Read ALL about my review process including how I take swatches, photos, and more here.
I typically only post ONE TSABD Edit a week on Tuesdays, but I’ve been summer vacaying (or at least trying to—I’ve still been working) and had a bit of a build-up on products that both came in and that I purchased myself, so I figured I might as well churn them out so I don’t have piles of makeup looking at me every time I walk into my office :x
Now if you also like to watch videos, I did a “using this for the first time on camera” demo on my Youtube channel so make sure you check it out here AND make sure you’re subscribed so you see more of my amazing videos!
Black Radiance recently launched some new products and I went on their website and snagged the Black Radiance Creme Contour Palette which comes in two shades: Light to Medium and Medium to Dark (I picked up both) and the Black Radiance Blushing Bronze Palette which also comes in two shades: Light to Medium and Dark to Deep (I picked up both).
Black Radiance Creme Contour Palette
Now here’s the thing with contour palettes whether they come in creme or powder formulas: they’re AWESOME if all of the shades in the palette work well with your coloring. They’re not so awesome if one or more of the shades don’t work out for you. Before contour palettes were hitting the market, I would have a separate product I used to highlight and a separate one I used to contour and then I really loved the Cover FX Contour Palette but after going through them like water, realized I was better off with full size products. I still use the Cover FX palette when I travel though. Using separate products is what might work out best for a lot of people since palettes are put together to try to suit the “masses,” and we all know that too many of us don’t fit what brands put out for the “masses.”
I did really like the Black Radiance Contour Palette in the powder version—I like it especially for when I travel because it’s compact and it’s inexpensive so if I lose it or break it, I’m not as mad as I’d be if I lost or broke my Cover FX stuff.
Now this Black Radiance Creme Contour Palette follows the same Contour, Sculpt, and Highlight theme as the powder one but of course all three are cremes. I did find the cremes to be a little thin compared to what I’m used to when I use Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer and Cover FX Total Cover Cream. I needed to use a little more product when using the Black Radiance Creme Contour Palette because the formula was on the thinner side.
I liked the Sculpt (highlight) shade as it was very similar in color to what I use to highlight (i.e. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Golden or Cover FX Total Cover Cream Foundation in N70 or N80). The contour creme was a bit lighter and much warmer than what I usually use, but it wound up looking nice for my overall look. I do think if you’re darker than me, you won’t get a ton of usage of the contour shade unless you use it to warm your skin like you might a bronzer (and even that’s a stretch for some skin tones). If you’re lighter than me (but too deep for the Light to Medium palette), you might find the contour to be a great shade although it is on the warmer side. This conundrum is why sometimes contour palettes can be annoying if the shades included don’t all mesh well with your coloring.
LIGHT TO MEDIUM:
MEDIUM TO DARK:
Note: Contours typically should be on the cooler side since you create shadows when you contour, but some people can get away with still using a warmer shade.
Performance-wise I just thought the Black Radiance Creme Contour Palette was okay. I tested it out on one of the hottest summer days in NYC for close to 10 hours and it held up somewhat okay—I also didn’t touch-up when I tested so blotting throughout the day will help sustain the look.
It wasn’t bad and it wasn’t like WOW OMG I LOVE THIS. I love when I can get an amazing product on the drugstore level, but also as someone who first started out with ONLY department store makeup (man, drugstore makeup shopping was a MESS for darker skin tones like mine when I first got into makeup—we have it SO MUCH better now) I don’t mind spending on a good quality product. But when it comes to the Black Radiance Creme Contour Palette, I’d rather stick to what I’m already using even if it costs way more. Again, not saying this is a bad product, but I’m not head over heels with it. I think the contour shade can be iffy on someone around my shade and deeper. It wound up working for me color-wise, but the performance wasn’t enough to make me switch from what I currently use.
P.S. I just got in a cream contour palette from Sleek MakeUP that I will demo and review pretty soon. The UK brand just launched in the USA online at Walgreens and Ulta (they’ll be in both stores pretty soon) and their contour palette for deeper skin tones has more choices though it is pricier at $14. Stay tuned—make sure you’re subscribed to this blog so you don’t miss it.
Also the L.A. Girl Concealers might be a nice highlight/contour option that doesn’t break the bank (they’re about $2 each) if the shades work out for you. They also have a highlight/contour cream and powder product ($7 each) that I liked better as well—check it out here to see if the shades will work for you.
Black Radiance Creme Contour + Blushing Bronze Palette Video Demo:
(There’s no sound on this, so feel free to watch from almost anywhere)
Black Radiance Creme Contour (Medium to Dark) + Blushing Bronze Palette Demo (Dark to Deep) from Danielle Gray on Vimeo.
Black Radiance Blushing Bronze Palette
(Trying to make this somewhat quick because I spent almost SEVEN hours editing the video related to this post because of computer issues and I’m really anxious to get off the computer and go out into the world…lol)
So this is limited edition and in theory is an awesome concept: a bronzer shade (which they call a contour here), a blush shade to add color, and a highlight shade for a glow. And it’s really pretty BUT for someone around my complexion and deeper, it’s not worth it because the contour (“bronzer”) shade included doesn’t show up. If the contour shade in the Black Radiance Blushing Bronze Palette was as deep as the contour in the Black Radiance Contour Palette in the powder version, then we’d be in business here. I’d even love if it had a little shimmer in it, too (as a matter of fact, I would have been able to use the contour “bronze” shade as is more if it had some shimmer in it). When you put a bronzer on the cheeks and then put a bright blush shade on top, you get an amazing sun-kissed look. But you can’t do that here if you’re about my shade or darker because that contour shade won’t show up.
The blush shade choice is spot-on because the darker your skin, the brighter the blush and the highlight shade works as well (check out my Blush for Dark Skin post and my Blush Basics for Dark Skin video for more info). But to me it’s a waste to buy a palette when you can’t really use 1/3 of it. If you’re lighter where the contour shade is deep enough to make an impact, then this palette would work better for you color-wise.
Performance-wise though I wasn’t impressed. I tested this also on that same super hot NYC summer day and by the end of 10 hours my blush and highlight had faded. Now, I’d normally say give it a chance because this is an $8 product, but I’ve had drugstore blush and highlighter products perform better than this one, too.
P.S. I know I mentioned Sleek MakeUp already, but shoot, they ARE in the U.S. now and they make blush palettes and Face Form palettes (a powder palette that has a contour shade, bronzer, and highlight) that work better on deeper skin tones than this Black Radiance Blushing Bronze Palette one did. Check out my Sleek MakeUP reviews and swatches here.
LIGHT TO MEDIUM:
DARK TO DEEP:
Check out Bronzers for Dark Skin
(Comparing the Contour shades in the BR powder Contour Palette & the Blushing Bronze Palette in the deeper shades)
Bottom line: Both palettes are passes for me based on my personal coloring and how they performed on me. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be passes on you, too (i.e. if you’re lighter than me and it’s not as hot where you are then maybe these will work nicely for you) so if you’re curious, still check them out.
Price and where to buy: Black Radiance Creme Contour Palette is $7.99 each. Get it online here or check your local drug/beauty supply/mass stores (store locator here).
Black Radiance Blushing Bronze Palette is $7.99 each. Get it online here or check your local drug/beauty supply/mass stores (store locator here).
Loving that berry shade in the Dark to Deep palette.