If I’d known that one quietly brilliant makeup product could recalibrate how I feel about my entire routine—and prompt a steady stream of unsolicited compliments—I’d have stocked up by the truckload. The product in question? The Face Trace Contour Stick from Westman Atelier.
I’m hardly the first to clock the power of the brand. Founded in 2018 by renowned makeup artist Gucci Westman, Westman Atelier has become synonymous with quiet luxury—it embraces restraint over excess, and focuses on intention over trend-chasing. Its formulas marry editorial artistry with real-life wearability, while its design sensibility elevates each product to something closer to a collectible than a cosmetic.
It’s this indefinable mix that has made Westman Atelier resonate across generations, from the discerning makeup savant to the TikTok-raised beauty curious, and many of the products have gone viral on the platform, including Face Trace Contour Stick.
What’s so special about Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick?
Contour has come far from the heavily striped, hyper-defined era that first propelled it into the mainstream. Today, contour is entering a new era of subtle accentuation, embracing its artistry roots. But this softer, more sculptural approach is notoriously hard to execute—and without technical confidence, many find themselves channeling Kim Kardashian circa 2012.
This is where Face Trace quietly excels. It’s almost impossible to get it wrong. Even if, like me, you apply it with abandon and blend roughly with fingertips, it melts seamlessly into skin, leaving behind nothing more than a believable shadow and subtle definition.
That signature ease comes down to formulation. The stick is powered by Biomimicry Pigment Technology, designed to mirror the structure of skin’s ceramides for a natural, skin-like finish. Jojoba Oil lends hydration and slip, while Kaolin Clay anchors the pigment for impressive longevity—without ever looking heavy or overworked.
The shade range
Face Trace Contour Stick originally launched in three shades: Biscuit (a Cool beige coffee), Truffle (a warm caramel) and Ganache (a cool dark chocolate), and while each shade offers impressive stretch, many called for an expanded range to cater to more skin tones. Like all great brands, Westman Atelier listened—and now, they have delivered.
The brand is launching five additional shades: Au Lait, Toast, Coco, Whiskey and Kola, to span a broad range of skin tones and undertones, making quiet contour accessible to more people than ever before.
The application
Face Trace is refreshingly unfussy. Swipe and blend with fingertips for an effortless, lived-in finish, or apply more precisely and buff with a brush to sculpt specific features. There’s no wrong way—just varying degrees of refinement.
“Face Trace has become a cult favourite in our line,” Westman tells me. “The ease is in the texture and the tone—it’s a winning combination. As our number one product, I always wanted to extend the range. I spent a long time in the lab getting the new shades just right.” And I can safely say that she did. Quietly, convincingly and exactly as good makeup should.
