Highlighter makes a world of difference to a face, and there’s a reason the highlighter obsession is here to stay. Whether its on the cheekbones, brow bone, the inner corner of the eye or on the bridge of the nose, highlighters are a quick fix to glowing skin and enhanced features.
What’s the best highlighter? With so many different formulas on the market, we’ve put together a list of the best highlighters in 2021. Trust us, they’re worth the hype!
This post is part of my Best of Beauty series. Check out the best sellers from other beauty brands here.
When you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed
This creamy, luminising powder highlighter gives skin a beautiful glow with a lustrous finish. Enriched with ultra-fine pearls that absorb, reflect and refract light, these also come in a cream version.
Although they are known best for the Champagne Pop shade, which is often voted one of the best powder highlighters, these Becca highlighters come in a nice shade range for different skin tones. SHOP HERE
TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer
Amazing for warmer skin tones, this honey-hued powder acts as a highlighter, shadow and shimmer. By diffusing light, it provides skin with a soft, warm and luminous glow. This is probably the best drugstore highlighter. SHOP HERE
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
Another cult favourite, this palette is one of the best Hourglass Cosmetics products. It’s a gorgeous palette and the one of the best subtle highlighters. You can use it all over as a finishing powder to breathe life back into dull skin.
The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powdes utilise Photoluminescent Technology to filter out harsh light and refine the appearance of the complexion. These soft-focus finishing powders recreate a flattering light source, and can be applied individually or layered to give the skin a multidimensional glow. SHOP HERE
Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops
An illuminating highlighter for the face, eyes, lips and body, these Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops are one of the best liquid highlighters. They’re also one of the most intense highlighters on the market. Intensely pigmented, these drops can be mixed into foundation or moisturiser for an all-over glow or used alone for an intense highlight.
This concentrated formula features mica powder which delivers light-reflecting particles that blur imperfections and create an amazing glow. The shade Celestial is my go-to for when I want a really intense highlight. This is one of the best highlighters for face and body. SHOP HERE
Laura Mercier Face Illuminator
This Laura Mercier highlighter looks just as amazing on the skin as it does in the packaging! The unique formula features high pearl levels that provide buildable colour for a radiant glow.
Use this multi-use, multidimensional highlighting powder to bring customisable light to your face, eyes and décolletage. The prismatic pigments deliver long-wearing illumination that won’t fade or shift. This Laura Mercier illuminator has a soft, creamy texture that applies smoothly and evenly. There are so many good highlighters in this list, but this is definitely one of the top highlighters for us. SHOP HERE
Tarte Amazonian Clay Highlighter
Perfect for a light to moderate sheen, this vegan friendly highlighter gives skin an effortless, incandescent glow in an instant. Powered by Amazonian clay, this Tarte highlighter gives the skin a radiant glow for up to 12 hours.
Available in a range of luminous shades, these Tarte highlighters brighten & awaken the high points of the face. They’re buildable and contain micro-pearlescent flecks to mimic natural light reflection. They’ll give you a soft strobing effect in a unique formula that doesn’t cling to dry patches and is long-lasting. SHOP HERE
RMS Beauty Living Luminiser
Featuring a satin-pearl finish, this silky luminiser delivers a lovely sheen and subtle glow to skin. ‘Living Luminizer’ is a pale-gold shade that’s perfect for those no-makeup makeup days.
This RMS Beauty highlighter will give you a dewy, lit-from-within glow without greasiness or chunky glitter. It’s formulated with skin-loving ingredients including organic Coconut Oil and Vitamin E to give you a creamy glossy highlighter that nourishes as it illuminates. SHOP HERE
Benefit Cosmetics High Beam
A great highlighter for cooler skin tones, this Benefit highlighter is a pink liquid highlighter that has good pigmentation and delivers a gorgeous satin finish. It’s often voted the best highlighter for fair skin. Use alone to give the cheek or brow bones a dewy glow, or mix into foundation or primer for all-over subtle luminescence. SHOP HERE
Benefit Cosmetics Watts Up! Highlighter
Benefit’s bestselling highlighter gives the skin an instant champagne glow and soft-focus effect. This cream-to-powder formula provides skin with a luminous champagne glow and can be built up for a more intense highlight, or blended out for something more subtle. It applies smoothly and has a luminous sheen. SHOP HERE
Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder
Providing a more intense highlight than the original Ambient Lighting Powders, these Ambient Strobe powders look beautiful on the skin. These sheer powders emulate the way strobe lights capture and reflect light on the face and are one of the best luxe highlighters.
These Hourglass highlighters are formulated with a sheer base that contains concentrated, ultrafine micro pearl particles in varying sizes and refraction levels. This allows the highlighter to give off a naturally luminescent highlight to the skin without a heavy metallic finish.
