The fastest way to get an added radiance boost
First came contouring, then came the best highlighter in every shade, finish and intensity imaginable.
With so many on the beauty market, it can be overwhelming to know which is the best highlighter for you to stock up on.
Read on as the Marie Claire beauty team chart the latest and greatest formulas, from liquids to powders and everything in between.
Best drugstore highlighter
NYX Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powder, £9, Boots
NYX makes some of the best highlighters you’ll get your hands on for under a tenner, available in rosy blush and bronze finishes. Don’t be put off by the blue shade – it adds a bright, silvery, ethereal glow that’s out of this world. Collect them all!
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Best highlighter palettes
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, £59, Space NK
When it comes to the best highlighter palettes, Hourglass users are rarely (read: never) disappointed. Their Amibent Lighting Palette gives skin a gleam in different blushing shades and makes it instantly look five times healthier, whatever the weather. Dust all over for a radiant glow or apply to cheekbones to make your whole face pop.
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Best liquid highlighter
Iconic London Illuminator Drops, £33, House of Fraser
Iconic’s highlighting drops are, well, pretty iconic in the beauty community. Liquid highlighter is great because it’s so versatile: for a seriously extra chrome glow, apply these drops straight onto skin; or mix a drop with your best foundation or moisturiser for an overall healthy finish to your skin.
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Best highlighter for fair skin
BURBERRY Fresh Glow Stick in Nude Radiance, £25, Fabled
Developed with the help of legendary make-up artist Wendy Rowe, you can see why this is the perfect stick for highlighting dozens of models backstage at fashion week; it’s super-quick and easy to use and creates a natural-looking radiance in seconds. The colour finish is a creamy, butter like shade, making it perfect for fairer skin tones.
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Best highlighter for dark skin
Glossier Haloscope, £18, glossier.com
Instagrammble brand Glossier, brought to you by blogger extraordinaire Emily Weiss, has completely taken off since its UK launch. Their Haloscope stick highlighters contain a sheen, crystal-enriched highlighting formula as well as a solid balm core to up your skin’s sheen. Plus, the stick formula makes them handbag-friendly for on the go glow ups.
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Shop our edit of more of the best highlighter shades below.
Now go forth and shine bright.
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BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter, £30, Cult Beauty
Watch any beauty YouTuber and you'll see this gorgeous highlighter pop up more than once. Their most famed shade is this one: the warm golden Champagne Pop.
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Avon mark. MagiX Finishing FX Stick, £7
Stick highlighters are the easiest to use by far. Draw this directly onto the high points of your face, then use your fingers to blend. This little Avon number comes in two shades - a silvery one and a gold one. The gold looks insane with a tan. Keep it in your handbag with your lipbalm for top ups during the day.
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MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade, £25.50, maccosmetics.co.uk
While we love MAC Strobe Cream, Mineralize Skinfinish is the mothership when it comes to getting an ethereal sheen. Available in a range of shades to suit all skin tones, it's a super bold, pigmented powder that lights up every angle of your face. Time for your glow up.
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Perricone MD No Highlighter Highlighter, £29, Cult Beauty
If you prefer a super dewy, almost wet look highlight to a metallic sheen, this is the highlight you need. Its a super thin formula that adds an instant reflective glow to skin.
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Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Complexion Highlighter
An absolute cult classic, this click-up highlighting pen is easy to apply to any spot you want to add extra radiance. Use under the eyes to brighten up dark circles and add to any point that light would naturally bounce off.
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Benefit High Beam, £18.25, Fabled
A couple of drops of this pearly pink liquid illuminator instantly brightens the complexion. Apply a little to your nose, cheekbones and cupid's bow for a celestial glow.
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Tom Ford Illuminating Highlight Pen, £42, John Lewis
The light-reflecting pigments in this easy-to-use highlighter pen work to soften and diffuse light as it hits your face to create a subtle, natural glow wherever applied.
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Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, £30 Cult Beauty
Whilst this looks like a foundation, it is in fact a complexion booster. And what is a complexion booster? You can wear it under, over or instead of foundation. It can be dabbed onto the high points of the face. There'll be no need for Instagram filters.
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Fenty Beauty Match Stick Shimmer Skinstick, £21 Harvey NIchols
Who says you can't blush and hightlight at the same time? Not us! And not Fenty Beauty!
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Decorte Dip In Glow, £32 Selfridges
This is the perfect handbag highlighter. It's the size of a lip balm and perfect for on the go touch ups.
