RCMA Highlight and Contour Palette: Swatch, Review, and Photos

Press Sample

Highlighting and contouring has been the new trend recently with the makeup world but it's not new for anyone on stage or on photoshoots. Under the hot and bright lights, highlighting and contouring would have been essential to emphasize features that would normally be washed out. Though there have been tons and tons of new highlight and contouring products released lately, there's been one product waiting patiently in the wings for its moment to shine. Meet the RCMA's Highlight and Contour Palette.

Where to Purchase: Beautylish

Price: $30.00

Do they test on animals?: The company does not test on animals as far as I know.

Packaging: The colors come in a five pan plastic palette with a hinge. The palette isn't too sturdy in my opinion but it'll do the job well.

There are five shades in the palette: YH-1, CS-1, CS-2, S-1, S-5. CS= Counter Shades (not a misspelling), and S=Shading. I'm not sure what YH stands for but I'm thinking Yellow Highlight.

Formula:

The shades are incredibly blendable and user-friendly, for both consumers and professionals. I did find the three highlight shades (YH-1, CS-1, CS-2) to be a bit thicker in consistency relative to S-1 and S-5 but I figure that's because of how light they are. These don't dry down immediately so you have time after you apply to blend. This allows you the ability to precisely apply the product and precisely blend with ease. There's no harsh awkward lines when you blend it. These don't have a cream to powder finish so you should it with a powder (RCMA'S No-Color Powder is recommended) if you have normal to oily skin. I would still recommend using a primer if you have oily skin. You probably won't need to powder if you have dry skin.

Swatches:

YH-1 is a light yellow, CS-1 is a light pink, CS-2 is a light peach, S-1 is a light-medium gray brown, S-5 is a deeper cool-toned brown.

I applied the colors using OCC's #005 Angled Blending Brush. 

Unblended from left to right: YH-1, CS-1, CS-2, S-1, S-5.

Blended out:

Tips/How to Blend: 

You may want to warm up the product slightly using the brush or your fingers. The formula blends out wonderfully with both. Be sure to blend back to your ears for a more natural look. Use the highlight or contour shades beneath your foundation for a subtle look or on top of your foundation for a more dramatic look.

Blend upwards instead of downwards to add height to features and emphasize contours. When you see someone with naturally high cheekbones, the top of their cheekbones always casts a shadow downward with a more delineated line at the bottom. If you want to watch a tutorial on how to naturally contour, I love this one by Karima. She's using a powder contour in the video but her tips are universal.

I personally would only use the highlight shades beneath my foundation since the colors are pretty light but I can use S-1 on top of my foundation while S-5 beneath my foundation. The two contour shades should suit most skintones.

Conclusion:

Skip the trendy cream highlight and contour palettes out there and return to this staple palette. My only con about the palette is that it's not so easy to get refills of a particular shade if you run out of it faster. I believe you can contact RCMA if you wanted a particular refill. I like the shades in the palette and they're quite versatile; you can use them over or under your foundation depending on the effect you want to achieve.

Rating: A. Even a novice could get into highlighting and contouring with this palette. No warm overtones here!