Best Korean Contour Products for a Sculpted Makeup

Written by Clémence Rubiella | Published on 12 August 2023 | Makeup

A commission may be earned if a purchase is made through our retail links. All recommended products are evaluated independently. Learn more.

Dear readers,

Contouring has become a big thing in the somewhat recent years. To be honest, what's not to like about it? Your face looks snatched as hell and your nose is all small and cutie. It is really a powerful technique that has been around for a long time starting with the beautiful Hollywood actresses and their famous makeup artists at the time. Koreans have also caught up on the trend and have developed some pretty amazing products that rival the ones in the Western world.

My recommendations:

1. Best Dual Stick: Rire Luxe Dual Stick ($9) Runner-Up: Etude House Play 101 Stick Contour Duo ($10)

2. Best Contour Powder: Missha Cotton Contour ($5) Runner-Up: Rom&nd Better Than Shape Bronzer ($12)

3. Worth Mentioning: Etude House Contour Powder ($18)

4. Worst Contour Powder: Too Cool For School Art Class Createur Du Contour ($20)

---

1. Best Dual-Stick: Rire Luxe Dual Stick

Rating: 5 / 5

Highlights:

• Compact packaging

• Non-scented

• Glossy finish

• Great colour payoff

• Glides on the skin

• Long-lasting

What we don’t like:

• Nothing

Koinshop | $9

Love, love, love this product. I have purchased it over and over again and will keep on doing so in the future. The shades are so natural looking with this warm undertone that is so complimenting the skin. I love pairing it with the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Matte Bronzer, the colour is matching perfectly. This very affordable Rire Luxe Dual Stick comes in 3 different shades; highlighter and contouring, cheek and shadow, and finally foundation and concealer. It is so easy and convenient to use this stick for a touch-up or on-the-go makeup. It blends like a dream and doesn't leave a greasy touch.

---

Runner-Up: Etude House Play 101 Stick Contour Duo

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Highlights:

• Long-lasting

• Creamy formula

• Angled tip

• Intense pigments

• For all skin types

• Powdery finish

What we don’t like:

• Nothing but there is a "je ne said quoi" about it that makes me reach out less for this one than the Rire contour stick

Amazon | $12

Koinshop | $10

YesStyle | $13

Bestseller in Korea for years, the Etude House Play 101 Stick Contour Duo has recently been repackaged and looks even better now. It comes in 3 shades; original, intense and natural. The pigments are definitively present and giving. As for the formula, it is super creamy and very enjoyable to apply to the skin with its diagonal cut tip for easier control of line thickness. It blends so smoothly and has a powdery-looking finish. You also get a lot of product as the sticks are super chunky.

---

2. Best Contour Powder: Missha Cotton Contour

Rating: 5 / 5

Highlights:

• Buttery texture

• Long-lasting

• Intense pigments

• Nice shades

What we don’t like:

• Packaging not very sophisticated

Stylevana | $5

YesStyle | $6

Koinshop | $5

One of Missha's best sellers, the Cotton Contour is a super duper soft velvety texture contour powder. It almost feels like butter in the pan. It is so incredibly smooth, it glides on and blends like an absolute dream on the skin. It is the only brand in Korea that actually offers more than 2 or 3 shades to meet everybody's need for either soft or intense contouring. But regardless of the shade of the pigment, Missha Cotton Contour powder manages to create a clear natural-looking contour. It is a buildable formula that has a high sebum control effect for a long-lasting colour payoff. There is also a compact trio existing for those who want to combine more than one shade in one product.

Runner-Up: ROM&ND Better Than Shape Bronzer

Rating: 4 / 5

Highlights:

• Clockwise swipe for darker shading

• Anti-clockwise swipe for lighter shading

• Adequate for all undertones

• Subtle finish

• Super-fine powder pigments

What we don’t like:

• Shade range

• Pigments intensity

Amazon | $20

YesStyle | $9

Koinshop | $12

StyleKorean | $12

The Rom&nd Better Than Shape Bronzer is duo-contour powder that delivers a very natural contouring effect that matches your skin tone. But what I love about this product is its innovation in the way to collect the powder. Let me explain. If you sweep your brush on the powder in a clockwise motion, you will get the darker tone contour however, if you apply a counter-clockwise motion, then you will get the lighter shade. The Better Than Shape Bronzer comes in a warm tone (Walnut Grain) and a cool tone (Oat Grain). The colour formulation is designed to avoid making your skin look yellow or red. Absolutely magical blending capabilities, it has softer pigments than the Missha Cotton Contour.

---

3. Worth mentioning: Etude House Contour Powder

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Highlights:

• Smooth formula

• Dual shades

What we don’t like:

• Too light pigments

• Big palette

Amazon.ae | $20

YesStyle | $18

StyleKorean | $18

I wanted to quickly mention another best seller for contouring products which is the Etude House Contour Powder. It is a palette consisting of two natural-looking shades for basic contouring and in-depth shading. The formula is very smooth and comfortable on the skin with good adherence and long-wear properties. In my opinion, it is lacking pigment intensity and the palette could be a bit smaller in order to be more travel friendly but that is just a personal preference. If you like big packaging, this product is for you. Good contour powder.

---

4. Worst Contour Powder: Too Cool For School Art Class Createur Du Contour

Rating: 1 / 5

Highlights:

• Cute packaging

• Adequate for young audience

What we don’t like:

• Zero colour range

• Hard formula

• Powder not picking up on the brush

• No pigments

StyleKorean | $31

YesStyle | $12

Amazon | $22

OliveYoung | $22

With millions of sales in Korea, this Too Cool For School Art Class Createur Du Contour is probably the most purchased contour item (in Korea). But let's put that into perspective. Koreans are no fans of heavy contouring. They are into very light shadings and super fresh and youthful looks. They use contouring with a rain of salt mainly to make their jawline appear thinner. Also, this contour powder has orange and red undertones to catch the yellow in Asian skins, so it is not very flattering on Western skins. Furthermore, the pigments... well to put it simply there is none on this powder. Nothing is showing when you manage to scrap some product out of the pan as it is so dry and rough. Definitively, I am failing to understand how this product can work for every skin tone. The retro case is cute though. It is most suitable for young crowds that want to discover makeup.

---