Regardless of whether I am going out for coffee with the girls or attending a special event, I will always apply my highlight before stepping one foot outside the door. Highlighters really are the makeup gift that keeps on giving - whether mixed with foundation to achieve a dewy and glowing lustre to the skin, applied to the cheekbones to help awaken and brighten your makeup look, or applied generously to the high points of your face to create that perfect Instagram glow! You really can make a makeup look come together by just simply placing some highlight on the high points of your face. There is a highlight that is perfect for everyone (you just need to know what suits your overall makeup look and choose one that is right for your skin tone). Whether you prefer a subtle, natural glow or if you want something that will blind people when your face catches a glimpse of the light, there will be a highlighter out there for you!
It is safe to say I am a highlighter hoarder! Looking at my makeup collection, I have just over twenty highlighters, and that is even with me recently decluttering my entire collection and clearing out the products that were old, broken or ones I simply did not use anymore. Yes I know I have a problem and no-one needs that many highlighters in their collection. But I am obsessed with highlighters and just like with eyeshadow palettes, whenever a new one comes out (and I know it is something that I will wear) I just have to buy it and add it to the ever expanding highlighter collection I currently have.
I love highlighting - it is just something that helps to complete my makeup look and I am never happy with my look until I have added highlight (just like I am never happy with my eye look until I have added mascara). Obviously, I have tested a lot of highlighters, from the subtle to the absolute blinding, and I have learned to love so many products on the highlighting market. The highlighting boom has really only taken over in the last few years. Luckily the trend of strobing all over our face faded fairly quickly and now we stick to highlighting the high points of our face, mainly focusing it on our cheekbones, brow bone, inner eye corner, nose and Cupid's bow. Since then, my collection has continued to grow, and with new highlighting products coming out all the time and it can often be hard to know which ones are the creme de la creme. I have included five of my absolute favourite highlighters, ranging from the subtle to the full on moonbeam products (there will be a product for everyone)!
Of course there are more than five highlighters that I would recommend, and I am sure you will see some of my other favourites on this blog at some point in the near future, but these are the five that I truly think deserve a mention and are the ones that I gravitate towards the most when I am wanting to achieve that gorgeous summer glow. From a more subtle glow to those that are a full on dazzling beam of light, these are the five highlighting products that really leave my skin glowing!
When I first heard about cream contouring and liquid highlighters, I wasn't sure whether this would be something that I would be interested in. It is often hard enough to perfect contouring and highlighting with powder products, let alone when you are dealing with liquid and cream products. I would say that if you are looking for a gorgeous and intense liquid highlighter then the Custom Enhancer Drops from Cover FX are the ones to choose and fall in love with. These are more for those who are more experienced with makeup but after a few applications you will be fine with the formula and how the product works on the skin. The great thing about this product is that it comes in an array of different shades that will look great on all skin tones. This is a highlighter like no other, when you try it you will think you are pouring liquid metal over your cheeks, but it really is not for the faint-hearted when it comes to makeup application. If you are not a massive fan of liquid or cream products, then this will be a miss, but if you love a blinding highlight that will have everyone talking about it then these are the highlighters for you!
The Product - A beautiful liquid highlighter in a gorgeous glass bottle, with a pipette to help you get the right amount of product every time - trust me when I say one drop will go a long way! This really is more for someone who loves makeup and is a fan of cream and liquid products (and knows how to apply them)! I have really tested out which way is the best when it comes to the application of this highlighter - I find that applying one to two drops onto the back of my hand, before using my fingerer a dampened BeautyBlender to apply to my cheekbones before blending it. This highlighter does require a bit more patience and precision due to the intensity of the highlight, but once you have used it a few times you will be a pro and will know exactly how much product to use and where to place it on your face. The shade celestial is a gorgeous pearlescent pink shade that is perfect for fair to medium skin tones. This will be a bit too light if you have a deeper skin tone, but there are so many different shades that will be perfect for deeper skin tones. The other shades I love are Blossom and Moonlight, which are both beautiful pink and rose gold shades.
The Consistency - a liquid highlighter that feels like you are applying a liquid version of a precious metal onto your cheekbones. You only need a couple of drops to highlight the high points of your face and it blends beautifully into the skin - you can create a more natural glow buy blending with a BeautyBlender that has some foundation on or you can go for a blinding highlight by blending it slightly with a clean BeautyBlender or even use your finger. This has no glitter in it so it won't look like you have specks of glitter all over your face. As it is a liquid highlighter, you will have to apply this either under your foundation or over the top but before you use any powder products, otherwise it will not look right and could mix with the powder to give an unnatural finish to the skin with more texture. It is a beautiful formula that blends so naturally on the skin and will look stunning for any event.
