TOP 12 BEST HIGHLIGHTER MAKE UP
The highlight of every make up collection? A good highlighter that adds an instant shot of radiance to your complexion.
But with so many options available, we’re talking liquids, creams, powders and palettes, it can get overwhelming deciphering which is the best highlighter make up for you. Applied over the cheekbones, above the cupid's bow, down the bridge of your nose or under your brows, the options – and possibilities – are endless when it comes to the best highlighter make up.
So, regardless of your skin tone or texture, here at Cult Beauty, we’ve rounded up the 12 best highlighter make up options so you can discover your next gleam-granting staple.
In This Article:
- The Best Highlighter Sticks
- The Best Liquid Highlighters
- The Best Powder Highlighters
- The Best Cream Highlighters
- The Best Highlighter Drops
- The Best Highlighter Palettes
- The Best Highlighter Makeup FAQs
THE BEST HIGHLIGHTER STICKS
240
£44.00
A fan of glass skin? Westman Atelier’s Lit Up Highlighter Stick is the creamy highlighter that imparts a natural, glossy and reflective finish that isn’t glittery or shimmery. With a gel-like texture that melts into your complexion, this skin care infused must-have nourishes, soothes, hydrates and protects against environmental aggressors.
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9
£50.00
For something pearlescent and indulgent, look to Pat McGrath Lab’s Skin Fetish: Highlighter and Balm Duo. Gliding seamlessly over skin, this gleam-giver leaves a buildable sheen of luminosity you can level up to however dewy you desire . With a transparent gel-based formula crafted from argan oil and hyaluronic acid, it leaves your complexion looking healthy, hydrated and brilliantly glowy.
BEST LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER
34
£22.50
Make your chiselled cheeks pop with Benefit’s High Beam liquid highlighter. A multitasking marvel, this is of the best highlighter make up products adored by the beauty-obsessed. Self-proclaimed as a ‘supermodel in a bottle’, its pink hue offers skin a subtly shimmery sign off that blends into skin instantly. Mix with your foundation, wear alone or over your base products, to add a dose of definition to your brow bone, nose bridge and cheeks. It’s time to rival Kate Moss.
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13
£22.00
For something more sheer (but buildable), Danessa Myrick’s The Vision Flush Glow in the shade ‘Femme’ is the radiance-revealing skin-enhancer for the ultimate, glitter-free glow. Smoothing your complexion wherever it’s places, this pearl-pigmented potion delivers a radiant, natural-looking finish that’s opaque but intensely vibrant.
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BEST POWDER HIGHLIGHTER
49
£68.00
A list of the best highlighter make up options that doesn’t include Hourglass’s Ambient Lighting Palette is a travesty. Inspired by soft lighting sources (think: candles or sunlight), this petal soft palette is powered by innovative Photoluminescent Technology that cleverly builds a multi-dimensional glow. Easy to use and seamlessly blendable, it offers your complexion a soft-focus finish that’s undetectable and understated.
29
£32.00
Want something bold and dramatic? Fenty Beauty’s Diamond Bomb All Over Diamond Veil is what you should reach for. Crafted from superfine 3D sparkles and in a unique, cold-to-the-touch jelly-like powder, this multi-faceted highlighter imparts skin with an intense, diamond-dusted sign off you can use everywhere from your face to your body and hair.
BEST CREAM HIGHLIGHTER
168
£22.00
Prefer a two-fer? Saie hello to Saie’s Glow Sculpt Multi Use Cream Highlighting Blush — the hybrid hero that is part blush part radiance-booster. Featuring a buildable, creamy formula that melts into your skin, this hydrating hero is packed with nourishing kukui oil that softens and smooths while delivering a flush-worthy shade...sans any shimmer.
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2
£28.00
For a one-and-done dewy finish, 19/99 Beauty’s Cream Highlight Stick is the mess-free formula you can swipe on when on the go. Lightweight and crafted with a unique waxy texture, this is one of the best highlighter make up options that blends into skin for a long-lasting, second-skin sign off that instantly refracts light.
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BEST HIGHLIGHTER DROPS
13
£34.00
Grant your complexion an ethereal glow with Pai Skincare’s The Impossible Glow Bronze Highlighting Drops. Laced with light-scattering pigments, lemon-derived vitamin C and dew-boosting hyaluronic acid, this glow-giver not only leaves skin with a luminous finish but brightens, hydrates protects against free-radicals and ensures your complexion looks visibly smoother, firmer and more radiant.
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89
£33.00
If defending your complexion is your number one goal, let us introduce you to Ultra Violette’s Queen Screen SPF50 Illuminating Super Glow Drops. A 2-in-1 solution, this skin saviour not only protects against UVA and UVB rays but also grants complexions with an enviable sheen you can customise to your needs. Wear alone, mixed with foundation or blended into your favourite SPF.
BEST HIGHLIGHTER PALETTE
13
£38.00
Staring four cream shades that impart a glossy sheen on skin, RMS Beauty’s Living Luminizer Glow Quad Mini is the ideal solution for when at home... or away. Creamy and ultra blendable, this foursome features a blush pink shade, an ultra-sheer iteration, and everything in between. Powered by antioxidant-rich vitamin E and a blend of coconut oil and caster seed oil, this powerhouse palette nourishes skin while delivering mega-watts of glow.
1
£60.00
For a fast-track to radiance, Charlotte Tilbury’s Glowgasm Face Palette is the one-stop-shop to bronze, brighten and define. Melting into skin, these creamy powders can be used alone or mixed together for a seamless, blurring effect that enhances your features from your cupids bow and the inner corner of your eye to your cheeks, nose, decolletage and more.
THE BEST HIGHLIGHTER MAKE UP FAQS
How do I choose the right highlighter?
The best way to choose the right highlighter for your skin is to first determine your skin tone, undertone and desired finish. Generally, those with fair to light skin should reach for champagne, pearl or pinks. Medium skin tones work best with gold, peach or rose gold shades. And then deeper skin tones? Bronze, copper or deep gold hues.
Should I get powder or liquid highlighter?
Again, this depends on your skin type. Those with drier skin types tend to prefer liquid or cream highlighters as these are more hydrating and often feel weightless. If you have an oilier skin type than a powder is best as it lasts longer on your skin and is easier to layer over foundation and powder.
What are the 2 types of highlighters?
The two main types of highlighters are liquid and powder. Both offer different finishes and work best for different occasions. In general, powder highlighter is applied with a brush and offers a shimmery, radiant finish that works best with oilier skin. Liquid highlighters on the other hand are more natural and work best when applied with fingers or beauty blenders. Those with drier or more mature skin may prefer a liquid highlighter as it feels more like a serum on the skin and blends more seamlessly.
So, whether you're after a lit-from-within sheen or a high-impact beam, the best highlighter make up is guaranteed to bring all your looks to life.
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Rina is Cult Beauty’s Midweight SEO Copywriter and has always had a passion for beauty and skin care (rich moisturisers are her obsession). What started as a love for The Body Shop and their famed Born Lippy lip balms (in ‘Watermelon’ of course!), she is now more interested in finding products with proven effectiveness instead of broken promises. A loud and proud VIEVE fan, Rina owns nearly every item of the range and recommends the brand to anyone who will listen... When she’s not intently reading ingredient lists, you can find her either immersed in multiple true crime podcasts or a fantasy romance novel, with an *extra* hot cappuccino in hand.
