Would You Contour With Gray?

Just a curiosity of mine. Is this something you would do? Something you wouldn't do? Something you would advise others not to do? 

I personally think if done well, and blended correctly it could look very nice. I think if it were subtle (wow that word looks more and more wrong the more you stare at it) with a very smooth, even, face underneath it would be stunning.

Just curious about all of your thoughts   

Lrking1999 said:

Just a curiosity of mine. Is this something you would do? Something you wouldn't do? Something you would advise others not to do? 

I personally think if done well, and blended correctly it could look very nice. I think if it were subtle (wow that word looks more and more wrong the more you stare at it) with a very smooth, even, face underneath it would be stunning.

Just curious about all of your thoughts   

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First off... What street level brand has grey in their colour line? Second, sure you could mix to create it, but why go through all that??? The same could be said "Would you use a bruise tone for a cheek colour?"

Definitely not for everyday street use for common sense reasons, which I am not getting into here. Sure yes for character make-ups in theatre or for Halloween. 

I personally wouldn't, I can't imagine that looking good on many skintones, only the very very pale. But I use bruise tones to contour so ... /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Maybe they were going to use a grey eyeshadow- because I think those are common, and also if used lightly and blended, I think it could look pretty good for fair tones. More like shadow.

I'm going to get this contour powder for my face sometime soon.



I'd say it's really close to grey. It's Pumpkin and Poppy Oak Bark Contour Powder, on  Etsy.

turntrekgodhead said:

I personally wouldn't, I can't imagine that looking good on many skintones, only the very very pale. But I use bruise tones to contour so ... /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

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Ha that made me chuckle, in a good way...  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

eastofthesun said:

Maybe they were going to use a grey eyeshadow- because I think those are common, and also if used lightly and blended, I think it could look pretty good for fair tones. More like shadow.

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If one is going to use a different contour coiour than the "standard text book" skin-toned ones, then use blueish tones instead of grey. So in essence, @@turntrekgodhead is right. It also looks better for Gothic looks.

 For a corpse makeup for Halloween yes.

vogueboy said:

First off... What street level brand has grey in their colour line? Second, sure you could mix to create it, but why go through all that??? The same could be said "Would you use a bruise tone for a cheek colour?"

Definitely not for everyday street use for common sense reasons, which I am not getting into here. Sure yes for character make-ups in theatre or for Halloween. 

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The curiosity struck because of this http://shirocosmetics.com/product/an-east-wind-coming/ product. I would like to also say 

1. This is a would you not a should you, although as far as "mistakes" go I'd rather see this than garish oompa-loompa orange. 

2. I'm unsure of what audience a makeup is marketed to would have to do with it considering the kind of person to ponder unconventional contouring methods would probably be aware of mid-level to high end brands and the internet makes access to these products extremely easy. 

3. The only reason I can see this being inappropriate as street makeup is a person's fear to be looked at strangely which I don't find very off-putting at all, and I really don't feel it's important enough to be filed under common sense in my opinion. 

Kristine Walker said:

 For a corpse makeup for Halloween yes.

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Yes, that too.

Lrking1999 said:

The curiosity struck because of this http://shirocosmetics.com/product/an-east-wind-coming/ product. I would like to also say 

1. This is a would you not a should you, although as far as "mistakes" go I'd rather see this than garish oompa-loompa orange. 

2. I'm unsure of what audience a makeup is marketed to would have to do with it considering the kind of person to ponder unconventional contouring methods would probably be aware of mid-level to high end brands and the internet makes access to these products extremely easy. 

3. The only reason I can see this being inappropriate as street makeup is a person's fear to be looked at strangely which I don't find very off-putting at all, and I really don't feel it's important enough to be filed under common sense in my opinion. 

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1. Well, no one likes to look like Napoleon Perdis... He's affectionately called the Orange Troll in Pro MUA's circles.

2. Grey is an unconventional colour that is not commonly found in brands found at drug stores, department store make-up counters, Sephora. These distributors are geared toward the general public, street level consumers, as opposed to the pro lines. I am not talking eyeshadows, I am talking about cremes, liquids, powders, like in lipsticks, loose and setting powders. True there is the internet to access all lines and brands, including niche and mom/pop brands like the site you linked too, however most people in all demographics wouldn't suddenly think "Grey is an interesting choice for a contour shade". Of course when Halloween comes around...

