I have this obsession with cheekbone highlights. I don’t know what it is, but if I’m watching a TV show, or pinning on Pinterest, and I see a woman with a fantastic highlighter on her face, I cannot help but wonder what she is wearing. The epitome of youth and health is glowing, luminous skin, and when you find the right highlighting product for your skin, it changes everything. It can shave years off your complexion, make you look awake even though you’re sleep deprived, and give you the glow of a celebrity. I’ve got my favorite highlighting tips inside so you can get to glowing!
[This review features press sample(s) sent for consideration.]
For this specific post, I am using one of my favorite highlighters of all time: NARS “Albatross.” It is a golden champagne shimmer that looks slightly different as the lighting changes, and the powder formula stays put on my oily skin.
First things first, what formula should you use? Highlighters come in a variety of formula’s, but most fall into one of these categories:
- Powder: Best suited for oily and combination skin types, they will last for a long time on your skin without sliding off or looking greasy.
- Cream: Best suited for dry and combination skin types, these products are creamy, moisturizing, and glide on the skin easily.
- Liquid: Best suited for extremely dry to normal skin types, liquid highlighters tend to give you the dewiest, wettest finish.
My skin type is oily/combination. I have an olive complexion that can get very oily, mostly in the t-zone of my face, whereas my cheeks can get dry and flaky at times. While I prefer to use powder highlighting products the most, I do use liquid highlighters as well, since my cheeks tend to be more dry and can handle liquid products.
Where do you apply highlighter? The point of highlighter is to enhance your skin, and you don’t want to end up looking like a disco ball. Since highlighting your skin can actually draw attention to imperfections such as scars, acne, pores, and fine lines, it can be tricky to apply it in the correct places. Above, I marked the area’s of the face you want to focus on:
- Cheekbones. You want to stay above the apples of your cheeks, and highlight the area that sits above where you would apply your blush. You can use your fingers to feel the bone structure of your face. Highlighter is where the sun and artificial lighting would naturally hit the top of your cheeks. I also like to apply highlighter slightly backward and upward toward my temples, as well. This helps give your face a “lifted” look.
- Brow-bones. Apply your highlighter underneath your brow-bones! This area will naturally reflect light, and this, again, gives you a really “lifted” look to your face.
- Center of your nose. This is a great place to apply highlighter because it can help make your nose look slimmer if you also contour the sides of it with a matte shade 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone. Use sparingly in a patting motion with your ring finger for this area.
- Cupid’s Bow. This is the area right above the center of your upper lip. It will make your lips look larger and much more plump! Try it and be amazed.
- Center of your chin. This is another area that is fantastic to highlight, but just like the center of your nose, you want to apply it sparingly. It can help bring light to the face in small amounts.
This is my face before highlighter. Notice that the complexion looks somewhat “flat.” It doesn’t look terrible, but it looks like it could use a little extra something before being finished off.
This is my complexion after applying highlighter. It looks glowing, dewy, youthful, and plump, like I just got back from a tropical vacation. My cheekbones look lifted from the highlight effect, my brow-bone area is shimmering, and my skin looks much more radiant.
Once you find the correct formula for your skin type, and apply the highlighter to your perfect area’s, your skin will take on a whole new dimension. Highlighting your skin is one of the oldest and most classic makeup tricks in Hollywood. You will rarely find a celebrity on the red carpet who doesn’t have a shimmering highlight on her face, skin, and body.
Ready, set, GLOW! What are your favorite highlighting products?
[ALL PHOTOGRAPHY ON THIS SITE IS TAKEN BY REBECCA KAZIMIR. NO PHOTOGRAPHS ARE TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION.]
[This article contains a sample product provided by the brand or PR company. Beauty Gala’s opinions are our own, and we commit ourselves to honesty in our reviews and descriptions at all times. Sample products are not guaranteed a review. For consideration of your product, please send all PR requests to Rebecca@beautygala.com, or by using our Press Inquiry Form.]
Leave a Reply