Highlighter Face Off
If you saw my last post and current beauty haul I mentioned showcasing a few products and couldn’t wait to show you all my favorites! Highlighter is definitely having a much deserved moment in 2016. Ever see someone and think, wow their cheekbones look amazing! Chances are they’ve done some highlighting and contouring.
Highlighting and contouring are two of my favorite techniques to apply when doing makeup on myself and others. Just a few swipes of dark or light color in the right spots can completely change and elevate your face shape.
After doing some research [see Spring Beauty Haul post for how I plan for a shopping trip] and trying several products in store, I decided on these two.
Benefit Watt’s Up! – Cream to powder highlighter vs Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone
At first glance, I thought Watt’s Up would be the clear winner based on it being cream (aka lasting longer) with a beautiful shiny finish. I liked the stick application and blender on the end for precise highlighting while still being blendable.
However, after applying on myself (a fair red head with green eyes) and my roommate who is several shades tanner with dark hair, the overall takeaway was this product came off very orange and thick. We both have different skin types (mine is acne prone with larger pores, hers is smoother) but the product on both of our cheeks looked thick and accentuated any imperfections. Even after using the blender to smooth, it still left a thick line on the face, the opposite of how luminous a highlighter should look.
Winner: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector
Luckily I wasn’t disappointed twice; the Becca highlighter turned out to be everything I had been looking for! I went with Moonstone due mostly to the fact that I am fair skinned and several of the other tones (including Champagne Pop) looked too dark or golden on my face.
I’ve played around with applying this iridescent shimmer all over my face (wetting an eye shadow brush and applying to my lids and brow bone, using a contour brush for more concentrated shimmer on forehead and cheekbones) and I love the overall glow it creates!
My only negative is I do feel like it can fade by mid day due to my oily skin. Luckily because the powder is so lightweight, I can reapply after touching up with my Cover FX powder first to absorb any oil and once again create a glowing flawless look!
Have a highlighter you love and think I should try? Share it in the comments below!
Stay tuned for my next product review post: Battle of the Bronzers