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ELLE Edit: 15 Of The Best Highlighters For A Glassy Glow
Powder formulas are back and better than ever.
Ok, so we might have all had a lot of fun in the more-is-more highlighter era, but this summer it's time to tone things down a notch (just one, don't panic).
Seriously: gone are the days of strobing glitters and baffling rainbow-hued palettes (let’s leave those firmly in the past, shall we?). Now, the best highlighters simply deliver skin that shines.
Make-up artist Nikki Wolff is happy to be embracing make-up's low-key era. 'When highlighting first became a big thing it was about products that deliver the most dramatic results, and how we can put the most on our cheekbones to sculpt them to the heavens,' she tells us. 'Now, it's about cleverly using highlighter for those little touches all over your face that give the effect of a natural glow, rather than a super-reflective cheekbone.'
How To Highlight Like A Pro
'Highlighting is all about bringing light to the high points of your face, which creates dimension, so when you move your face around you get that 3D effect,' explains Nikki. 'It's a super flattering way to give your skin a glow whilst subtly changing the shape of your face.'
'Contouring and sculpting was a really big thing, but it's so complex, whereas highlighting is a lot easier,' she adds. 'There's only really one rule: find the high points of your face (the slope of your nose, your cupid's bow etc.) and simply dab your highlighter there.'
In terms of tools, make-up artist Danessa Myricks recommends fluffy brushes with longer bristles for a natural finish, while shorter bristles will create a more intense effect. When it comes to applying balms or creams, your fingertips will do the trick. Just pat on to blend out.
Liquid, Cream, Or Powder?
So, what’s the best route to beautifully highlighted skin? Really, it depends on your preference. Generally speaking, creams and liquids will deliver the dewiest result, and they melt perfectly with a creamy foundation – but it's also true they are prone to shifting and fading throughout the day. For major shine and longevity to match, a powder is your best bet.
'I personally love liquid highlighters, even on oilier skin types," says Danessa. "I'll use a liquid product first then, if I need to set it, I'll put a powder highlighter on top – just in the same way that you would set your foundation. With liquid highlighter you can create that dewy, healthy-looking spa skin without the reflective finish.’
While the limelight may have been firmly focused on liquid formulas in recent years, powders are pushing their way back into the conversation, and the best new launches are much more flattering than their predecessors. 'Powder highlighters have a special place in my artistry because they’re such a huge part of how I began my career. I loved being able to have the ability to create high-shine, strategically placed bursts of light on the face,' explains Danessa. Her top tip? Look for a powder that feels soft and almost creamy in texture, as "this will allow you to work product into the skin without creating a cast onto the face or having any visible texture where the product is placed.'
It’s also important to consider colour, and the most flattering shades are often ones that veer closest to your complexion. 'Highlighter hues that mimic your skin tone look hyper natural and are easiest to blend,' says Danessa. 'If you're using using multiple shades of highlighter, place a lighter tone at the very top of the cheekbone for extra lift and drama.'
Here, see the highlighters team ELLE have tried and loved: think wet-look balms that don’t dry out, translucent sticks that lend the illusion of post-facial skin and refined powders that melt into cheekbones. Glass skin, right this way…
The Best Highlighters For Glowing Skin
This vegan highlighter by Selena Gomez's beauty line, Rare Beauty, is almost never in stock: so if you see a shade you fancy, snap it straight up.
It's infused with light-reflecting particles that leave cheekbones looking extra dewy and polished without unwanted frostiness. Plus, there's a translucency to the pigments that allows each shade to suit a myriad of skin tones.
Hermès Plein Air Radiant Glow Powder
Hermès' make-up line is every bit as sublime as you're likely imagining. A bestseller, the Plein Air powder gets it just right: think brightened skin without a single fleck of giveaway glitter. The formula is incredibly finely milled and blended with emollient squalane, so it never dries or settles into pores.
