NARS ‘CAPRI’ HIGHLIGHTING POWDER
As a satin formula, the NARS Highlighting Powders are exceptionally smooth with no shimmer whatsoever. Although buildable, their formula isn’t overbearing – this natural highlighter gives the skin a gorgeous, healthy glow, which can be intensified on the cheeks without looking cakey, powdery or dry. Alternatively, with a fluffy brush, the powder can be dusted across the whole face to amp up your complexion’s radiance.
The shade ‘Capri’ is a light nude pink. An alternative shade is ‘Fort de France’, which is a light nude. ‘Albatross’, I find, is too icy to be classified as a ‘seamless, natural glow’ highlighter.
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DIOR ‘002 PINK GLOW’ DIORSKIN NUDE LUMINIZER
The Diorskin Nude Luminizer in the shade 002 Pink Glow is a more intense alternative to the Highlighting Powders from NARS. While it’s also void of shimmer and gives the skin a hydrated, smooth look, its reflectiveness is much stronger – and a little goes a long way, so be sure to use a light hand. When it hits the light, it has an almost cream-like element to it.
In comparison to ‘Capri’ by NARS, ‘002 Pink Glow’ is more icy with a cool pink shine. It’s a beautiful shade for all year round, but especially throughout the winter months. As it was my first ever highlighter, it holds a special place in my heart, and I’m so happy to say that it’s still one of my all-time favourite formulas.
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HOURGLASS AMBIENT STROBE LIGHTING POWDERS
If you’re tentative when it comes to highlighter, then the Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders may be your answer. With a unique formulation, these highly undetectable powders will allow your skin to glow in the most natural way possible.
If you try to swatch these powders, you’ll get nowhere. Instead, take a fluffy brush (such as MAC’s 137s Long Blending Brush) and glide your colour of choice across your cheekbones, building up the layers lightly until you’re happy with the level of intensity. When the powder hits the light, you’ll see a beautiful natural glow which is completely undetectable when in shadow. While it contains the finest amount of shimmer, trust me, it’s not a problem. It’s my secret weapon to no-makeup makeup.
My favourite shade is ‘Incandescent Strobe Light’, which is a cool nude with a mauve undertone. I’ve recently picked up ‘Iridescent Strobe Light’, which is warmer and more blushy in tone, but comes off much lighter on the skin than it does in the pan.
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NATASHA DENONA ‘I NEED A NUDE GLOW’ HIGHLIGHTER
As the most golden-toned highlighter in my collection, I still categorise Natasha Denona’s ‘I Need A Nude Glow’ as natural and seamless on my complexion because it isn’t too warm. With a fluffy highlighting brush, I can dust a light layer across my cheekbones, diffusing the colour which fuses beautifully with my bronzer for a summertime glow (Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Bronzer in ‘Fair’ is my go-to). It’s a fantastic option if you primarily wear warm tones on your eyes or prefer a warmer, more peach blush.
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SPECIAL MENTION: JACLYN COSMETICS ‘BRIGHTEN UP’ MOOD LIGHT LUMINOUS POWDER
While this stunning, illuminating face powder isn’t available at the moment, I wanted to give it a shout-out as it really is one of my all-time favourite products. With a versatile formula, like the Hourglass Strobe Lighting Powders, it can be either dusted across the whole face to boost your skin’s radiance, or intensified on the cheekbones for a stronger, but still natural glow. Unlike the Strobe Powders from Hourglass, Jaclyn’s Mood Light Powders are loose and don’t contain shimmer whatsoever, instead having a pure satin formula.
Due to being a loose powder, to intensify the product across your cheekbones, you’ll require a smaller, more dense highlighting brush, such as Sigma Beauty’s F03 High Cheekbone Highlighter brush. This will collect the product and disperse it across a smaller surface area on your skin. As these Mood Light Powders are so finely milled, they won’t leave a cast or look cakey.
I currently only own the shade Brighten Up, which is a gorgeous nude pink. These seriously need to be brought back to the market ASAP – I’ll be buying backups when they do.
What’s your favourite powder highlighter of all time?
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