Best Contour Shades for Every Skin Tone

Charlotte’s Choice: Hollywood Contour Wand in Fair (soft taupe brown).

Using a contour shade that is too dark can overwhelm a fair complexion and make it look ghostly, so instead, reach for softer contour shades like taupes, fawns, or sandy browns. I created my Hollywood Contour Wand in Fair as a soft taupe-brown that blends effortlessly into a fair complexion to subtly shade your features for a delicate, soft-sculpt effect. If you have fair skin, going lighter with your contour shade will help your contour to appear smoother and avoids any overt harshness or muddiness that breaks the illusion of a seamless contour.

Tilbury Tip: For a bronze + sculpt effect, contour with AIRbrush Bronzer or Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in shade Fair.

Charlotte’s Choice: Hollywood Contour Wand in Fair-Medium (light camel brown).

My Hollywood Contour Wand in Fair/Medium is one of my original shades! Celebrities and stars around the world have achieved a shaped and sculpted look with this legendary beauty trick; it’s a light camel-brown contour shade that looks particularly flattering on fair and medium skin tones. If your complexion sits somewhere between fair and medium, this shade is perfect for sculpting the look of your facial features while blending beautifully into your skin tone.

Tilbury Tip: For a bronze + sculpt effect, contour with AIRbrush Bronzer or Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in shade Fair or Medium.

Charlotte’s Choice: Hollywood Contour Wand in Medium (smooth sienna brown).

Due to the in-between nature of a medium complexion, choosing a contour for medium skin is all about balance. Choosing a shade that is too light may appear too subtle to create the chiselling effect you are looking for from your contour, whereas a shade that is too dark may struggle to blend into your skin tone and appear unnatural. I created my Hollywood Contour Wand in Medium as the perfect equilibrium; it’s a smooth, sienna brown that finds a true mid-point, making it perfect for contouring a medium skin tone.

Tilbury Tip: For a bronze + sculpt effect, contour with AIRbrush Bronzer or Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in shade Medium.

Charlotte’s Choice: Hollywood Contour Wand in Medium-Deep (cognac brown).

The Medium-Deep shade of my Hollywood Contour Wand is another one of my original Hollywood shades! This legendary liquid contour has seen the world, darlings! It’s a rich cognac-brown contour shade that blends seamlessly into medium and tan skin tones to create a seamless-looking contour. If you have a mid-toned complexion, this shade is a perfect blend of soft and rich pigments that creates easy, flattering, contour-defining shadows.

Tilbury Tip: For a bronze + sculpt effect, contour with AIRbrush Bronzer or Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in shade Medium or Tan.

Charlotte’s Choice: Hollywood Contour Wand in Tan (silky saddle brown).

For tan skin, contour often needs to have a red or olive undertone that flatters the natural pigmentation of a tan complexion. When choosing a contour colour for tan skin, avoid reaching for shades that lean too grey as they can wash out your complexion and look muddy. I created my Hollywood Contour Wand in Tan to flatter tan skin and create a seamless-looking sculpting effect; it’s a saddle brown shade with plenty of depth that blends beautifully into tan skin while accentuating the appearance of facial contours.

Tilbury Tip: For a bronze + sculpt effect, contour with AIRbrush Bronzer or Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in shade Tan.

Charlotte’s Choice: Hollywood Contour Wand in Tan-Deep (deep cocoa brown).

Finding a contour shade for tan-to-deep skin is about finding a shade that is richly pigmented without being too dark. When contouring, you should choose a shade that is deep enough to resemble shadows on your complexion, but still blends seamlessly into your skin tone. I created my Hollywood Contour Wand in Tan-Deep for tan and deep complexions that require a deep contour shade without swinging too dark. This deep, cocoa brown is a flawless contour for tan and deep skin, striking a perfect balance of rich, chocolatey pigment and cool undertones that are perfect for contouring.

Tilbury Tip: For a bronze + sculpt effect, contour with AIRbrush Bronzer or Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in shade Tan or Deep.

Charlotte’s Choice: Hollywood Contour Wand in Deep (rich espresso brown).

People with deep complexions need a rich contour shade that will show up on their skin tone without looking ashy. Contouring a deep complexion with a shade that’s too light or one that lacks depth can cause skin to look grey and washed out, so it’s important to reach for a deeply pigmented contour colour that will flatter richly melanated skin. I created the Deep shade of my Hollywood Contour Wand to act as a flattering contour shade for deep skin tones; it’s a rich, velvety, espresso brown that melds beautifully with a deep complexion, blending out to form a natural-looking contour for deep skin.

Tilbury Tip: For a bronze + sculpt effect, contour with AIRbrush Bronzer or Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in shade Deep.