Rose Inc Solar Radiance Hydrating Cream Highlighter
Rose Inc Solar Radiance Hydrating Cream Highlighter
This cream highlighter melts into skin like butter on hot toast, leaving behind a fresh-looking gleam that stays put even on combination skin types. It's refillable too, so you can use the compact indefinitely.
Victoria Beckham Beauty Reflect Highlighter Stick
Victoria Beckham’s fluted gold metal stick is the chicest option by a mile. But look beyond the packaging and you’ll also find one of the most impressive highlighter formulas on the market.
The single Pearl shade contains no pigment, yet has hollow ‘micropearl’ flecks, which create a warm, candlelit-style glow on every single skin tone. The balm is just dense enough to stay exactly where you swipe it, and stays looking intensely dewy for hours on end.
Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo
Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo
Designed to mimic both the brightness of sunlight and the subtle glow of candlelight, this is the perfect highlighter for taking you from morning to evening. Brush the lighter shade onto the highest points of your face and the deeper shade where you want to create shadow with a slight sheen.
This clever little pot is the secret to Danessa Myricks' signature shining skin. It's a balm-textured product, infused with pearly pigment that lights up your complexion without leaving you soaked in sparkle. This one couldn't be easier to apply: simply tap with a fingertip over your cheekbones (and try it on eyelids, too).
Charlotte Tilbury Face Architect Highlighter
Charlotte Tilbury Face Architect Highlighter
Trust Charlotte Tilbury to make powder highlighters a 'thing' once again. A little goes a long way with these shimmering heroes, which impart a high-impact glow and look great even on bare, moisturised skin. There are seven shades available, and if it's good enough for Lily James...
Dior Forever Couture Luminizer Highlighter
A classic powder highlighter with the most subtle sheen, Dior’s Forever Couture Luminizer will become your everyday go-to. It’ll set your foundation in place and add a perky, pinky touch of radiance that wakes up tired skin in seconds. Try it on the inner corners of your eyes, or to make a smoky eye really pop.
This unique formulation from buzzy Stateside brand Saie is perfect for anyone hoping to recreate that post-facial glow. The water-based formula sits halfway between a gel and a serum, skimming straight over pores and lines to impart wet-look dewiness that never dries, yet somehow doesn't shift, either.
Chanel’s sublime Baume Essential will forever be one of our favourite highlighters. The Transparent shade in particular is pure genius: it’s completely free from glitter, and simply bounces the light out from the highest points of your face, offering sculpting without the shimmer. It looks beautiful on bare skin, but plays well with foundation too, and can be topped up without pilling. Perfection.
Benefit Dandelion Twinkle Powder Highlighter
Benefit Dandelion Twinkle Powder Highlighter
The Hoola bronzer might be Benefit's bestseller, but don't sleep on the accompanying highlighters. These powders are so finely milled, they're almost undetectable on skin. Just swish on with a fluffy brush and you're set.
It might be famed for its lamination-style Brow Sculpt, but Refy makes an outstanding highlighter too. This liquid formula may look like molten lava in the tube, but rest assured it'll sheer down on the skin to create the most incredible wet-look shine. It's definitely the dewiest option out there, so if glass skin is your vibe, consider the job done.
Glossier doesn’t bill Futuredew strictly as a highlighter, but trust us: it works. The ‘oil-serum’ hybrid can be slicked all-over for an ultra-dewy effect, but we like tapping it on the peaks of our cheekbones to create a completely transparent, wet-look sheen that doesn’t feel sticky or slimy.
Gucci Westman has created both balm and stick highlighters, and while both are beautiful, it’s the Lit Up sticks that really have our heart. The formula is intensely light-reflecting yet completely non-tacky, and leaves behind an iridescent glow with absolutely no trace of glitter. Draw it lightly over cheeks – it won’t disrupt your foundation – and pat with a ring finger to blur the edges.
Jamie Genevieve’s liquid highlighter contains more pigment than most, but the effect is a golden blaze, rather than a shot of sparkle. It layers well over SPF and liquid foundations and doesn’t slip and slide throughout the day. A perfect middle-ground between the natural look and full glam.
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