I had to think long and hard about this one. What genre of beauty post would be apt to publish on just the second day of the New Year. Gone are the NYE look inspirations and the glittery nails of previous weeks and as we enter the New Year ‘Spring is just round the corner – NAWT‘ phase I’m welcoming the parred back makeup and emphasis on skincare, masks and all that jazz with open arms. Bring on the dewy textures, the cleared out makeup collections (more on that on Sunday) and an excuse to use three different face masks each evening. To keep in with this theme and given that we’re probably all still recovering from Wednesday with more impending social gatherings this weekend, I thought I’d introduce you to my highlighter homies. Different textures, levels of sheerness, shimmer and even the odd glitter particle get a look in. Ah memories…
THE PRIMERS. All-over glimmers are something I reach for when I’m seriously lacking in the hydration department. They’re not something I use everyday, but I know they’re there to amp up the glow pre-foundation on days when I feel decidedly more ‘grey’. The Dior Glow-Maximiser Light-Boosting Primer is my favourite. It’s got a peachy tint which makes things look juicy in a natural way and isn’t too much that you can apply it all over. One I tend to use on the more standard highlighter areas is the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl. This stuff is full-on – I would love to shake the hand of someone who has used a whole bottle – but applied before foundation it peeks through giving some serious dew to the cheekbones.
THE CREAMS. If you’re a fan of subtlety when it comes to highlighters and you’re rather fond of creamy textures then there’s no reason why you wouldn’t love the RMS Living Luminizer. Out of this little edit, this one comes up trumps as the most natural looking. It gives you that sheen that non-sweaty people get when they run for the bus (Me? Jealous? Never). However if you want a ‘hello I’m here’ highlighter then The Body Shop’s Radiant Highlighter gets top marks and I may even detect a hint of glitter (but pretty, non ’90’s looking particles). Being a cream texture, the shine-level depends on how much you use and how much you blend it in, but for me this is more of an evening out one that glows beautifully in a dimly-lit room.
THE POWDERS. On a day to day basis these are what I reach for the most (mainly because they don’t require me to wash my hands after application – gross, but true). As an all-over setter/highlighter hybrid the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light is fab. There’s an iridescence to it, that when lightly swept across my whole face doesn’t make me look like a Twilight extra but adds a glow and if I want to concentrate it on the cheekbones I go in a little heavier. The Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight is a classic and the perfect partner to the oft-mentioned Sculpting Powder. It’s a tad lighter in tone than the others so is perhaps one for paler gals to look into. Finally my most recent favourite – The Balm’s Mary Lou-Manizer Highlighting Powder – needs a mention. Remember that cream highlighter from Jemma Kidd that everyone went crazy for back in the day? Well this is like the powder version of that. Subtle, a little golden and one that gives radiance without an oily look.
Grab and go, swipe on and you’ll be looking like you had the most rested NYE you’ve had in a decade with one quick dusting…
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