The Best Face Highlighters

best of the best face highlighters for strobing

Consider me FULLY aboard the shimmer train. I’m ALL about that-no-sun-glow look, friends! And if you’re into looking effortlessly fabulous (um, who isn’t?!), then you’ll probably appreciate this here little round up of the best of the best face highlighters to give you a radiant shimmer, giving your face that real-life instagram filter look.

Between smokey eye disasters and major contouring #fails (more on that to come!), I’ve found my “happy place” in the trendy new makeup scene a la highlighting and illuminating. It’s basically just a hack for looking sun-kissed and awesome like all the models in the magazines (or on insta) – you know, that effortless “glow” they just seem to casually walk around with?

There’s a secret to the “glow” and it’s called a highlighter, my friends.  And given my recent obsession with shimmery things for my face, I’ve taken it upon myself to try just about every single product product on the market (or at least the ones people are raving about) to figure out which ones work the best. Now granted, everyone has different skin types and tones but I’d be willing to argue I’ve become quite the illuminator connoisseur over the past year-ish. Lucky for you, I’m documenting my findings below by way of reporting my favorite highlighters thus far – the creme of the highlighter crop!

Plus, since this whole “shimmery face” look has become a full-fledged THING, who’s got time to sift through all the products out there any way? That’s where I come in! Hopefully, you can agree with me on one (or a few!) of these products. If you’ve tried them, let us know! What did you think? And are there any that I for SURE missed? I know off the top of my head there are a few that I really should have tried out before posting this, but I wanted to go ahead and get you the info on what I’ve learned thus far nonetheless! Now let’s get started…

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Nars Illuminator ‘Copacabana’

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1. NARS Liquid Illuminator

Color: ‘Copacabana’ // Price: $30

This is such a pretty highlight for anyone – whether your skin is super fair or fairly tan, it’ll look great and give you just the right amount of a high-shine finish. When applied over your everyday makeup,  it gives your skin a dewy shine that can be applied all over your face or just o your “highlight areas” (i.e., cheek bones, nose, etc.) I love it for everyday mixed in with a little bb cream.  It’ll give your face a healthy glow without looking like you’re trying too hard (#score!) All in all, you can’t go wrong with this one! PS – it also comes in a multipurpose stick if you prefer to use that!

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MAC Eyeshadow ‘Kitschmas’

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2. MAC Pigment Eyeshadow

Color: ‘‘Kitschmas’ ‘ // Price: $22

If you are looking for super dramatic and outstanding, this is the one for you. One of my favorite things about this eyeshadow is that it can be doubled as a highlighter as well (#TwoBirds). I would personally wear this more for going out or a dressier cocktail attire occasion since it is quite a lot of shimmer. Overall, it reflects lot of light and works well as a highlight on your cupids bow. You have to rub it into the skin a bit more to make it more natural and will see small flecks of shimmer all through out.

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MAC Mineralize Finish ‘Soft & Glow’

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3. MAC Cosmetics Mineralize

Color: ‘‘Soft & Glow’ ‘ // Price: $33

I love love love this one, ya’ll like it is the best highlighting for your cheek bones. It is a little bit dramatic, so it definitely stands out against the skin all while giving you the most beautiful sun kissed glow. I have been using this on repeat and i think it has made a huge difference in accentuating my face.

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Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder ‘Bronze Glow’

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4. Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder

Color: ‘‘Bronze Glow’ ‘ // Price: $46

This one is by far the darkest of them all and gives you the perfect bronzed glow. It definitely compliments any grade of tan and is great for highlighting  all over the face rather than just just your cheek bones. As it’s darker in color, I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with fair skin as I would imagine it’d probably look a bit too harsh. PS – I also love using BB’s shimmer brick as a highlighter from time to time and love how it looks!

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Hourglass ‘Ambient’ Lighting Palette

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5. Hourglass Lighting Palette

Color: ‘Ambient‘ ‘ // Price: $62

The Ambient lighting palette contains not just a highlighter, but a bronzer and shimmery-bronze highlighter too. With 3 options, you can use it to create all different kinds of looks, which is nice! But more specifically I want to discuss the incandescent highlighter within the set, which is the true “highlighter” among the three. It’s pretty subtle, but gives your skin a soft sheen, leaving your cheeks looking pleasantly sun-kissed and radiant.

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That’s all I’ve got for today, friends! Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted to only highlight (ha! pun most definitely intended) the best of the best and keep it simple. I realize I didn’t include any of the drug store options, so I’ll be looking to see if y’all have any suggestions in the comments below. (side note – I KNOW I need to try the Becca products! I included a few in the shoppable product boutique below that I’ve heard great things about!)

Maybe I should do another post on similar options for less? But regardless, I wanted to report my findings!

The Best Highlighters for your face

Shop The Post:

Nars Illuminator ‘Copacabana’ // MAC Eyeshadow ‘Kitschmas’ // MAC Mineralize Finish ‘Soft & Glow’ // Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder ‘Bronze Glow’ // Hourglass ‘Ambient’ Lighting Palette

What did ya think?! And again, please weigh in on your favorites! Have you tried any of these? How did it/they work for YOU?!

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