Dior Backstage Contour Palette: New Favorite contouring palette!

Dior Backstage Contour Palette 001 Universal review, price, swatch

PRICE: 45 USD

FROM: Sephora, Fashion Valley, San Diego California, USA

OTHER LOCATIONS: Available in Rustans stores locally; sephora.ph

THE VERDICT:

Dior has revamped their look in perhaps the last two years and I am staring; from the classic pitch black and royal blue vintage, baroque- inspired packaging that's straight out of your momma's dresser to a younger, hip, minimalist transparent packaging adorned with silver lines and boxes. The 360 aesthetic turn is quite a success in my opinion as it renewed brand interest among the younger generation, which I think is Dior's goal anyway. Dior has pivoted from old to new yet without losing its luxe touch, all thanks to the smart mix of modern elements and luxury nuances.

Another brilliant strategy that made Dior a must- have brand for millennials and the younger generation who have a taste for fancy makeup is the establishment of the brand as 'backstage makeup' and 'backstage secrets', hence the moniker DIOR BACKSTAGE; the concept marries two important product themes for the young ones and these are TRENDS and GREAT QUALITY, thus making Dior the new IT makeup brand for the younger generation.

I'm one of those who are into Dior lately; it started with Dior Backstage Color Reviver Lip Balm, which I think is the best luxe lip balm 5ever. For my second Dior Backstage product, it's Contour Palette that I picked up in the USA because it was high time for me to buy a new contouring palette.

Right now, Dior Backstage Contour Palette is my favorite because it contours oh-so-naturally!

Dior Backstage Contour Palette is a custom palette inspired by backstage techniques to achieve customized contours and intensity. Universal 001 palette is curated to suit a wide range of skin tones.

Ingredients

First off, the packaging. I gotta admit, from the get go, the product looks kinda' on the cheap side just because that's what silver does to packaging; depending on the kind used, silver can make packaging look a bit tacky. But once you hold Dior Backstage palettes in your hand (in this case, Contour Palette) and do a close inspection, the feel, material, and overall design are clean, polished, and quite luxe.

What drew me into the product are the graphic contour pans; this is one element of luxe makeup that I love and I'm glad Dior has retained despite the new look: embedded powder surfaces.

Before I forget, I would also like to point out how the packaging was intuitively designed for the user: it's slim, lightweight, and transparent so I see which shades to use right away and I can spot it easily under a ton of makeup; the width of the palette perfectly fits in my hand and I can grasp it on all corners for a secure, easy hold. This product is like designed by and for makeup artists, and I love it; it's not everyday that you come across ergonomic packaging!

 Here are the swatches.

Top to bottom: Highlighter (light), Highlighter (deep), Contour (light), and Contour (deep).

The powders have a smooth texture; no fallout and it's finely- milled and applies nicely on the skin; as you can see on the swatch, they're almost one with my skin. Pigmentation is medium to heavy; love that the payoff is customizable.

I do agree that the shades are quite universal because the highlighters have a neutral tone and the contour powders are taupe- based; I had a fair- skinned friend try this product and the shades looked good on her as they did on me. 

I use Contour light most of the time because even if it seemed light on the swatch, it magically becomes perfect for my skin tone when I layer it twice or thrice; I use Contour deep when I'm more tan or if I want deeper contours. The highlighters have a semi- matte finish with flecks of shimmer; if you're expecting blinding shimmer, you won't get it from the highlighters in this palette.

You're probably wondering if I ever contoured at all in the photo. Yes, I did; I layered Contour light on my temples and cheek planes twice, and Contour deep on my jaw lines. You almost did not notice that I contoured, right? It is because the finish of Dior Backstage Contour Palette is so natural- looking even if I layer it on OMG!

I dusted Highlighter light on the highest points of my face: brow bone, tip of the brow arch, center of the forehead, chin. It gives a classic, soft matte highlight; I actually like it because I can use the highlighter even on my under eyes and the flecks of shimmer help lift it and bounce off light to minimize the appearance of dark circles.

Staying power is pretty good; it lasts the whole day on my combination oily-normal skin.

This is one of my best makeup purchases this year; glad I too the plunge! It's $45 well- spent and I'm happy to have found a new, favorite contouring product. Now I'm browsing Dior's makeup catalog and can't wait to get my hands on a new Dior product! I'm thinking of getting foundation!

If you want a natural- looking and naturally- chiseled look, I highly recommend this palette.

DIOR BACKSTAGE CONTOUR PALETTE RATING