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2 min read
From swipe-on stick formulas to golden creams to apply with your fingertips, these light-reflecting highlighters are the easiest route to dewy summer skin.
While sweaty commutes and liberally applied SPF can give skin a certain kind of summer glow, our favourite (and most reliable) shortcut to dewiness lies elsewhere. For a sheen that will last far beyond your morning bus journey, highlighter is the product we lean on.
Once dismissed as overly spangly – and avoided by lovers of natural-looking make-up – this fast-track product has undergone something of an image refresh in recent years. From finely milled powders that add the faintest dash of light-reflecting glow to creamy highlighting sticks made from plant oils that will give hydrated-looking dewiness, there’s a formula to suit every skin type.
Tap it onto your cheek bones, brow bones, just above your top lip and in the inner corners of your eyes for a perfect finishing touch. Wear alone over a bare face if you prefer your make-up on the minimal side or dab it on top of your foundation to revive it in the afternoon. Ready to give glow a go? Here’s our pick of the best highlighters to shop for summer…
RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
Dip your ring finger into this coconut oil-based highlighting balm and rub it into the high points of your face for a subtle gleam.
19/99 Beauty Cream Highlight Stick
In a handy stick that glides onto the skin, swipe this pink- or golden-toned cream highlighter in a c-shape around your cheek bones for an easy glow.
Refy Gloss Highlighter
Whether you apply it with your fingers or with a fluffy synthetic brush, this suits-all, subtle shimmer is a must for anyone with ambitions of glossy skin.
Shop Refy Gloss Highlighter, £18
Milk Makeup Highlighter
Coconut oil and mango butter prevent this highlighter stick from drying throughout the day; instead, it gives dewiness with longevity that can be applied directly onto the skin.
Glossier Haloscope
Glossier’s signature highlighting stick contains an inner core of nourishing oils that give a skincare-like glow, while subtle shimmer in the surrounding cream highlighter adds impact.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder
If cream and liquid highlighters aren’t for you, this lightweight, illuminating powder will give your skin a blurry finish while retaining its natural glow.
Rare Beauty Positive Liquid Light Luminizer
Add a few drops of this liquid highlighter to your foundation for an all-over sheen, or gently tap it onto the high points of your face to concentrate the dewy mixture where you want it most.
Shop Rare Beauty Positive Liquid Light Luminizer at Space NK, £24
Tower 28 Beauty Superdew Highlighter Balm
Designed to give skin a water-like gleam, this translucent balm contains no glitter or shimmer for the most real skin-like finish possible.
Shop Tower 28 Beauty Superdew Highlighter Balm at Cult Beauty, £19
Images: courtesy of brands
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