A couple months back, I went on a journey to find some new contour products. I’d been using Too Faced’s Cocoa Contour Palette for years now, and there’s nothing wrong with it, but I was getting tired of using the powder. I had seen so many videos on Instagram of people using liquid or cream formulas for their contour. It looked so much easier than powder, and I figured it was time for a change.
Since I fell head over heels in love with Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Foundation, I figured Fenty would be a good place to start. Most of the videos I had seen used Fenty, and I trusted them. I was between the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer, Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer, and Match Stix Contour Skin Sticks.
The Match Stix seemed like the “just right” amongst all of them, but my next hurdle was that I had no clue which shades I needed. Going off the Instagram videos I had seen, I knew I had to go a couple shades down and up, but I didn’t know how by how much. I bought these during the height of the pandemic, so I wasn’t able to go to Sephora and swatch the actual shades. Thankfully, Fenty had a Match Stix Trio available on their website. I could have purchased the trio with shades I picked, but because I was so confused, I decided to go with the Light 100 pack. It seemed to be the best match for my skin tone.
Though these shades work for me, they could be a lot better. Linen, the light shade, is basically my exact skin color, so it doesn’t make a good concealer. Amber, the dark shade, is a bit too dark for me. And Starstruck, the highlighter, just doesn’t complement my face.
Aside from the shades, I wasn’t super thrilled about the formula. From what I had seen on Instagram, it should have been as simple as swiping the sticks on the desired areas of my face and blending with a makeup sponge. I thought it would be a little softer and easier to blend, but I had a really tough time. I had to pull the sponge across my face to really make a difference.
Next, I tried a buffer brush, which made things a little easier. I was still disappointed with the look of the harsh lines. I knew that it would look a little sharper, which I wanted, but not so sharp it looked like I didn’t know how to blend. But the more I use the sticks, the more easily manipulated the formula is. I’ve seen some people rub it on the back of their hand before they use it, which I also tried, but I didn’t see much of a difference.
I’m really on the fence about these. They get the job done, but not in the way I want. I purchased Fenty’s Match Stix because I thought they were high quality and convenient. I wouldn’t say they’re low quality, but definitely not what I expected from Fenty.
But it’s also important for me to point out my own naivete with watching those videos. Obviously, makeup artists put a ton of time and work into the looks they share on social media, and that includes editing. There’s a lot missing from those fifteen seconds you see on your phone. Just because it took them two seconds to get a snatched face with contour sticks doesn’t mean it was actually that easy.
So unfortunately, I’m not sure if I’m leaving you with a recommendation, dear reader. All I can say is, don’t believe everything you see on Instagram, and if you’re buying a shade-specific product, just go to the store in person.
