In the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, the Commodore says to Jack Sparrow, "you are the worst pirate I have ever heard of. To which Jack replies, "ah, but you have heard of me." The same idea, I feel like, could apply to Mrs. West. Love her or hate her, everyone on the planet knows who she is. And she did that. She willed herself, and her entire family, into the national lexicon based on a sex tape. That's pretty impressive. Many have tried to follow that route to fame, and all have failed. Whether we choose to believe it or not, that takes a fair amount of business acumen. Kimmy has made "fetch" happen, and while she may be "famous for doing nothing," she is still incredibly famous.
That being said, she is still a Kardashian. Those people have way too much money, and so I am hesitant to give them any of mine. I refuse to buy anything with Kylie's name on it, and I'm not too keen on Kendall either. Even my girl Khloe is hard to get behind these days. But when Kim's contour line launched, I really thought about it. I still really think about it. I think its a smart product, and I cannot argue that Kim's contour is really, really good. And contouring is hard, ya'll. In the tutorials, they just slap some powder on their cheeks and snatch 'em right up, but in real life, it does not work like that.
I have tried a lot of contour. A lot. Mostly in powder form, and some cream. In general, my luck has not been great. This made me extra fascinated when this product launched and all of the internet reviews came pouring in.
I've spent more hours than I can to admit watching strangers on the internet talk about KKW Contour. I've watched countless videos of Miss Kimberly herself showing how she applies the contour. I will say, because credit where credit is due, Kim told us all on Instagram that when she contours her cheek bone she draws a faint line back up toward her nose. Making something of a "V" shape. Having watched literally hundreds more hours of contour videos than someone with a masters degree should admit to, I can tell you that this is an amazing tip that makes a huge difference!
See this line I'm pointing to right here? Thats the one you want. That, I have learned, is the key to making this whole thing work. It shouldn't be as dark as the other lines, but especially if you have chubby cheeks like me, it really carves them right up.
Anyway, as I sat on my fence, trying to decide if I would buy this amazing contour and highlight set, the promptly sold out. So, the decision was made for me. Except, at that point, after all these videos, in my mind, the contour stick was the only way to go. What was I doing messing around with powder like some kind of peasant? Clearly, the cream sticks were the way to go.
Since Kim's were not available, a quick internet search quickly told me that NYX makes a cream stick, aptly named the Wonder Stick. Slightly phallic name aside, I love everything about it.
I bought one immediately. Like the KKW sticks, you get a cream contour and highlight, in a variety of shades (I am wearing "light" because helllllo pale!) KKW comes in the shades, "light," "medium," "dark," and "deep dark." NYX comes in "light," "medium," "deep," and "Universal." Universal, to me, appears to be the contour shade from "medium" and the highlight shade from "light" but I don't really know that for sure. To be honest, it feels like kind of a dumb idea, because there cannot possibly be a universal blend for something based on skin tone. Even without that though, NYX and KKW both come in a really broad range of shades, at least one of which should suit nearly everyone's skin tone.
There are a few key differences. While the NYX version doesn't come with its own brush and sponge, you do get quite a bit more product (.280 oz to KKW's .128) and NYX's will run you just $12, compared to $48 for the KKW version.
What does NYX look like on?
I do think this product blends really easily, as you can see in my before and after here. I have found that I prefer blending with my fingers, because I can direct the placement better. I tend to prefer to do a lot of my makeup with my fingers though, which many people dont like. Its a matter of preference. I have also blended with brushes, and that works fine too. Here is an example of a brush blending.
I have also tried it with a beauty blender, which I don't think works as well. Again though, thats just me. This is a picture with the blender. You can see that line back up to my nose that isn't really fully blended. But you can kind of see how great it would have looked if I'd done it right. Hash tag still in progress.
For further comparison, here is a face with no contour or highlight.
The product itself looks very similar to KKW, though the packaging is less monochromatic. This is a picture of mine this morning. I use it faithfully every single day and have for about a month now, and look how much product is left! You really do get a lot of bang for your buck.
The only downside for me, is that I don't feel like contour has a lot of staying power. Even with a setting spray I can't get it to stay with me during the day. I almost feel like I have to completely re-apply around lunch time. I'm not sure if that is true of the KKW as well, I can't really find anything about longevity, but if anyone has a setting spray that they love, please let me know. Here is a comparison of the same day, in the morning and around lunch.
To digress temporarily, yes, those are two different lip colors, albeit from the same company. It isn't a shadow or anything. The lighter color is Midi and the darker color is Time Square. If I haven't mentioned it recently, I love love love Colourpop. Love.
In short, sticks are definitely the way to go. Anything else is working too hard. And contouring is hard enough as it is. I can't speak on KKW. I haven't tried it. The interwebs seem more or less pleased with it, minus the blending sponge which appears to be universally hated. If your mind and spirit are similarly vexed at the idea of a Kardashian getting your money, "allow me to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket,'' as Captain Jack also said. Just get this one. $48 is a lot to spend when there is a product out there for $12 that can and will do the job. AND you get more product. AND its cruelty free. Always a great choice for any man, woman, or pirate.