Products for highlighting

Like with contouring products, Highlighting products come in both cream and powder form. There are a million and one products out there to help you achieve the perfect glow, but I have narrowed it down to my favourite six and have divided it into 3 cream and 3 powder.

When highlighting my skin, I tend to use both cream and powder at the same time. I use the cream products in the areas I want to highlight and also under the eye to brighten up this area and then I apply the powder products above the eye and on the high points of my cheekbones. Is this the correct way to use these products? Who cares, if it works for you go with it.

Mac Prep + prime highlighting pen

The Prep + primer highlighter  is part of Mac’s permanent collection and comes in 4 different shades.I use the colour Radiant Rose. This is a sheer coverage highlighter, that brightens up the skin and is seriously amazing for contouring.I apply this on top of my foundation and use my Sigma F86 tapered kabuki brush to buff it into the skin. As I have dark under eye circles, this does not work as a concealer for me and I find that  my Mac prolong wear concealer is the perfect partner with it. I often mix both of them under the eye area to brighten up this area and add to the highlighted look. You can read a full review of the prep and prime highlighter here.

Mac soft and gentle

As you can see from them picture, this is a much loved product. I have used Soft and Gentle for a number of years and always end up falling back in love with it after I have trying other highlighters. It is part of the mineralised skin finish range in Mac. it has a mixture of gold, bronze and tan going through it and when swept onto the cheek bones it gives a beautiful luminous glow without leaving chunks of glitter on the face. It is quite a warm toned highlighter and suits almost every skin tone. This is a favourite of many makeup addicts and it is not hard to see why.

Soleil Tan De Chanel Sheer illuminating fluid

The Soleil Tan De Chanel Sheer illuminating fluid is a sheer, light weight liquid that instantly brightens your skin. It contains light reflecting pigments that gives your skin a radiant look. I use this in 2 different ways. Firstly I sometimes mix a drop of the illuminating fluid in with my foundation so that it gives a lovely glowy look to my skin.The other way I use it, and where this product really shines, is for highlighting. I put a very small amount of the liquid above my cheek bones, on my brow bone, down the centre of my nose and on my cupids bow. Basically anywhere the light hits so that my skin looks like reflecting. I really love this product and it will be one I buy again and again. It is slightly expensive at €38.50 but it is money well spent and it lasts for ages.

Becca shimmering skin perfector pressed in Moonstone

The Becca Shimmering skin perfector pressed in the shade Moonstone, is a shimmering golden powder highlighter that is the perfect colour for Irish skintones.This is a creamy, soft and smooth highlighter that is very finely milled and with the right brush, it applies to the skin like a dream. It is important to use a light hand when applying this highlighter as the colour payoff is unreal and you only need the smallest amount to get a gorgeous natural glow.  It is on the saucy side price wise you can buy it in SpaceNK on Grafton street, or online here for €37.  Read a full review here.

Mac prolong wear concealer

When highlighting under the eyes, I use a concealer that is a few shades lighter than my foundation. Not everyone likes the look of the under eye area being brighter than their foundation, but for me i feel it makes me look less tired, and the brightness reflects the light and makes my dark circles look less dark. ust like with the Mac foundations, this concealer comes in NC and NW shades.I use the NC 15 when I want a real highlighted look. This concealer gives really good coverage under the eyes. It gets rid of the rotten blue colour from dark circles and more or less hides them completely.While this concealer lasts for most of the day without needed to retouch. I do find that it has a tendency to move and crease, so setting is an absolute must. If it does crease, I just run my ring finger lightly under my eye, it will reset the concealer again. You can read a full review here.

Inglot Sparkling dust

I couldn’t do a post on highlighting products, with out including this absolute beauty from Inglot. This is right up there with my absolute favourite products. This is much more of a stronger more pigmented highlighter than any of the others and I use this for nighttime, or if I want a real glowy look during the day. The sparkling dust has a seriously reflective quality.However, it never looks glittery on the face, but instead reflects the light so beautifully. This is no disco ball highlighter, but in fact the most beautiful glow. It wears well throughout the day and never looks cakey on the skin. I use a small tapered powder brush when applying this, and lightly pick up the tiniest amount of product. Less is definitely more when it comes to this. You can read a full review here.