But you're original statement was (paraphrasing) is it a good idea or not... Which brings me to...

3. I used the term "common sense" in the context of colour theory and how it's used in everyday make-ups. A perfect example of this, is in concealing and in special effects make-up. As people tend to think of skin tone shades first, then colour accents.

I see a lot of people wearing different styles and genres of make-ups all the time on the street, and none use grey as a contour! Who knows, perhaps grey is going to be a new trend coming up.

Interesting thread though.  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

YES I would. A gray contour actually mimics a natural shadow color. NYX holds a contour blush in Taupe which works great.

The Amazing Jordan Liberty explanes it very well in this video: 

A grayish shade would work. Straight up gray might look a little weird. 

Lrking1999 said:

The curiosity struck because of this http://shirocosmetics.com/product/an-east-wind-coming/ product. I would like to also say 

1. This is a would you not a should you, although as far as "mistakes" go I'd rather see this than garish oompa-loompa orange. 

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That is an amazing contour powder! It really is grey! The one I picked I thought was grey, but it leans a bit more to a grey-brown. That is just amazing, I might have to pick up a sample.

I definitely would wear it, if nothing else but to see how it looks. It's eye-safe so I could always use it as an eyeshadow as well.

Here's an interesting bit from a blog reviewing it:

Personal Comments: This is a mid-toned ashy gray shade, and the sheerest of the collection. The swatch on the left is the most I could build up the color. I agree that it's near-matte (and looks effectively matte on the skin) but I didn't see the bluish-greenish cast mentioned in the site description. It blends out beautifully regardless of how I apply it.

An East Wind Coming is probably going to be the most intimidating shade in this collection to some folks, but I honestly found it to be the most natural looking contour shade of the lot. I believe there's nothing like an ashy gray to perfectly imitate shadows. I put this under one cheekbone and down one side of my nose, and suddenly my face looked lopsided! Anyone who's followed mainstream makeup for a while may recall the limited edition Notorious blush from Chanel, which was a gray-taupe shade that flew off the shelves. My contour hero Xiao at Messy Wands modeled it here. Though An East Wind Coming is missing Notorious's taupe tones, it could be a great option for anyone who wants a permanent, cruelty free/vegan alternative to the discontinued Chanel shade. Folks with darker skin may find some of the other Cheekbones colors work better, but as a pale-skinned person looking for a forgiving contour shade, this is my top pick of the collection.

Best Beauty Shops said:

YES I would. A gray contour actually mimics a natural shadow color. NYX holds a contour blush in Taupe which works great.

The Amazing Jordan Liberty explanes it very well in this video: 

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There is a blogger who compared Pumpkin and Poppy's Oak Bark contour powder (which I posted about above and really want) to NYX's Taupe (which I have) and although they look very similar, they are quite different in swatches, check it out:



L to R: Nars Altai, P&P Oak Bark, NYX Taupe

I was definitely planning on picking up Oak Bark too, after seeing it on Brightest Bulb in the Box. My biggest fear with a straight-up gray contour would be having it look like a five o' clock shadow.

turntrekgodhead said:

I was definitely planning on picking up Oak Bark too, after seeing it on Brightest Bulb in the Box. My biggest fear with a straight-up gray contour would be having it look like a five o' clock shadow.

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Cool! I can't wait to get it, but I'm kind of trying to keep on my no-buy until November, so I guess I'll wait it out.

Anyone else have any opinions on grey as a contour?

I've been wondering about that Shiro collection ever since it came out.  I don't often do contouring myself but those are really interesting shades. 

Did anyone end up buying the Shiro grey contour? How did it work? I'm still thinking about the Pumpkin and Poppy one.... will probably get that soon, maybe in November... or maybe January.

eastofthesun said:

Cool! I can't wait to get it, but I'm kind of trying to keep on my no-buy until November, so I guess I'll wait it out.

Anyone else have any opinions on grey as a contour?

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I use a matte light grey eyeshadow when I contour, works wonders.

I'm thinking about getting the grey Shiro contour powder when I order some stuff on there for my friend's Christmas present. It sounds too good to pass up!