best highlighter 2018

And the Award for Best Highlighter Ever Goes to…

A lit-from-within glow you’ve got to see to believe

Fact: Hundreds of beauty products launch every season. Other fact: Zero per cent of humans have time to try each one. In our If You Only Buy One series, we do the deep digging to uncover the top beauty products out there.

My first exposure to highlighter came from watching TLC’s What Not to Wear. A bubbly blonde angel who went by a single name, Carmindy, would instruct participants to sweep shimmering vanilla shadow on their cheekbones to perk up their complexion; an integral part of her snappy “five-minute face.” The makeover-ees would stare at her like she was mad, but the woman was a visionary.

Nowadays, one no longer has to resort to eyeshadow to illuminate one’s skin. The highlighting options abound, and a technique formerly only known to makeup artists has become nearly as ubiquitous as mascara. I, for one, feel utterly dull without a champagne twinkle topping my cheeks and nose. Nothing crazy, just a slight sheen that manifests when I move and catches the light just so.

But that, it seems, can be a tall order. For every subtle, sensual gleam, there are a dozen disco-ball disasters waiting to happen. Smatterings of glitter that cause clueless yet well-meaning men to say things like “you have sparkles on your face.” But worry not. I’ve travelled to the depths of the highlighter aisle and return bearing good news: The perfect glow-getter is indeed out there. 

If you only buy one highlighter, go for…

A cult classic from Canadian makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift, this coconut-oil balm is beloved by duchesses (i.e. Meghan Markle) and Brazilian bombshells (i.e. Gisele Bündchen) alike. It imparts the kind of radiance you only encounter when you get plenty of sleep, meditate, eat right, exercise and are head over heels in love. And because those stars rarely align, RMS is here to save the day.

best highlighter 2018
RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, $48, shoppersdrugmart.ca

 

More of the best highlighters

If you’re a beach bum

This universally flattering peach shade was originally a limited edition, but Nars brought it back due to popular demand. Never goopy or greasy, the light-as-air fluid floods skin with sunlight all year long.

best highlighter 2018
Nars Illuminator in Hot Sand, $39, thebay.com

 

If you love a good filter

When creating this compact, Hourglass founder Carisa Janes was inspired by the pink bulbs in her childhood home, which her mother insisted gave off the most flattering light. Sweep it all over as a finishing powder or use it as a blush or illuminator.

best highlighter 2018
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light, $55, sephora.ca

 

If you’re feeling high-fashion

The old “Vaseline on the cheeks” trick might be great for the runway, but IRL, you’re bound to end up with your hair glued to your face. Luckily, buzzy brand Milk Makeup has bottled the glazed look sans stickiness.

best highlighter 2018
Milk Makeup Face Gloss, $26, milkmakeup.com

 

If you’re all about the benefits

Part makeup, part skincare, this stick from Becca, a brand renowned for its radiance-inducing prowess, leaves behind the sheerest trail of dewiness. Bonus: Thanks to a cocktail of vitamin C, ginger and murumuru butter, it also hydrates and brightens.

best highlighter 2018
Becca Skin Love Glow Glaze Stick, $34, sephora.ca

 

If you want to go custom

Mix in a drop with your moisturizer or foundation for diffused luminosity or dab a pea-sized amount on the high points of your face for a strobed effect. The concentrated formula allows you to tailor your glow as you please.

best highlighter 2018
Cover FX Custom Enhancer drops in Halo, $52, coverfx.ca

 

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