During the Make Up For Ever Spring 2015 product launch event I went to, we were kindly gifted one shade of the Pro Sculpting Duo. I chose Duo #1 which is described as a Pink Beige. The other option is Duo #2 which is more golden.

Encased in a solid compact with a handy mirror, the Pro Sculpting Duo is split roughly down the middle; one side has an orangey-brown sculpting shade and the other a pearlescent white-pink highlighter. The compact contains 8 grams of product, which is a little bit shy of the typical 10 grams average for a compact of this size. However, that may have something to do with the fact that this product comes from a gel-to-powder formula (I believe it goes on the terracotta plate as a gel and then is baked into a powder formula).  It’s also talc-free.

Of course, one can’t get over how gorgeous the product is. Give us beauty consumers a two-colour product with a print, and you’ve pretty much got us cornered!

Ugh I can’t. So gorgeous.

So how does it play out on the skin?

Sculpting Shade

Well, the sculpting shade is just… too orange. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to sculpt their faces with an orange shade – it’s just not how contouring works. Even worse is that it has a sheen to it which does nothing to help sink your cheekbones in, or recede areas of your face. If you want to contour, you need to be using shades tinted grey as that’s what a natural shade creates on your face.

It does, however, work as a bronzer. While it is still rather orange for my tastes, you can blend this in, or use a light hand to get the shading you want. I focus on the high points of my face, the areas that get the most sun, such as the back of my cheekbones, my temples and forehead, and along my jawline and nose.

Highlighting Shade

This is where the duo really shines! The pink-beige shade is hard to describe, and the swatch really doesn’t do it justice because it is GORGEOUS. If you have any experience with MAC’s Vanilla pigment, this is rather similar, just without the yellow flecks. It’s creamy to the touch, smooth blending with a pinky-white sheen. It’s unlike anything I have in my collection, which surprised me, because highlighters don’t tend to be particularly unique on the whole. (I’ve heard Duo #2 is a dupe for MAC’s Whisper of Gilt, if you’re interested!) The pigmentation on this is very strong, so go easy if you’re not looking to be super highlighted, but if you love a solid glow to your skin, this one’s for you!

Here’s what it looks like on my face. As I said, I won’t use that sculpting shade to contour my face, but I will use it as a bronzer. I stuck to the areas of my face that get the most sun, choosing to blend it down slightly on my upper cheekbones (it’s not directly UNDER my cheekbone though). The highlighting shade was applied directly to the tops of my cheekbones. It really stands out and adds a beautiful amount of luminosity to my cheekbones.

Final Thoughts

I’m confused by the sculpting shade, especially from a brand that definitely knows how to do makeup right. If you ignore the fact that you’re encouraged to contour your face with it, you can definitely use this as a glowing bronzer for the skin. I love how it looks on my face to make it seem like I’ve gotten way more sun that I actually have.

The highlighter is what really makes this compact for me though, it’s beyond gorgeous and looks stunning on my face. In fact, I keep swatching it on my finger just to keep looking at the different facets to it. I honestly think the whole compact is worth it just for the highlighter alone, but if you can use the bronzing shade, all the better!