Thanks to Jeffree Star and Nikkie Tutorial’s influences, I’ve been addicted to all the sheer, glass, or blinding highlighters I can see in stores and online. I’ve been using this magical thing a year after I started blogging but the times are different now. You can see this product just everywhere, including department stores, and that’s really practical for all the beauty junkie’s out there.
A highlighter is defined by the finish of the whitish pigment – shimmer, shiny, sometimes like mirror or glass – the complete opposite of a contour. By purpose, it’s optics – it’s supposed to make areas of the face pop (and sometimes flat, when it’s too mirror in finish) when light hits the face. I like how this freshens any face, reduces lines and structures face (esp my undereye-cheek area which is quite sagging). There’s just so much variety in the beauty industry now and let me review some for you!
Above is a full arm swatch of all my favorite pigments from dept store highlighters I have on my kit. Let me start with one fav by beauty Youtubers. This brand just arrived in PH a year ago and has been selling this thing like pancake!
Sleek Highlighting Palette in Solstice ($14.99) – Aside from the gorgeous gold packaging, this is innovative in a way that it has 1 cream and 3 powder highlight formulas which allows for layering and customizing effects. There’s an opaque yellow shade for warm skin tones, a lavender color shade and my favorite from this, (the middle one) a warm pink/rose color that’s light-medium in sheen/shimmer. The quality of shimmer here is not powdery, but truly bright and illuminating (see how the arm swatch became darker as it focused on the pigment so much). The downside only is that sometimes this can be appear too blinding as you can see that the shimmers appear like diamond eyeshadows (but of course, versus eyeshadows, highlighters are softer and more easy to apply on face)
I really love how creamy and performing this product is in terms of texture and consistency and ability to blend and use. One swipe gives so much! I’ve been using this palette for 3-4 months already and I’m just nearly half of it. I use it everyday and on special occasions that need some extreme blinding!
Australian brand BYS has launched different palettes for Filipinas with various color combinations and finishes. The brand has been famous for its beautiful contour trio, but let’s check out their highlighters with a new one in 4’s!
BYS Highlighting Palette in Ultra-Glow ($ 7.95) – This is the newest highlighter from the brand and it boasts of warm shades of shimmer for morena skin tone. I really love that champagne shade in the middle with a light sheen. I adore that this is pigmented and consistent despite the low price.
BYS Highlighting Palette in Glistening ($ 7.95)* – My favorite one from the 3-4 palettes especially because of the rose shade on the top most of my arm. It’s just so pretty! There’s a color to it (can be a blush already) but combining it with the pinkish white pigment on the middle, it will give that gorgeous blush shade!!! All the colors are warm, pigmented, and really illuminating. Upon picking up by brush, there might be some fall out but I suggest spraying a primer on the brush for blinding realness.
BYS Highlighting Palette in Luminous ($ 7.95)* – This is a good selection of warm and rose colors. The top most is like the rose color in Glistening, and the middle lavender shade is perfect to contrast a warm look. Then you have a yellow one for morena skin tones. All in all, these highlighters are very affordable yet performing in all aspects!
There’s also highlighters under the HD Cheek color line of Pink Sugar, a homegrown brand that was recently launched here. I was actually surprised by how sophisticated the brand is to launch quite a number of highlighter shades and the below two caught my eye.
Pink Sugar HD Cheek Color in Concrete Jungle (approx $10)* – While this is in mono and while packaging is quite difficult, I was surprised by how beautiful this highlighter is. See that while it may appear white and opaque upon finger swatch, when blended, it has a beautiful gold sheen that’s completely wearable.
Pink Sugar HD Cheek Color in Concrete Jungle (approx $10)* – Compared to above, this is creamier and more shimmery in a beautiful light-medium warm pink shade. I have been using this last year and it just gives a picture-perfect glow on the cheeks even under flash. Also, I agree that this is HD in finish.
We also have highlighters that are often called illuminators because of their sheen effect – I have two brands under this category. Versus the blinding ones, these work very well in day light. Usually, they’re combined with a blush pigment to allow a gradient effect. See options from NYX below – they also even have a blush + highlighter + bronzer!
NYX Illuminator in Chaotic ($ 9)* – I was quite confused with this as a highlighter but when blended, this coral pink with gold sheen reminded me of NARS orgasm but very subtle. While a bit powdery and light in its highlight pigment ( I suggest to use a packing brush that’s wet when picking it up), the blush color is just drop dead gorgeous, as with any Orgasm-like shades.
I have to check out out their Strobe of Genius palette to evaluate this versus others tho.
Mary Kay Mineral Color Duo ($18) * – Lastly, we have this blush duo in Mary Kay. while not a dept store brand, I was in awe to see how pretty the illuminator is in this product that i already consumed 2 of these. The blush is just Ok, but when blended with the illuminator (swatch you can see below), it gives a beauty powder finish that’s perfect for everyday look.
Now let’s put them all together on my arm under flash and definitely, BYS and Sleek win in the blinding highlight award while Pink Sugar, NYX and Mary Kay in giving a subtle sheen. See how all of these perform very well in being not chalky or powdery despite their low prices. Definitely value for money! Just know where and how you’ll use it and you can check our these options.
