Five More Luminous Loves

I'm a highliter junkie. Apparantly there's a new technique called "strobing" taking over the internet, which is literally just highlighting the high points of your face. If I had to choose between highlighter and contour/bronzer, it would definitely be adding some shimmer and shine to my cheekbones. I tend to prefer ones that are heavy on the shimmer while still looking natural. I've been playing with these five in the past few months and here's the report.

Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Highlight. This is amazing. I actually got it at the end of last summer, played with it for a while, then rediscovered it when shopping my stash. Although it says "matte radiance", there's definitely a good amount of shimmer in this. It's weightless on the skin, doesn't emphasize pores, and is HUGE (good luck ever hitting pan).

Essence Cinderlla Highlighter. It's so disappointing when a brand (minimally) available in the US releases gorgeous limited edition collections exclusive to other countires. I got this on ebay and it was about $10, and shipping took about a week and a half. I'm a big believer in scouring ebay because you can often find products not available in your country for still affordable prices. This is a cooler, pinky toned highlight, with a gorgeous rose design on the packaging. It's also quite large and the pink doesn't translate to the skin.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light. Although these are a luxury item, they can double as an all-over face powder, so you're really getting two products for one. I love Diffused Light, a pale yellow powder to diminish redness. This can be built up on the cheekbones for a subtle highlight to make your skin look lit from within. If you use a light enough hand, it can be an all-over faced powder brightening up dull skin.

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Ballerina and Gilded Honey. These are having their moment in the spotlight -- it took me a couple weeks to find them in stock (check out Beauty.com, Ulta, or DermStore). Ballerina is more similar to my skin tone, while Gilded Honey is a more golden color. These are unique for their texture -- they're baked as a liquid, almost feel like a cream, but apply as a powder. There's no visible shimmer, but they look extremely luminous and glowy on the skin (how many words can you use to describe highlighters before you sound repetitive?).

Laura Mercier, Essence, Laura Geller Ballerina, Laura Geller Gilded Honey, Hourglass

I also just got my Gerard Cosmetics Star Powders in the mail yesterday, so I just swatched and played but didn't have time to include them in the post. They're absolutely GORGEOUS and might just be my new all-time favorites. Let me know if you want to see a post on them!