Highlighter has taken the makeup world by storm in the last 2-3 years! It is one of my favourite makeup products and I wear it more frequently than blush. I tend to wear either highlighter or blush, rarely both together. I’ve got a small, round face and my blushes have shimmer in them so they can almost double as highlighter – I don’t always feel I need to apply both.
Highlighter is one product I don’t want a huge number of, I prefer shades that are versatile and go with almost every look rather than unique colours I won’t wear often. My collection consists of five single shades and one cream highlighter palette.
1. I Heart Makeup Goddess of Love Highlighter
For fair skin tones in particular this highlighter is lovely but it would also be beautiful on deeper skin tones. I feel like this would also suit lighter hair colours rather than dark. This looks good on me as a redhead because it has purple hues and purple suits me. Despite the purple tones this highlighter still goes with almost every look. The formula is soft, not chalky or powdery and there’s no kickback when you swirl a brush around. The highlighter applies the same with fingers and a brush. Value for money wise this is the least expensive highlighter here ($10 NZD) and it is just as good as the others!
2. BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal
I won this Opal mini in a giveaway in 2017 and as you can see from the picture it looks like I have barely used it! This is a gold-champagne colour and I was worried it would be too warm for my skin tone but being a redhead saves the day again. The highlighter pulls on the warmth from my hair and freckles and makes the colour work. I do prefer to apply this with my fingers as I only use the smallest amount and some of my brushes are too big for the pan. The formula is very soft and buttery. I’ve tried this over gold eyeshadow and it looks really pretty, I love multi-use products!
3. theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer
Mary-Lou is a cross between Opal by Becca and Soft & Gentle by MAC. This highlighter is one that suits a lot of people and if you don’t own any other highlighters or you’re looking for a good staple highlighter for your collection I recommend this one! The formula is smooth, not chunky or powdery and you can wear Mary-Lou Manizer subtly or build it up for a more intense shine. The pale champagne colour lends this to being a great base eyeshadow shade all over the lids as well. This applies the same with a brush and fingers.
4. Chi Chi Unicorns & Mermaids Cream Highlighter Palette
When it comes to makeup, I’m not really a palette girl but my mum spotted this in May and it was love at first sight! The colours are a little unusual but they are still pretty wearable. The blue shade, Rainbow, is my favourite. It’s a purpley-blue so it’s not too out there. I haven’t delved into the bottom row much apart from Stars and I’d love to give the greener shades a go sometime! Unicorn is pretty but a little too pink if you’re not wearing any other pink and Sunshine is a white-pink that is subtler than Unicorn and one of the more neutral shades in the palette. Chi Chi do a powder highlighter palette similar to this with eight shades so you can pick which formula works best for you.
5. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle
Soft & Gentle is a cult MAC product and it’s easy to see why. MAC describe this shade as a gilded peach bronze and if you are pale or have a lighter skin tone this will be stunning! I got this back in August and it is what I have used most days on my cheeks. This is the most versatile highlighter here in my opinion and it also works as an all over face powder – it’s not too shimmery with a light dusting and it gives a nice glow. On minimal makeup days this would be lovely over top of moisturiser, with a little bit of lip gloss and you’re good to go. Soft & Gentle and Goddess of Love are both baked highlighters but unlike Goddess of Love, Soft & Gentle does have kickback when you swirl a brush (as you can see in the photo – that’s why I didn’t wipe it off). This is also the most expensive of the bunch at $66 (NZD) but if you look at how long a product like this will last and how many uses you get, it evens out.
6. xoBeauty Radiant Glow Highlighting Powder in Aurora
I have only had Aurora for a couple of weeks but so far so good! I don’t have a light pink highlighter and this fills the gap nicely. It’s a very neutral shade once applied and will go with almost anything. The silver chrome packaging is pretty and like Opal and Mary-Lou Manizer, Aurora comes with a mirror. No mirror is not a deal breaker for me personally but the size of the mirror you get with this product is good, it’s bigger than the mirrors in Opal and Mary-Lou. The formula is silky smooth and looks beautiful on the skin. Similar to Soft & Gentle, Aurora can be used as an all over face powder and gives a beautiful sheen. I find this highlighter applies best with a brush and I use the Real Techniques Bold Metals 300 Tapered Blush Brush because it has dense bristles.
Swatches:
From left to right: Goddess of Love, Opal, Mary-Lou Manizer, Soft & Gentle and Aurora.
Chi Chi Unicorns & Mermaids Palette:
From left to right: Sunshine, Unicorn, Rainbow, Stars, Atlantis and Mermaid.
Is highlighter one of your favourite makeup products? How many do you own?
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Chanelle Hayley 