Another Great Highlight/Contour Option for Dark Skin: black UP Contouring Stick (Plus Comparisons to Other Kits)

Yes, contouring kits have pretty much taken over the market and unless you have great tuning out skills, you’ve seen that nearly every brand has a version of one. Thing is though, if you have darker skin, a majority of these kits probably won’t work for you. You might find a highlight option, but contour? Not every kit is going to be here for you…lol. But I’ve come across some that might actually be in your corner :)

See contour kit reviews plus tips on how to highlight and contour here

I picked up three shades of black UP Contouring Stick last month at The Makeup Show (there’s five shades in all) because I’m forever a makeup junkie but also I’m committed to bringing you guys all the goods that I can.

See what shades I wear in other foundation brands here

See how to contour very deep, dark skin here

So black UP Contouring Stick…

Basically these are dual ended foundation sticks where one end features a highlight shade and the other a contour shade. Shade 5 has one of the darkest contour shades I’ve seen so far (I got a sneak peek at some new shades Cover FX is developing to come out soon and one of the foundation shades was about the same shade as that one).

Shade 3:

golden tan (highlight) and a chocolate brown (contour)

Shade 4:

deep tan with reddish undertones (highlight) and a chocolate brown (contour)

Shade 5:

light brown with yellow undertones (highlight) and a deep brown with reddish undertones (contour)

I’ve found that I can use any of these three shades depending on how deep I want my contour (shade 5) or how bright I want my highlight (shade 3). In general you’d get the stick whose highlight is about 2-3 shades lighter than your skin tone and whose contour is about 2-3 shades darker than your skin tone.

See more black UP posts here

I find that black UP in general tends to cater to women of color who tend to have either yellow or red undertones with their regular foundations and I found that to be true with the black UP Conturing Stick. If I were to create my own highlight and contour or buy them separately, I’d choose a highlight that was more on the yellow or golden side and a contour that was more on the reddish side, but that’s my preference.

Performance-wise black UP Contouring Stick is good to go. They blend like a dream, last long, and if set right (I use any number of loose powders from Ben Nye to Cover FX Matte Setting Powder) will work well on all skin types including my oily skin. I also love the convenience of having my highlight and contour options in a stick, but seeing as how I could use any shade from 3-5, I’d love if black UP came up with a kit like the Anastasia Cream Contour Kit which would allow you to try the different shades all in one palette (and for less money than buying three foundation sticks).

Whether or not you get a black UP Contouring Stick depends on how deep you need your contour to be (again shade 5 has the deepest contour I’ve seen in all the kits I’ve tried as well as even standalone deep foundation options—Fashion Fair has similar shades, too but I no longer own the sticks I reviewed a few years ago to do side by side comparisons.

Comparison Swatches:

As you can see black UP Contouring Stick tends to be warmer and darker than other highlight and contour options like the Cover FX Contour Kit, Anastasia Cream Contour Kit, and then I have a Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick that also works as a contour option (remember you don’t need an actual kit—you can just use a concealer or foundation about 2-3 shades lighter than your skin tone for your highlight and a concealer or foundation about 2-3 shades darker than your skin tone to contour—this is what people did for ages before the onset of kits).

Highlight/Contour Video Tutorial:

See the full Makeup 101 series playlist from start to finish below:

Bottom line: I’ve found that none of these highlight/contour options are better or worse than the other especially since all of these are creams. They all pretty much perform the same. The differences are in the shades, undertones, price, and of course availability (you can roll up in Sephora and buy the Cover FX Contour Kit or Ulta for the Anastasia Cream Contour Kit, but black UP you have to order online if you live in the U.S.) black UP Contouring Stick would be awesome for those with deeper skin tones who like the convenience of having highlight/contour options in one product and who also can’t find contours deep enough for your skin tone.

Price and where to buy: $41 each at blackupcosmetics.com