Ask anybody what their desert island beauty product would be and chances are they’d probably say something practical, like lip balm, or something that can make you look more awake, like mascara. Not me though. I think, given the choice, mine would be a highlighter.

I love the way a highlighter can illuminate my skin, the way it can make me look alive and glowy. I’m quite specific about the sorts of products that make their way into my everyday make-up bag though: I like a neutral undertone (ie nothing too frosty or too pink) and I don’t like anything that has obvious specks of glitter. I feel like that’s exactly what takes a highlighter straight out of grown-up, expensive-looking territory and catapults it straight into the realms of childish make-up, and that’s really not the sort of finish I’m after. 

I also usually prefer a cream texture because they melt into skin better, giving a more natural-looking finish – but sometimes a powder product will come along and make me think that, actually, maybe I prefer them. And that’s exactly what happened when I was introduced to Laura Mercier’s RoseGlow Highlighting Powder, £26.

The standout product from the brand’s just-launched limited edition collection (alongside it is six new Caviar Stick Eye Shadows, a true Laura Mercier fan-favourite product), it’s formulated with super-finely milled, light-reflecting pearls that blend beautifully into skin, giving it a lit-from-within glow that lasts all day. 

I apply it as the last step in my make-up routine, using a small powder brush (the exact one I use is the 08 from the Katie Jane Hughes x Spectrum collection.) I apply it along the top of my cheekbones, dusting any excess up and around onto my forehead. It immediately adds an extra dimension to any look, and because it’s the perfect shade of neutral it just blends into my skin and catches the light beautifully.

I also love the shades of the Caviar Stick Eye Shadows in this collection; in the above picture I scribbled the shade Strike A Rose directly onto the middle of my eyelid and then blended it over and out, and then underneath my lower lash line for a bit of added definition. I finished with a slick of brown mascara and that was it – the easiest subtle smoky eye, done in record time. 

Images: Laura Mercier / Lucy Partington