Highlight Intensity - If you LOVE an intense highlight, then this highlighter will blow your socks off with its pure intensity. I am usually not a massive fan of liquid or cream highlighters, but this is the only one I feel comfortable using over my foundation because it blends effortlessly. For such a small bottle, the intensity is unreal - it might as well be a bottle of liquid metal. Fantastic to use by itself for an incredible glow, or you can make it even more intense by applying a powder highlighter over the top (just for those moments when you want your highlight to be seen from outer space). This is really something that you have to blend in to make it look more natural but you can still achieve an intense highlight. If I am going for a more natural look I will use this under my foundation but for those days where I want my cheeks to really pop I will apply it over my foundation and blend it with a dampened BeautyBlender so it looks more natural but is still intense. It also works great as a mixer for your foundation - just add a couple of drops into your foundation to give a luminous and glowing finish to the skin!
Value for Money - This might be a small bottle of product (you are getting 15ml or 0.5 FL oz) but do not be fooled by its size, as when it comes to this highlighter a little really does go a long way. This might not be something you want to wear every day, but even if you do you only need a couple of drops with each application so this highlighter can easily last from six months to a year (or even longer depending on how often you use this). If you want a beautiful, intense and mesmerising glow to the skin and cheeks, then the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops are perfect. They retail for £34 and can be purchased from Space N.K. Definitely worth the price if you love a highlight that can be seen from a mile away!
When I first started reading reviews of the Estee Lauder and Victoria Beckham collaboration, I saw that there was one product that so many bloggers and beauty YouTubers were absolutely loving; and of course that was the highlighter in Modern Mercury. This is a limited edition collection that was bought out earlier this year (but has since been restocked) and I knew that when it came back in stock I had to purchase the highlighter. This is such. beautiful highlighter than will make you feel like a golden goddess and will be perfect on all skin tones. When I say that this is illuminating, I really mean it and it will add a beautiful intense glow to your cheeks that still looks really natural. I love how this looks when it catches the light and I have had people ask me what I am wearing on my cheekbones when I have been out because it is so beautiful. Probably one of the most gorgeous, glowing and illuminating powder highlighters that I have ever tried (and believe me I have tested quite a few)!
The Product - Probably the most beautiful packaging out of all the highlighters that I have chosen - I love the choice of black and gold which just makes this look so expensive. It has the feel of being an old fashioned compact mirror but with a modern twist. The case itself it really sturdy and feels really nice with the matte black faux leather and gold hardware. It is something that should be seen on a Hollywood Starlet's dressing table. Inside the compact is a fairly large pan of the most stunning rose gold highlight that enhances your natural glow. I love to apply this not only as a highlighter but as an eyeshadow as well. If you really want to make this highlighter shine even more then you can apply some MAC Fix+ which just intensifies the highlight even more and looks amazing all over the eyelid as well.
The Consistency - When I have tested powder highlighters before (especially the less expensive ones) I have found that even though they look beautiful they often feel really powdery and almost have a chalk consistency. This is not the case with this highlight, instead it feels like a very fine powder and almost has a silk feel to it. It applies beautifully with a finger (which is when I want to use it as an eyeshadow and really want to pack on the pigment) but is just as beautiful with a brush. You can really pack on the highlight with a brush but it blends seamlessly and doesn't pick up any texture or pores on the skin, which you can sometimes find with other highlighters. When you swatch this highlighter, it feels like butter and is so intense without being too glittery.
Highlight Intensity - When I am wanting a highlight, I want it to glow but I don't want to look like I have chucked a load of glitter on my face and this definitely a highlight that is fine and does not look glittery at all. Besides the Cover FX highlighter, this is probably the most intense highlighters I own (especially out of my powder highlights). This just sits perfectly on the skin and absorbs and reflects light in the most beautiful way. As with all highlighters you can make it look like a more subtle and natural glow by blending it out, but you can build up the layers to really create an intense highlight. This would look stunning over the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops to create a really intense glow. Creating a stunning rose gold highlight, this will be stunning on all skin tones, especially if you have a medium to deep skin tone. This may be too dark if you have a fair skin tone, but it can easily be blended to make it look more natural on the skin. You cannot just sweep this highlighter on with a brush and instantly head out for the day, but with some blending the rose gold cast with disperse to give a natural highlight and creates a beautiful glow next to your bronzer and blush. Although this is a rose gold highlight there is a slight peach/champagne undertone which once blended looks beautiful on fairer skin tones. This is definitely perfect if you want to achieve that bronzed goddess look or have been on holiday and want to enhance your tan with a beautiful highlight. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING for any occasion and is my go to highlight at the moment!
