Top 5 Highlighters

Continuing my top five picks, here are my top five picks for highlighters.  Strobing is all the rage right now since winter time is just around the corner, everyone is starting to stray away from the heavy contouring and into the more natural option. Face products have become the beauty products I now splurge a little bit more on rather then eyeshadow ever since I have converted my beauty routine more into the Korean style, focusing more on everyday skincare and more natural looking make up.  To achieve that extra glow, highlighters are a must!  From powder, cream to liquid, highlighters are the finish touch.  Here are my five highlighters I always turn to, let’s get started or else I’ll keep on babbling. ミ●﹏☉ミ

First pick, hourglass ambient lighting powder in Ethereal light of course!  This product was also chosen in my top five high end essentials, I just love it that much!  Just like why everyone in the planet loves this product, Hourglass’s ambient powders are finely milled, and somehow gives the skin the perfect balance between powdered but still skin like with a subtle glow. I use this to set my whole face very lightly, then going back and using it right above my cheeks and chin for that subtle highlight.  I have tried the other shades they offer, but only Ethereal light looks natural on my pale, yellow undertone skin.  In real life, the powder is a very pale pastel yellowish white, not anything like the product’s picture on the Sephora website.

Although this powder is $45 USD, I think it is well worth every penny considering how well the product works and how much you actually get.  I have had this for two years now and still haven’t made a dent.  Granted I didn’t use it everyday, but still!! Dang.. I’m going to have to work hard and finish it up haha.

Hopefully you can see what I’m talking about when I say it gives a life like, subtle glow. If you look at the top right of the back of my hand, you can see that it is slightly lighter then the rest of my hand and there is this brightened glow. So nice! (◍•ᴗ•◍).  I usually don’t fall for heavily raved beauty products that a lot of big Youtubers since I know it is usually a marketing scheme, however it does make me a bit more curious and more likely to check out the product.  When I was in Sephora, one of the girls working there applied some on one side of my face and I really saw a difference and was sold on the spot. This product is really life changing and you would not settle for less after experiencing this magic.

Second pick is the ever so popular, MAC mineralized skin finish in soft and gentle.  This is also another well loved highlighter in the beauty community.  I don’t really gravitate to MAC as a brand since they have way too many collections in a month, making it impossible to keep up so I just give up from being too overwhelmed.  Only reason why I have this is because I came across this in the OCC for a discounted price of $22 and told myself why not!  A lot of people love this product and I want to know why.  Plus I’m Asian, I can’t pass a good deal. 

In the pan, it doesn’t look like anything special until you swatch it and use it on your face.  Then it is life changing, and I’m not one to like glittery things on my face too!

I was hesitate getting this highlighter because it is so shimmery.  I like my highlighters usually with a sheen finish, or a natural glowy finish but not glittery or shimmery.  Glitter to me is like a curse.  If it gets on my skin, it will stay there for days!!  I only like glitter sometimes on my eyes, but that is also very rarely.

After using it, I can see why girls go nuts for this shade.  My first time using it, I was unsure but I told myself I already bought it so might as well use it.  While walking in the mall, I looked at my own reflection and said “Wow, my skin look like it is glowing, like I just came out from a heavy rain storm into the mall and didn’t wipe off the water.”  That doesn’t sound attractive at al HAHA.  

Trust me when I say this is beautiful, the picture does not do it justice.  Go into the MAC store, dab a little on your cheek bones and the tip of your nose, and you’ll thank me. (•́⌄•́๑)૭✧

Second highlighter pick is from the face shop called “lovely me-EX you & face blusher in 01 pink glow”.  I don’t have much experience with the face shop as we only recently got their physical store back in the mall.  I remember they had a couple the face shops back when I was in high school but they close down, maybe from low sales.  I was so excited when I saw the face shop opened while just randomly strolling around, I shrieked like a little girl.  I had to get something for the special occasion, so I picked this up.  This was only $6 or $7 too so very affordable.

Looks pretty boring in the pan…

This highlighter is a light pink shade with purple and pink iridescent which I usually name fairy dust since it reminds me of fairies for some odd reason.  Honestly this shade of highlighter you can find anywhere, but this one from the face shop has a decent texture, and pigmentation and very affordable.

Very nice and subtle glow. ٩(♡ε♡ )۶My fourth pick is surprisingly the NARS Christopher Kane limited edition multiple in Violet Atom.  I didn’t think I would like this as much as I do, but I fell in love in store when I swatched it on the back on my hand.  

Not only is this product that lavender color I like, it actually doesn’t swatch to be lavender.  In the tube, it look like this crazy 80’s purple, but it is actually very iridescent with a mix of very fine lime green, light blue, gold, and purple shimmers giving the face a very wet and dewy look.

Why I like lavender colours is because it brightens my yellow undertone. Sadly I don’t really like the texture of this multiple stick.  The finish isn it sticky as it is not creamy, however the weird formula reminds me of playdough. Running it over my cheeks is almost impossible since it would sometimes skip, so I end up just using my finger to dab it on my face to highlight.  Despite the annoying texture, I still really love this product and have not come across anything else with the same lavender undertone and the unique mix of fine shimmers.  Wish they could keep this as a permanent product but please fix the crappy formula.

The last product is a no brainer, Becca shimmering skin perfector. I actually got this for Christmas from my boyfriend’s sisters.  I don’t know how they knew I really wanted this but I couldn’t justify it since I had so many other highlighters I was satisfied with already.  I was super excited to get this and I tried it right away, wondering why the rest of the world is so obsessed with this product.

Now I can see why, this liquid highlighter somehow blends into the skin really nicely and the super duper fine shimmers makes the skin low like it is glowing.  I choose the shade Opal since I found the other shades don’t work that well for my skin tone.  It is either too bronzey or too orange, opal is just right :).  If I ever get through this mini tube, I will definitely get the full size.

That is all for my top five highlighters.  I tried my best this time to not pick limited edition ones but I couldn’t help it with the NARS one, it is just too darn pretty!  If any of you guys know any possible dupes of the Nars Violet Atom, let me know in the comments down below.

What are your top five favourite highlighters?  What are brands in your countries that has amazing highlighters.  Let me know, I love learning what other countries have available for them.

Follow me on my social media platforms to see what I’m doing and what I’m getting in the mail :D.  Mail time is always fun time for me. ⊂(^(工)^)⊃
Bloglovin: www.bloglovin.com/christinahello
FB: www.facebook.com/xtinahello
Instagram: @christinahello
Twitter: www.twitter.com/xtina_hello
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/xtina_hello