Contour is thankfully different now than it was in the 2010s. The days of heavy, matte powders meant to chisel your cheekbones to a pulp have been replaced with formulas meant to soft-sculpt your features. The shift to a more subtle contour (powered by makeup artists like Mary Phillips and Nina Park) is far more appealing IRL and way easier to DIY, falling right in line with the lightweight makeup trends of today.
But what exactly are you supposed to be using to create this modern contour? For me, it’s Haus Labs’ Precision Sculpt Shaping Balm Contour Stick. It’s a mouthful of a name, but it works so amazingly well (just look at my before-and-afters below; I couldn’t believe it). Created by Lady Gaga (casual) and her longtime makeup artist Sarah Tanno, this creamy stick melts into skin and gives a natural but defined look—my kinda disco stick (IYKYK).
In fact, it was just crowned the best contour stick of 2026 in Cosmo’s Holy Grail Beauty Awards. Wanna know why? Keep scrollin’.
| Format | You can easily swipe the stick directly onto your face or pick it up with a brush for even more precision. |
| Blendability | The creamy formula quickly melts into skin without leaving harsh lines. |
| Shade range | Available in nine shades, they range from light greige to light-medium with golden undertones to neutral deep-dark. |
Haus Labs is home to many of our favorite products (namely, the foundation and concealer), so a damn good contour stick isn’t exactly surprising. The brand describes it as a “precision contour stick,” which I definitely agree with. The actual product inside has a rounded tip, but it’s much smaller and more precise than other chubby stick-like formulas on the market. The texture is super creamy and buttery—it really melts into your skin as you apply it. This is thanks to a mix of castor seed oil, grapefruit extract, rose flower extract, and squalane—all of which give it a moisturizing, emollient feel, hence why it’s called a balm. But there’s also a healthy dose of dimethicone, giving it a silky, matte finish that sets down (the brand claims for up to 12 hours, but I’ll be the judge of that). And it comes in nine shades—a huge feat for a contour product.
More like about my face, you could say. I’m always dealing with puffiness, no matter how much water I drink or ice rollers I massage over my face. For me, that’s the goal of contour: to help give the illusion that I have any sort of jawline or cheekbones.
But I also have oily skin that products tend to slide off of, so something that sets down with a matte finish that does not cling to texture is also important. Shade range is, too. I like something with a neutral undertone—not too gray or yellow—as it looks the most natural against my olive-toned, light-to-medium skin.
I woke up extra puffy this morning, so a contour is the only thing that could help me. And as I’ve been testing this one for months, I knew Haus Labs was up for the job. I started by following my go-to base routine: skin tint, concealer on any active acne and my dark under-eyes, and a brow gel through my brows. The rest was all up to contour.
I drew it on my face directly from the tube in lines under each cheekbone (in the hollows), just under my jawline on both sides, under my chin, and on the sides and tip of my nose. I could technically blend it in with my fingers—it’s that buttery—but I opted to use the Haus Labs Precision Sculpting Brush. The fluffier side is great for blending out the product on my cheeks, and I love the more dense, angled side for my nose.
See how quickly this blends?
In only about a minute total, my entire face is contoured. It really does just blend out so easily but also really looks chiseled. Like, I suddenly have the face of a human, not a bowling ball. Wild how that works!
The softness of the creamy stick, paired with the precision application and perfect-for-my-skin-tone shade (I use Angle, btw), gives me natural definition. I can also go a little harder and build it up to make this more intense, if, for some reason, I wanted a stronger contour. This formula doesn’t pill or look cakey. It just seamlessly diffuses into my skin or whatever foundation I have underneath. I love this versatility. I can go natural and soft or glam. Win-win.
Eight hours later, my cheeks still look contoured. It’s dissipated, sure, but every product on my face has at this point, so I’ll take it.
Honestly, I just love how foolproof this contour stick is—a characteristic you can rarely attach to a contouring product. Just swipe on and blend. It is no fuss but instantly makes my makeup look like I spent more time on it. It’s officially made its way into my daily routine. Thanks, Mother Monster!
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing stories on hair, makeup, and nails.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
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