Review: Pumpkin and Poppy Oak Bark Contouring Powder
Given the popularity of contouring in the makeup-loving world, it's pretty surprising that there aren't more contouring products that fall into the realm of believable shadows. You can love the look of contouring with bronzer all you like, but the vast majority of those who attempt it simply look like someone who put bronzer on their face in a strategic fashion. If your goal is the illusion of cheekbones-to-die-for, most people (even the warm-toned) will need something at least a little bit cooler.
As a certified member of the "cool-toned and fair skinned" club, finding the right color is even more of a pain in the ass.
Pumpkin and Poppy, an indie brand, advertises their product's believability, noting that "most bronzers are warm in tone and too dark for a natural contour."
Cue the anticipatory music.
OH MY GOD, IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. The ashy taupe shade reads like a genuine shadow.
This is the most natural-looking contour shade I have ever used.
To highlight the level of awesomeness here, I swatched it next to two commonly used contours for fair skin: NYX Blush in Taupe and Illamasqua's Cream Pigment in Hollow.
From left to right: NXY Taupe, Pumpkin and Poppy Oak Bark, Illamasqua Hollow
In comparison to Oak Bark, NYX Taupe looks reddish and ruddy. It's not a terrible color, but it's just a hair too warm. Add that to its inexplicable tendency to be coated in a hardened layer of oil, and it's no surprise that it has moved its way out of my rotation permanently.
Illmasqua Hollow, on the other hand, reads like a bruise on someone with jaundice. It's got a yellow, almost sickly effect in comparison to the lovely Pumpkin and Poppy shade. Again, it does a totally adequate job for contouring… but the new guy blows it out of the water.
On my face, Oak Bark looks something like this:
I am a nitpicky person, so I do have to point out the minor imperfections.
The first is that the Pumpkin and Poppy store on Etsy is not well-stocked. As of this writing, there is exactly one jar of Oak Bark in stock. To me, this reads as unprofessional, as if the shop owner is not expecting any significant sales. It would also be very frustrating if you, for example, wanted one for yourself and one as gift, or if you were a makeup artist and wanted a jar that you could use for a client. Sucks for those people, because you can only buy one! Because this is a perpetual issue, it seems that this is just the way that the shop is run (it's not that stock is actually low)... and that just doesn't make any sense.
The second minor issue that I have is that there is no pressed powder version available. Indie stores rarely have a pressed powder option, so it's not unexpected, but it means that this product can't be literally the perfect contour product available. If I could buy a pressed powder version of this contour, I would have to buy in bulk. (Just kidding. There would only ever be one in stock.)
Oak Bark retails for $8.75 for a 20g/0.71oz jar. I foolishly did not actually weigh the contents, which can be very variable for indie products. However, assuming 0.71oz of product, the powder retails for a very wallet-friendly $12.32 per ounce.