Liquid Highlighters and Illuminators

The best way to give your complexion an instant glow is to add a liquid highlighter/ illuminator to your makeup routine. Using the correct highlighter for your skin tone and the correct application method can give you a natural glow, making your skin healthier and younger looking.

I suggest matching  your undertone when choosing a colour, and going for those with very fine particles, as we do not want a sparkly face but rather a glowy one ;) 

And that's the best thing about liquid product, they rarely come with visible glitter particles.

My makeup routine is not complete without a bit of added glow. And over the years  I have tried and tested many highlighters, affordable and high end.

The best way to apply a liquid highlighter is by using your finger tips or a wet sponge. Highlighters can be worn under the foundation as a primer, mixed in with the foundation or over the foundation for spot highlighting. Really depends on what form they come in. To spot highlight you just choose the areas of your face you wish to lift or bring more attention to ("highlight"). Those areas are typically cheek bones, bridge or tip of the nose, brow bone, tear duct area, Cupid's bow and temples.

Not everyone has to or wants to highlight all the above. I myself only prefer going for an all over glow by mixing in with my foundation or just the cheek bones.

Here are some of the highlighters in my current rotations.....

Heavy swatches, from Left to right; Lush, Loreal, No7, Revlon, NYX, Rimmel, E.L.F  Persimmon, E.L.F Spotlight

Lush Feeling Younger Skin Tint is a cream product with an iridescent pearly sheen. It is an ideal highlighter for all skin tone as it has a mixture of tones (gold, pink, pearly white). This has been one of my favourite cheek highlighters for years.

Loreal Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer is a very white liquid product. It is meant to be used as a primer, under the foundation. However, I've used this mixed with my foundation as well as under it. This primer not only gives your skin an all over glow but keeps the foundation fresh throughout the day.

No7 Skin Illuminator (Radiance boosting fluid) by Boots is a pink fluid, best used mixed in with the foundation. This product can also be used without makeup, applied just over your moisturiser.

Revlon Photo Ready Skin Lights in the colour 100 Bare Lights. This is a peachy illuminator, with pink and gold iridescence. I use it also mixed in with my foundation. This is a good colour for deeper skin tones.

NYX Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator in the colour Gleam is a very pigmented pink highlighter. It is slightly too dark for me. I use it when I'm after both a glowy and bronzed look. I would not recommend this colour for very light skin tones.

Rimmel Good To Glow Highlighter in the colour 003 Soho Glow is a gorgeous champagne highlighter/ illuminator. I believe it is relatively new to the market and comes in three colours. I mostly enjoy this on my non makeup days. I would simply apply it over my moisturiser for an all over glow.

Yes I'm an all over glow kinda girl ;)

E.L.F All Over Colour stick in the colour Persimmon is a shimmery pink cream stick. This was one of my very first cream highlighters and continued to use it. I only use this as a cheek highlighter.

E.L.F All Over Colour Stick in the colour Spotlight is a matte cream coloured stick. It is ideal for those wanting to brighten or give themselves a dewy look with out the shimmer. Not suitable for dark skin tones.

Heavy swatches, from left to right; EL, Benefit, Becca Pearl, Becca Champagne Gold, Becca Opal

Estee Lauder Illuminating Perfecting Primer is a pearly iridescent cream product, with a slightly thicker consistency. I only use it under the foundation, as its meant to be used. This primer does more than give you a glow but it also provides a very polished look to your skin.

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl is a very pink primer. Although I haven't noticed any difference in the foundation "staying power", it certainly provides a beautiful natural glow.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors in the colours Pearl (white), Champagne gold (yellow) and the very famous Opal (pink). These are by far my favourite highlighters to date, nothing else compares. These can provide subtle glows or can be built up to give you intense highlights mirror-like finish.

All of these should be suitable for all skin tones, it all depends on your undertone and the amount of product used. I have medium fair complexion with a very yellow undertone, but that doesn't stop me from using pinks or whites. Having said all that, the most safest bet would be to go for a champagne colour, which would suit any skin tones.

I will soon have a post on powder highlighters. For now, hope this was helpful :)

**I am not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned on this post. These are products I have purchased myself and enjoy using**

Sleek I-Quad Moroccan Myrrh

I am a sleek fan to the core. Sleek has never disappointed me, especially with their eyeshadow palettes and blushers. So when I saw this quad I had to try it out. 

This quad comes with three eyeshadows and a liner. The compact also has a very generous sized and useful mirror, it also has two mini brushes (sponge and angle), which I'm not too fond of. This range also has two other quads, a blue quad (limited edition) and a black/ silver quad. I decided to just stick with the brown (Moroccan Myrrh).

These quads are ideal for travelling, and at the price of £5.99 you just cant go wrong.

Swatches with no base. From left to right; Medina, Arabia, Sahara Dune and Asilah

• Medina (Eyeliner) is a very reddish dark brown creamy product. It is more a maroon than it is brown, in my opinion. The texture is very sleek, almost an oily look and feel to it, however, not greasy. This eyeliner is a beautiful product, which is also easy to work with. The only downside to it is that the liner does not set, and can eventually fade. However, even if it does fade, it leaves a stain behind. I have also enjoyed wearing this as a cream shadow and as a base for powder shadows. Once this cream product is set with a powder shadow it sets well, and stays put.

• Arabia is a matte cool brown shadow, very buttery and pigmented. The quality is comparable to that of MUG shadows. This brown can be used as an all over lid colour for a smokey look, for deepening the crease or a blending colour for deeper skin tones. It can also double as a brow colour for those with dark hair. This is definitely my favourite shadow from this quad.

• Sahara Dune is very pretty cool tone shimmery taupe colour. It does have a bit of fall out and is slightly "chunky" and requires building. The texture to me is very similar to that of MACs lustre finish eyeshadows. I recommend a base for this shadow.

• Asilah is a typical champagne with a similar texture to Sahara, and also requires a lot of building. I would also suggest a base to go with this shadow, but does well as a highlighter.

All three eyeshadows with the eyeliner as the base. from left to right; Medina on its own, Arabia, Sahara Dune and Asilah over the cream product

To conclude I would say that the shadows perform well with a base, particularly over that eyeliner (Medina), as it gives a beautiful warm, reddish/ plumish hue to the shade. As for the the eyeliner, it is a beautiful colour but performs best as a base. I have not experience any creasing with this product once its been set with eyeshadow, but its always best to use a primer first.

Arabia is the only shadow that performs well with or without a base, and is multifunctional.

So is it worth £5.99? Yes it is!

Hope this was a helpful review. 

Thank you for stopping by :)

Disclaimer: **I am not affiliated with the brand mentioned on this post. I have purchased this product myself and enjoy using it**