Sporting a fresh, glowing face every minute of every day sounds next to possible, particularly when you juggle several work and family responsibilities. Thankfully, highlighters, the illuminating makeup magic, were made. They are heaven-sent tools that let any woman achieve an instant glow wherever, whenever.
Whether you’re a veteran or a newbie in makeup, you can still learn one or two tips from the guide on how to apply highlighter for an instant glow below.
Where to Apply Highlighter
If contouring uses dark colors to deepen certain facial features and create a more chiseled look, highlighting is the opposite. It uses lighter colors that catch light such that the facial features become more prominent. So to speak, it accentuates your best features. Hence, in highlighting, you focus on the following high points of your face.
1. Center of the Forehead
Dab a good amount of product on the center of the forehead. It’s a focal point where light reflects. Highlighting this area instantly brightens up your entire face.
2. Brow Bones
Often, you judge a person tired or sad when his/her eyelids are droopy and heavy. It’s crucial you do not miss highlighting your brow bones as your eyes instantly pop when you accentuate them. You can use it alone or mixed with your eye shadow.
3. Inner Corners of Your Eyes
Another fool-proof way to immediately awaken tired eyes is to apply highlighter at the inner corners of your eyes. The shimmer also creates the illusion of having bigger eyes. You may trace your waterlines to appear like you have had full hours of sleep last night.
4. Nose Bridge
Besides its slimming effect, highlighting the bridge of your nose also contributes to brightening up your entire face. Your nose, along with your forehead, is a focal point, where light often reflects.
5. Cheekbones
Highlight the top of your cheekbones so that when light hits the area, your face illuminates and slims down in an instant. Squeeze in your lips to find your cheek bones, then blend the right amount of product on your face using sweeping motions.
6. Cupid’s Bow
You can choose whether to highlight just your cupid’s bow or the entire upper lip. Doing either of the two creates an illusion of a fuller lips. If you’re wearing lipstick, highlighting the entire outer line of the upper lip makes your lip color pop and prevents feathering or smudging.
Creative Ways to Use Highlighter
Apart from achieving an instant fresh look, applying highlighter brings forth a host of other benefits. Learn some creative highlighter uses that you can benefit from.
• Shaping Brows
Disarrayed brows can create a messy appearance. If you have been too busy to pluck your brows, here’s a quick solution for you – invest in a good highlighter pencil.
You can trace the upper and lower lines of your brows to conceal the errant hairs. Then you can blend the product with your fingers. In an instant, you get a cleaner and more sculpted brows that also add to the luminosity of your face.
• Softening Wrinkles
Your highlighter is your go-to wonder tool to soften your face wrinkles. You can fill in the lines and creases of your face using your highlighter pencil, then blend it with your fingers. This technique helps the lines appear less deep. And when you have less lines on your face, you radiate with youthful beauty.
• Concealing Dark Circles
Dark bags under the eyes can pull down your face and make you look tired and stressful. Use highlighter makeup to conceal annoying dark circles and puffy eye bags.
You can use highlighter powder or stick to do this. It is better if you can find an illuminating makeup infused with antioxidants to not only conceal but also treat your seemingly perennial dark circles.
• Preventing Lip Feathering
Feathering happens when the lipstick smudges or runs outside the lines of your lips. When this happens, your lips appear misshapen. You can prevent the unpleasant consequences of feathering when you apply highlighter or concealer around your lips.
• Creating Body Shimmers
You can combine highlighter with your body lotion to create an instant body shimmer. You can use it when you attend parties or go on casual dates. You can apply it on your shoulders, chest, and legs to flaunt your best body features. If you show up in parties glowing, you create a positive aura that attracts people.
Types of Highlighters
Highlighter makeup comes in many different formulas, ranging from subtle to full-on translucent white finishes. It also features a range of tones that fit different skin types.
Silver and white highlighter colors fit those with fair skin. Peach or any shade of pink blends well with medium skin tone, whereas copper or gold complements deep skin tone.
You can choose whether to use the powder, cream, or liquid. Powder highlighter, either pressed or loose, is buildable and appears more pigmented. It is recommended for those with oily skin. Meanwhile, cream or liquid highlighter gives you that desirable sheer and works well with dry skin.
Using Powder Highlighter
The basic rule in makeup is that powder comes on top of powder and cream or liquid on top of another cream or liquid product. That said, when using powder highlighter over liquid foundation, you need to apply that a layer of powder first. Use a small- or medium-sized brush for precise application. You want to target the high points of your face only.
Using Cream and Liquid Highlighter
Similarly, find a preferred cream or liquid base before applying your highlighter. This way, your makeup blends well and looks more natural. Then simply dot or dab a small amount on the face first and carefully blend the product with your fingers or a sponge. You can add more product along the way to achieve the desired effect.
With a quick touchup, your tired face turns instantly fresh and radiant. Keep your highlighters handy whenever you go – be it in the office or at a party.
Fun fact about Nicola: She owns a lot of sunscreens as she carries a mini sunscreen in each of her handbags and backpacks.
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