Highlighters 101

With spring here and summer around the corner, almost everyone wants to have that dewy, tan and glowing look. Since the majority of us unfortunately cannot wake up like this as Beyoncé can, we must rely on beauty products. One of the most important products in achieving this is a good highlighter.

When applied correctly, highlighters make your skin appear more radiant and your cheekbones more prominent. It is as if the sun is always hitting your face at the right spot and making you glow! To get the full effect, highlighters normally look best with some contouring and blush, but can also be worn alone.

When applying a powered highlighter, I have found using any fan brush like a Morphe M601 Soft Fan Brush ($4.99) or a Sigma F35 Tapered Highlighter Brush ($24) works best.

Using a light hand, apply to the tops of the cheekbones and slightly up on the temples in a c-shape. Also, apply to the top of the cupid’s bow and on the bridge of the nose. If you have more oily skin, you may want to skip the bridge of the nose so you do not risk it looking oily.

A newer, popular highlighter is Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector (pictured above, $38). It comes in a couple of shades for different skin tones, but the one that seems to be a crowd favorite and that I use almost every day is the “opal” shade. They are super pigmented and lay beautifully on the skin. Keep in mind that even though the product has a high price tag, it will last you a very long time.

Another recommended highlighter is the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick ($44). It comes in a couple of different shades and within each one there are five strips of colors that can either be used separately or mixed together.

Mary-Lou Manizer by theBalm is the third recommended highlighter ($24). It is a very universal and the littlest bit goes the longest way. You can really intensify you highlight with this or have a more natural looking glow. It is a little bit less expensive than the others so if you are looking to try one out this is a great place to start!

The last one is not a powder, but rather a cream stick highlighter. It is Benefit’s Watts Up ($30). It is champagne-colored and can be applied directly to the face. You can use a brush to blend it out a little bit, but I prefer lightly using my fingers. As with the others, it is very pigmented and has a smooth application. It is very good for travel because of its size and the convenient stick application!

If you didn’t get the chance to get that summer glow in Cancun over spring break, fool them all by creating your own glow with a highlighter!