never thought I'd do with this product! Amazing! 

Super blendable so you can make of it what you will, and have it either strong and defined or slightly more sheer and natural. This is why I think it would work for darker skintones too, to an extent. Obviously due to my pale skin I like to make sure I blend the product to a light seamless perfection.

Do you have any products that you use for a completely different thing than its intended purpose? Are you going to try this out as a cream contour shade? Let me know in the comments below.