Value for Money - This is a limited edition piece from Estee Lauder in collaboration with Victoria Beckham, so if you are a massive fan of either of them then this is a piece you will absolutely love. Not only does it look stunning on a dressing table, but this is probably my favourite highlighter of all time - it is so beautiful, and the consistency is just out of this world. Once it is applied to the cheeks it transforms a makeup and this is the one highlighter I have been reaching for the most in the last couple of weeks. This really is the perfect summer highlighter, especially if you are going to be getting a tan as this is the perfect shade for people with a tanned/medium skin tone. As it is a limited edition piece it is more expensive that other highlighters out there are retails for £48 from Selfridges, but if you love your highlights and want one for the summer then this really is the highlighter you need in your collection. The Estee Lauder x Victoria Beckham Modern Mercury Highlighter is definitely worth every penny. If you want this, I would buy it soon before it sells out!
One of the only highlight and bronzer compacts that I have included in this post. If you are looking for a natural, subtle highlighter that is perfect for fairer skin, then the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow palette is the perfect highlight for you. This comes in two shades (fair/medium and medium/dark) and I have the fairer option which is perfect for when I am at my palest in the summer. I had specifically bought this for the bronzer in the palette as I struggle to find a bronzer that I can wear, which is not too dark or looks too muddy on my face. I had heard so many good things about the bronzer but not much about the highlight, but I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful it was and how it gave me a soft glow. Classed as a more subtle highlighter, this can be layered up to achieve a fairly intense highlight; but this is not going to be as blinding as the Estee Lauder x Victoria Beckham highlighter, although it is still beautiful on its own.
The Product - Cased in a beautiful rose gold packaging, the highlighter sits besides the most perfect bronzer for anyone who has fair to medium skin. If you have a deeper complexion, then this palette is also available in the shade medium-dark which has a warmer bronzer and a more peachy highlight. The highlight is a really pretty champagne shade with gold undertones in it which helps to reflect the light and give you a more natural glow. This will make any event into a red carpet event as you will feel like a Hollywood star when wearing this subtle, yet gorgeous highlight that helps to sculpt the face perfectly.
The Consistency - A rich, yet buttery formulation, this highlight blends beautifully and sits on the skin seamlessly without emphasising any imperfections on your skin. It has a beautiful golden undertone to it which universally flatters all skin tones from fair to medium, whilst the Light Flex Technology captures and reflects the light to create a beautiful glow to the face. There is some shimmer to this highlighter but it is not huge chunks of glitter which I always like to avoid when choosing a highlighter. I love to apply this to my cheekbones, nose and Cupid's bow with a fan brush from Zoeva.
Highlight Intensity - If you have had your eye on Becca's Champagne Pop for a while and you have fairer skin, then this is the best option for you. This still has a beautiful gold undertone to it, like Champagne Pop, but is more of a champagne shade which is perfect for fairer skin tones. The intensity of this highlighter is very subtle and a lot softer than some of the other highlighters I have included, but this is perfect if you are going somewhere where you don't want to dazzle everyone and want to achieve a more natural makeup look. You can build it up to make it more intense, but you have to be careful as if you layer this up too much it can look obvious on the skin and look too dark for your skin tone.
Value for Money - Even though this is more of a subtle highlighter, it is still fairly pigmented when you really pack the product onto the skin. Often it can be really difficult to find a suitable highlighter if you have porcelain or fair skin; especially if you want one that has a golden undertone to it - often the highlighters can be too dark and won't look right on the skin no matter how hard you try to blend it into the skin. This comes in two shades so meets all skin tones and is perfect for that subtle glow when you are going for a more natural makeup look. This is the most expensive highlighter out of the five but when you think you are getting a bronzer as well a beautiful, natural highlighter, it technically works out as being the least expensive. The Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Palette retails for £49 (meaning the bronzer and highlighter are £24.50 each) making this the best value for money!
We don't always want to have a really intense and blinding highlight; and at the moment it seems like that is what a lot of brands are trying to give us. However, we often want a more subtle highlighter that looks beautiful on the skin, still reflects the light but is more natural, especially when we are applying our makeup in the summer. In the summer months, I definitely dial back how much makeup I put on as I don't like to feel weighed down by makeup especially when it is warm. The Dior Nude Air Luminizer is perfect if you want a more subtle highlight that will compliment any makeup look; whether you are going for a toned down makeup look or going full glam! This will be perfect if you are a bride or going to Prom this summer as you will probably want a more subtle highlight but you can definitely intensify the highlight by layering it up with a brush.
