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@sricccc18 Partly depends on the highlighter shade range you're looking for (golds, champagnes, silvers, coppers, roses, etc.), formula type you prefer (powder, cream/liquid, cream stick, oil), and whether you want a subtle or blinding highlight. But I'll list the ones I currently reach for most often.
My current favorite highlighter is Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Sublime Skin Highlighter, shade Lunar Nude. I didn't want to list highlighters you can't buy anymore, in case you want to purchase one, but I cannot leave one this off my list. For me, it’s PMG’s best gel powder highlighter. It blends out seamlessly and melts into my skin, giving me a sparkling (but not chunky glittery) moonlit glow. It’s magic in a pan. Hopefully PMG will bring it back in the future.
Another sparkly option is rms beauty Mini Living Luminzer Glow Face & Body Powder 0.14oz / 4g. This loose powder highlighter's not a blinding glitter bomb but it is sparkly: it contains some fine glittery pinpoints. It also melts into my skin and is surprisingly easy to blend.
Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Elevated Glow, shade Solar Light is a cream highlighter that’s sparklier than I expected, but not a glitter bomb. It’s easy to work with: blends out well and can be built up. Looks almost natural on my skin despite the subtle sparkles.
UOMA Salute To The Sun Face & Body Highlighter, shade Quartz Glow is a recent release. This cream highlighter can be built up to a bold highlight if wanted, and a little goes a very long way with this one.
To bounce light off the shadows of my hollow tear troughs, or when I want a soft subtle highlight elsewhere, I often reach for
NARS Highlighting Powder St. Barths
or Fort de France. I also have the shade Maldives which is a rosy highlight. NARS’s powder highlighters are dependable performers: they apply very softly, blend easily, and last for hours on my skin. They’re not glittery/sparkly at all.
Melt’s powder highlighters aren’t as easy to blend out as NARS’s, but I like to pair them with blush or other highlighters and sometimes use 'em as eyeshadows.
Melt Cosmetics Blushlight Ghostlight
is the brightest of the few I own. Melt Cosmetics Digital Dust Highlight Pink Moon and Stargazer are more subtle.
Swatches on my "medium-deep" skin tone:
Spoiler
Each swatch is either brush or finger blended. Photos taken in my bathroom lighting with a bit of temperature adjustment for color correction (my bathroom lighting is overly warm).
Each swatch is either brush or finger blended. Photos taken in my bathroom lighting with a bit of temperature adjustment for color correction (my bathroom lighting is overly warm).Honorable mentions:
Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder Pink Glow
and PMG Lunar Nude are near dupes. BB’s also melts into my skin, though not quite as well as PMG’s. No Pink Glow swatch because mine broke (I dropped it). 😞 This reminds me to try the Peach Glow shade soon.
Hourglass Ambient® Strobe Lighting Powder
can be used as a highlighter. My favorite shade is Incandescent Light. But my favorite product to brighten the center of my face is
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Collection Brilliant Nude
: it gives me an ethereal glow without looking too sparkly.
And the brightest, most blinding highlighters I've ever used are Black Moon Cosmetics Moonlighters. They're especially fun if you want an "unconventional" highlight shade.
