Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder

I bought this in the old packaging for nearly 60 dollars a few years ago. It was and probably still is the most expensive single product in my collection. (I don't count palettes cause if you look at them as singular products the prices differ). It was, and still is, to this day, the best contour powder I have ever used.

I have nc40 skin tone, or NARS syracuse I believe, or Armani LS 6.5-7. I was worried it wouldn't show up but it still does. I don't know how deep your skin tone can go for this product but I was previously misled it was only good for light to medium skin tones.
It gives such a natural contour, and when I look at it, or use it again I still wonder why I wasted my money buying my other contour palettes when I already had this. I don't even use those anymore unless I'm using the shades for another purpose (there's a great bronzing shade in the ABH powder contour shade, I believe it's the medium palette).

Everytime I use this I don't get any comments from my overly critical sister about how I look muddy, or it looks like I have a streak of dirt on my face. It's great.

I would recommend to everyone, however with a small warning to try it out to see if it works for you in the store. Skin tones vary so much, not only by shade, but by undertones and what not so it's good to check.

I'm carrying a few extra pounds and I find it amazing what a little simple cheek contour can do do my face. TheBalm Bahama Mama has been my HG contour for years now. I despise warm contour. I want something shadowy and ashy.

KA beats Bahama Mama in terms of ashy and longevity. I do find KA has to be built up but I guess that's a good thing for contouring so you won't look too done.

I added a picture of both side by side.

The only problem I've had with KA is that the pan is very sensitive to any oil on cheeks/brush. More so than any other product I've used. I've had to repeatedly scrape off too layer from pan.

I bought the KA to go at Sephora which includes sculpting powder and the KA Hight light which is also AMAZING!!!

Edited to add: this review is for Medium color. I am N20

OMG, how did I live without this stuff?
I have extremely defined cheekbones, so I don't need to contour them, I use this on my nose only.
This is soo good! I picked up the medium color and it perfectly resembles a really tanned version of my skin, I get this color if I take a month of surfing.
I do not find it too ashy, though there are no yellow tones in it. I used to use Nars Zen for the same purpose, but Kevyn Aucoin is undeniably better. The shade, the longevity!
The color payoff is great, little goes a very long way, light hand and fluffy brush are must to use it correctly.
Absolute HG!

I bought it because it has rave reviews everywhere and I needed a natural-looking , shimmer-free contourer. The price is steep for the amount of product you get, but I was sure I would not regret buying this... You know, hundreds of reviewers can't be wrong, and the cult status of the brand...
The package is sleek, the shade looks rather light in the compact. To my disappointment, every time I put it on my cheeks it looks uneven, it's very hard to blend (it looks too dark and ashy on my skin, and once it's put, it stays put until you use a cleanser) and the worst part: the color looks like I have dirty or bruised cheeks. Awful. For reference, I'm Chanel B10, MAC NC15. I chose the shade Light which in my opinion isn't light at all.
MAC "Prism" or MAC "Baby Dont Go", or Burberry "Earthy" blushes are a better choice for my skintone if I want to emphasize my cheekbones. They're all much easier to apply than KA.
But as I didn't want to give up on this neatly packaged powder-shadow, I decided to try it as an eyeshadow. And it worked! I put it just above my crease and a little under my eyes to achieve a nude look. It looks like a perfect mix between Urban Decay's Naked and Buck. Try it this way!

This is my favorite contouring powder. I found it blended well and was buildable, so I could go for a dramatically sharp cheek look, or just use a light hand and keep it more subtle. I've also used this powder to fill in brows when I don't want to use a pencil or gel. This is my favorite of Kevyn Aucoin's line, followed closely by the Celestial Powder. I reach for this contouring powder the most because it's one of the few cool toned powders I could find that was finely textured, blended well, and had staying power.

Yep, this stuff is definitely my "holy grail" contouring powder. As many have remarked, it's an ashier brown, which is perfect for simulating an actual shadow on the face. I use the shade Medium (which works well on my extremely fair skin) to sculpt my nose, cheeks, and jawline and I am always impressed with the outcome. The package is a little small (almost like a large eyeshadow single) and the price is outrageous ($41 for said small package). That being said, I've had mine for 6 months and after wearing it 1-3x a week, every week, I haven't hit the pan yet, so I think it's worth it.

I love love love this. I have the Kevyn Aucoin Contour Palette 4-in-1, which was a STEAL for $36 at Sephora (it's still on sale now fyi, seriously worth the $$$).

It contains:
The Sculpting Powder in Medium
The Celestial Powder in Starlight
The Matte Bronzing Veil in Desert Nights
The Pure Powder Glow in Aurora

Every product is top notch, but the sculpting powder steals the show. It's the most magically perfect, natural shade, no orange tones whatsoever. It's smooth, pigmented, and uber blendable. It lasts alllll day and hasn't broken me out. It honestly deserves the hype. My only issue with it is I adore it so much I've been overdoing it with the contour because I can't stop applying for the love of it lol. I think if you try this powder you might discard (or repurpose) all your other contour products.

Awesome powder for contouring. I have the lightest shade and it works so well for my pale skin. Feels so silky when swatched and a little goes a long way, blends like a dream on the skin and makes a huge difference once applied. Definitely worth the price, really nice packaging as well.

I pruchased this after seeing a youtube tutorial with this product in it and loved how it worked with pale skin so I purchased it from Beautybay. This is probably the most expensive one colour makeup item I've ever purchased but it is soo worth it. I got the shade light as I am very pale and it goes so nicely for a day look. It blends in so easily you hardly have to blend it yourself. I want to buy the medium shade for some night looks. Strongly recommend.

The hype around this product is well deserved. It really is a superlative cosmetic product that stands out and above the crowd. I've been struggling with contouring, trying a high priced LE collectors MAC sculpting cream (Coffee Walnut) as well as several powders. They all worked okay, but required work and often looked harsh, bronzey, or flushed blushed if blended out too much. I finally broke down to the excellent reviews of Aucoins Sculpting powder and spent the money.

WOW, what a difference! The color is just perfect for my NW25 skin, and yes, while the product is quite pigmented, it's not so much that you'll ever over apply and need to blend out like mad. I use the Real Techniques Contour brush (MAC 109ish) and it's just perfect with this powder. It's also true that the powder is very silky and sticks well, blends marvelously--in fact, one of the most magnificent blenders I have ever used. This product is so good, it makes contouring much easier, much faster. And the pan and compact never gets dusty due to the silky formula, and very little product is wasted. SO you certainly never need to tap off the excess before application with this product!

It's also true that the pan is SMALL. I had read this in reviews, and I didn't think it looked that small in pics, but it is. Not quite eye shadow small, but getting there. But the product is so silky and non-wasteful and pigmented, that it will go very far.

They must have changed the compact it comes in, as many had complained it was "cheap" appearing, but I think it is rich and attractive with what is almost a "power" latch that allows the lid to automatically rise--love it and wish all my compacts were this fast and effortless to open.

I'm hooked, and highly recommend for most light-medium skin tones!