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FAQ
Highlighter is a light reflecting product used to give your skin extra lustre – or glow as it’s generally called. A highlighter contains shimmer, but the size of the shimmer particles varies a great deal from product to product. Some of them are so large that they’re more like glitter, while others are so finely grained that it’s almost impossible to see them in the product – instead you just see a gorgeous lustre.
It all depends on what you want to achieve with your highligter. Some prefer more shimmery shades while others want it more neutral. Read our test of highlighters to get some help along the way.
As you'd expect from the name, you apply highlighter on the areas you want to emphasise. These are normally the cheekbones, the Cupid’s bow of the upper lip, the brow bone, tip and bridge of the nose and the chin. This is where the sun’s rays naturally hit your face.
How you apply a highlighter entirely depends on the type of highlighter you have chosen – liquid, drops, pen or powder.
Highlighter is often applied as the final step in a make-up routine – giving an attractive glow as the final finish. A highlighter works well for both special occasions and everyday make-up. Because it adds lustre, a highlighter gives an effective pick-me-up when you feel tired.
You can buy highlighter brushes, if you think it’s important to have a specific brush for your highlighter. Otherwise it often works really well to just use a blusher brush or a smaller powder brush. But you don’t need a brush for every highlighter – if you choose a pen or drops you can use your fingers too. It’s primarily for powdery products that a brush is required.
Three tips for buying a highlighter
Highlighters may contain different sizes of light-reflecting particles – while some are barely visible, others can be very glittery. Glitter can be fun, but maybe it's not really the effect you’re looking for at work. If you want a highlighter that goes with almost everything, choose one with small particles. They will give the impression of shine, rather than glitter.
Highlighters are available in different varieties, and the one to choose depends mostly on the type of formula you prefer.
Powder: Powder highlighters come in both pressed (hard) cakes and loose powder. Both are best applied with a highlighter brush or blush brush.
Liquid: Liquid highlighters often come in a tube or pump bottle. These are best applied using your fingers or a sponge. But you can also use brushes to buff them in.
Cream: Creamy highlighters often come in jars or as sticks. The sticks are applied directly to the skin, then smoothed out with a brush or your fingers. Of course, a brush can also be used directly on the stick. A creamy highlighter in a jar is usually easiest to apply using your fingers or a brush.
Highlighters are available in many different colours. Depending on your skin tone, the different colours will give you different results.
A highlighter that is very light and almost seems a little blue will give you an almost headlight effect. If you choose a highlighter with a pink base, you get a blush for free. Maybe you want to pretend you’ve been on a sunny holiday instead. If so, choose a highlighter with a bronze colour.