The Product - Housed in a beautiful silver mirrored compact, with a quilting effect embossed onto the case (which means it will look stunning on any dressing table). This is probably the most subtle and beautiful highlighters I own; from the shade, to the consistency and the way it reflects the light, there is nothing I don't like about this highlighter. It definitely accentuates that glow within look and this is the highlighter that I can wear on a daily basis and for any occasion, whether it is shopping or going to a wedding. You can ever wear too much of this highlighter!
The Consistency - A smooth and silky powder highlighter that just blends seamlessly on the cheeks to give that perfect summer glow. It has a champagne shade to it but also has hints of rose gold, meaning this will look amazing no matter what complexion you have. This will just give a soft glow perfect for those no makeup, makeup days that I crave so much on those hot summer days.
Highlight Intensity - Definitely one of the more subtle highlighters that I own in my collection. This will be stunning for any occasion whether it is during the day or at night and will just enhance your natural glow. You can 100% intensify this highlighter and make it even more blinding by layering up the product - I have found that to achieve a really intense highlight you have to layer it up at least three times and blend it in so it looks more natural on the skin. BUT, I love to wear this highlighter when I am wearing not much makeup, but still want a soft, gentle glow that looks natural and not like I am caked in glitter and shimmer.
Value for Money - This is fairly pigmented for such a natural shimmering glow, so a little will go a long way; of course you can build up the intensity by layering up the product with a brush, but this is so pretty and subtle that you really don't need to. Even one layer will give a beautiful glow to the high points of your face without being too over the top and looking like there is a moonbeam radiating of your cheeks. This is meant to be more of a natural glow that you can wear every day not matter what the occasion is and then you can definitely intensify that glow by layering it. You would have to wear this every day for a good six months to a year before you even hit pan. Definitely making this highlight worth every single penny! The Dior Nude Air Luminizer is available from Dior and retails for £39.50. Definitely a must have this summer!
Whether you are new to makeup or have been a makeup lover for years, one highlighter you will probably be aware of is the infamous Champagne Pop made famous by Becca and the beauty YouTuber Jaclyn Hill. This has been raved about since its release two years ago, by beauty YouTubers and Bloggers alike. Due to its popular demand, Becca made this limited edition highlighter a member of the permanent collection and is a beautiful summer highlighter for all skin tones, especially if you have an tan/medium skin tone.
The Product - Housed in Becca's signature packaging, for all of their highlighters, with the brown rubberised compact with the matte silver encasing the product. This is by far not my favourite packaging and I think that the packaging definitely does not represent the beautiful product within the case. It is a creamy powder product that absorbs and reflects the light to give you the ultimate natural glow, that is intense and natural at the same time. This is perfect if you have a medium to deep complexion and is the ultimate summer highlighting product!
The Consistency - Probably my favourite consistency of all the five highlighters, this has a smooth and almost creamy feel to it which blends beautifully on the skin. The shimmer is very fine and not gritty at all, therefore it won't show up any texture on the skin. This will just give a beautiful shimmer to the cheeks and it is the best product for achieving that golden goddess glow.
Highlight Intensity - Any highlighter from Becca is always pigmented and has great coverage - you only need one sweep of this product with a fan or highlighting brush to give a beautiful glow. If you want your highlighter to really pop, then Champagne Pop is the one for you as this almost gives a metallic finish to the skin and is very much the powder version of the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops. Even though it is almost metallic, it still looks natural and is not too obvious until you catch a glimpse of the light, and that is when this product really shines. You can definitely blend this out or only use a fine layer of the product to give off a more natural glow. This is a beautiful champagne gold with almost a peach undertone to it and will look amazing on so many skin tones. I would say if you have fair skin, this will probably be a miss or you would have to use a white highlighter to help lighten the golden highlight. But this will look stunning if you have a tan. Definitely the best highlighter for the summer to achieve a gorgeous bronzed goddess look!
Value for Money - This is probably the most infamous and talked about highlighters on the market and when something is talked about so much in the media, on YouTube channels and on blogs, there is a reason for it (usually because it is one of the best). This is absolutely stunning and so pigmented. The shade is perfect for when you have a tan making this the ultimate summer highlighting product. This is the least expensive out of all five highlighters at £32 and I think this product will last such a long time, as you really don't have to layer this up too much to get a blinding highlight. I have owned my current Champagne Pop for six months and it looks like I have barely touched it, and I use this product quite a lot (and I know I will use it even more over the summer when I have more of a tan). The Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop Highlighter is a must have for the summer and can be bought from Cult Beauty.
Let me know if you are tempted by any of these highlighters? Have you already tried out any of these products? And what are your favourite highlighters for achieving that perfect summer glow?
xoxo
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