What can I say – I just simply can’t stop buying eyeshadow palettes…This new Kat von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette brings the total in my collection to 30 (including smaller quads and trios) – what a nice and even number 🙂 I’d like to think it’s a good time to stop, at least for this year and I plan to do my best to restrain myself, but as always…can’t promise anything. Saleos – nicely pigmented and soft dark brown shade. Great for a smoky eye looks or as liner. On me it may be a bit too dark to apply in the crease, but I may also use it to darken the outer corners. Levitation is described as a “soft peach.” It’s a yellowed peach with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had rich color payoff that was easily sheered out or blended, depending on the look you wanted. The texture was finely-milled, incredibly soft and smooth, but a little powdery. It lasted for seven hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

To be completely honest I wasn’t even planning to get this one and it kind of sneakily landed in my basket during the recent Sephora trip. But I have no regrets, the shades are beautiful and I am sure I’ll make a good use of this palette. But of course, everyone can benefit from a nicely designed palette with a bunch of mattes to use on their own or pair with more shimmery or metallic shadows on the lid. In terms of the quality, my initial impressions are very similar to those on the Monarch Palette. All shades are nicely pigmented and blend very nicely, but they also feel extremely soft and create a lot of fallout. From creams to powders via pro-level palettes, there's a contour product in almost every make-up offering these days – but some are inevitably better than others. So, which are worth investing in? Let us fill you in... Solas – I would like this shade to be a bit darker to create more definition. As is, it’s very similar to both Samael and Sytry shades.Shadowplay is described as a “soft brown.” It’s a medium brown with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had fairly good color payoff, but it was weaker compared to other shades in the palette. The texture was soft, blendable, and not at all powdery. It wore well for seven and a half hours on me. The color appears more bronzer-like than a true contour, though it has a muted quality that makes it not quite as warm or orange-toned as a bronzer can be. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Jamie Genevieve, Makeup Artist and Founder of Vieve perfectly sums up why a good contour kit makes such a big difference: 'Contouring is all about shaping the face and adding definition where you want it, for example, on a rounder face you can enhance the bone structure in your cheek bones and jawline.' Succubus – reddish terracotta brown, personally I am always drawn to shades like that. It will look great against blue and green eyes. Saying that, I feel like the quality of the shadows has improved a bit from the Monarch Palette and they feel creamier to the touch. Let’s have a look at the swatches, as always I applied them directly to my skin, without the base.

I also compared the Shade & Light palette to the Too Faced Natural Matte and found four duplicates. If you already own this one, you will find that the first (“Day”) row includes shades almost identical to Laetus, Samael and Saleos. Other than that, the Honey Butter shade looks almost identical to Ludwin. Her top tip is to find a shade that's darker and cooler than your usual bronzer. 'Don't be scared to go for something that almost looks a bit grey,' she advises, and make sure you apply it where the natural shadow falls under your cheekbone. I don’t think it will come as a big surprise if I say that this section is my favourite. Ludwin and Succubus shades are the ones I tend to notice first when I open the palette. Lyric is described as a “yellow beige.” It’s a brightened, yellowed beige with warm undertones and a satin-matte finish. It was nicely pigmented with a very soft, finely-milled texture, but it was a bit powdery. I thought it exacerbated dryness if/when I had any, but if you have oilier skin, I don’t think it will be an issue. It lasted for seven and a half hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

However, it's not just designed for your cheekbones. According to Genevieve, you can contour your eyes to make them appear larger, your lips to make them appear fuller and your forehead to shorten it. Shade & Light Contour Palette contains twelve matte shades, grouped in three sections. First on the left is the neutral set, then we have the cool range and lastly, four warm tones. Each group is further divided into a base shadow (the biggest one on top), contour, definition and highlight. I find this layout extremely useful, especially for makeup beginners. Combined with a mini guide on how to create six different looks, Kat von D palette can easily be your introduction to eye makeup. Lucid is described as a “pinkish nude.” It’s a brightened, light beige with subtle, yellow undertones and a matte finish. The texture was soft and silky–just slightly powdery–but sat well on the skin. It had good color payoff and was both buildable and blendable, as desired. It wore well for eight hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes. Laetus – light cream base shadow, excellent to set the base and prepare the lid for other shades, or to highlight the brow boneanswered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but

Spectacular price, especially with a full-sized brush! Would love to see the ingredients 🙂 I like this a lot more than the Kat Von D contouring palette. It’s laid out far better, much nicer looking and has a ton of product as well. Sombre is described as a “true taupe.” It’s a medium taupe brown with warm undertones and a satin-matte finish. It had good color payoff with a soft, smooth texture that was easy to work with. It wore well for eight hours before fading. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

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My favourite shade from this section is probably Samael, but it’s purely because of the tone. Quality-wise they are all the same. Lazarus – stunning grey-ish brown. I can see myself wearing it a lot as a transition shade or all over the lid. We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when