Cocktails and Contouring

​Last night I was able to attend my first makeup event of the year! I was so excited to attend the “Cocktails and Contouring” Event put on by the Rittenhouse Hotel Spa & Club. Upon entering, I was greeted by regal and detailed interior structures and a very kind concierge that directed me to the 3rd floor where the evening’s event would be taking place. 

​ 
After RSVP’ing a few hours earlier, I was really looking forward to the event. I arrived at 5pm and ended up waiting around for almost an hour before the event actually started. By 5:45pm the attendees were trickling in and cocktails began being served by a few of the extremely sweet hostesses. The cocktail of the evening was called “Papigria”, a specialty drink crafted from the Library Bar which is located on the 1st floor of the Rittenhouse Hotel.  The cocktail consisted of red wine, orange juice, sugar cane nectar, lime juice, pineapple juice, and cinnamon. It was light, refreshing, and elegant—the perfect complement to a low key event. There were small cubes of oranges used as garnish that kind of got in the way of enjoying the beverage as your drink got lower. The entire night, you could see women pressing their lips tightly on the side of the glass, trying to strain the drink from the orange cubes. Other than that mild frustration, the cocktail was delicious. Once 6:15pm rolled around and the ladies all had a drink in hand, it was time for the event to officially begin.

​Now, I do know a thing or two about contouring but I’ve never had “formal” training on this process. Due to the high attendance, we were broken down into two groups with two different instructors. The side that I decided to attend had a fair skin ethnic model and as an ethnic woman myself, it just made more sense for me to watch that demo. The instructor’s name was Kim and she was so soft spoken, I couldn’t really hear her over the hairdresser’s blow dryer (yes, there were hair dressers still taking clients during the time of the event). As I watched Kim shade and contour the structures of her model’s face, the emphasis on that evening was introducing Kevyn Aucoin’s contouring palette. If you don’t know who Kevyn Aucoin is, you can check out his Wikipedia page here. 

​When it was time for questions, it was asked if the palette could be used for the different shades of women in the class. The response from the makeup artist was that this product was a “universal palette” which means that any skin tone could use it *insert side eye here*. Personally, when I hear of makeup products being “universal”, I always put on my skeptic’s hat because certain products just won’t work for everyone’s skin type.  
Once Kim completed the look on the model, I had a coworker sit in the makeup chair to see what this pressed powder contour kit looked like on a slightly darker skin tone.  After Kim completed the look on my coworker, I wasn’t surprised that my concern was right; it did not work for her skin tone. The contour colors that were used from the palette were too “cool/grey” for my coworker’s warm and golden complexion. For those who don’t know what I mean, I’ll break it down, when you apply a cool contour color to tan skin color; it doesn’t blend well and gives a “dirty” appearance. 

I don’t want you to think that I’m just here to bash this product because on fair skin women, this product was amazing. There was a woman who volunteered to be a model, she wore no makeup, her skin was dull and flat, but after applying a highlighter and contour, her cheekbones looked higher and her eyes were brighter. So I did see how this product could be effective for the right person.
​
In conclusion, $59 was a great price point for the contour kit but it wasn’t the kit for me. I wasn’t pleased with this product for my skin complexion. While I do think pressed powders are great for a more natural looking and easy contour, that palette was not made with me in mind. If you’re interested in checking it out for yourself, they do sell them at Sephora so feel free to take a gander. 

Have you ever heard of this Kevyn Aucoin’s palette before? Have you used it? Would you like to try it? Leave a comment below!