Photoluminescent Technology captures, diffuses and softens surrounding light to refine the appearance of the skin. They are wet/dry powders so can also be used damp for a more intense highlight. SHOP HERE
MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Skinfinish ‘Soft and Gentle’
If you’ve been a makeup lover for years, chances are MAC Soft and Gentle was probably the first highlighter you used. It’s a classic and used to be a firm favourite for so many makeup artists.
MAC Soft & Gentle is a warm toned, champagne highlight that gives the skin a sparkling sheen. The mineral formula can be used dry or wet for extra sheen. SHOP HERE
How do I choose a highlighter?
As a general rule, you want to choose a highlighter that’s a few shades lighter then your skin tone. You also want to choose a shade that suits your skin undertone.
If your skin has a yellow undertone, go with a warm toned or golden highlight like TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer. If you have a cooler skin tone, look for a pink or cooler toned highlighter like the Benefit High Beam to compliment your skin.
Is liquid or powder highlighter better?
Both liquid, cream and powder highlighters are great, but choose the formula that will work with your current makeup routine the best. Liquid and cream highlighters layer better with other liquids, and powder highlighters blend out more smoothly over a powdered base.
If you always set your face with a powder, opt for a powder highlighter to get a more seamless, blended look. Powder highlighters will also last longer on the skin than liquid highlighters. Powder formulas are the best highlighters for oily skin types.
If you don’t often powder your face, or you want to use a highlighter over bare skin, choose a liquid or cream highlighter. Liquid and cream highlighters can look a lot more natural on the skin, but don’t often last as long as a powder highlighter. You can always set your liquid highlighter with a powder if you want to increase the wear time. If you have a dry skin type, a liquid or cream highlighter usually the best highlighter for dry skin types.
Do you put highlighter on before or after foundation?
Powder highlighter needs to be applied over foundation, after you’ve powdered your foundation. If you’re using a liquid highlighter you can use it both under foundation to give your skin an all-over radiance, or over foundation on the areas you want to highlight.
Liquid highlighters can break up the foundation underneath if they are applied with a dragging motion, so apply them with a light hand, patting them into the skin. You can also mix a liquid foundation in with your foundation to add an all-over glow.
Can you wear highlighter without foundation?
If you’re not usually a foundation wearer, but still want to give your skin a boost of radiance, you can definitely wear a highlighter on bare skin. A great highlighter for this is the RMS Beauty Living Luminiser as it has a nice natural finish to it.
Shop Highlighters
Want the latest fashion, beauty & travel posts straight to your inbox? Join our mailing list or Follow on Bloglovin’!
Join our mailing list and get our free skincare guide sent straight to your inbox!
your makeup cabinet must be out of this world!! love these products
xx
http://thedemeler.com
Author
Haha its a bit full atm! Thanks babe xx
Nice and love these products
xx LL
http://www.lalouuula.com
Author
Thanks Lizza! xx
Oh gosh I ADORE Laura Mercier’s! Thanks for sharing this post, so useful! ;)
Love from London,
Whit
http://www.whitneyswonderland.com
Author
It’s so pretty! Thanks Whit! xx
There are so many in your list that I love or want to try! The Becca ones are amazing, so is High Beam. Soft and Gentle is next on my list!
http://www.beautyfromkatie.blogspot.com
Author
Thanks Katie! Let me know how you go:) xx
You are such a flat lay Queen!! And that little Prada bag in the corner!!
Author
Thanks babe! xx
Those highlighters 😍😍😍😍 I want to try hourglass 😊
http://freshfacebeauty.in
Author
♥♥♥
I want aaaaaall of them! They look so shine and sparky:)
Thank you for sharing this!
xxx Kathi
Author
Thanks Kathi! xx
They are all gorgeous! Love them all
http://Leftbankgirl.blogspot.com
Author
Thanks lovely! xx
You know I’m not really into highlighters but I’m totally about to buy some after this post!! Great review!
cheers
Diana
http://www.seaofblush.com
Author
Thanks Diana! Let me know how you go! xx
Wow girl! You have a ton of highlighters. They’re all so beautiful :)
xx Yasmin
http://banglesandbungalows.com
Author
Thanks Yasmin! xx
This is a great collection of highlighters. I love the Benefit one, but my current favourite is from NYX!
xo
Siffat
http://icingandglitter.com
Author
Thanks Siffat! Oo I’ll have to try the NYX one!
Amazing, I have to give some of these a try! You have a really nice blog too, and you seem so lovely, let me know if you would like to follow each other and stay in touch! x
adelelydia.blogspot.com
Author
Thanks so much lovely! xx
That’s such a great collection! Love it x
http://thelondonthing.co.uk/
Author
Thanks Tania! xx
I want them all! highlighters are life!
http://www.prettyinleather.net
Author
Thanks Yuka! xx
Fantastic post! Thanks for sharing – it’s super-useful!
Kira
Kira Is Wearing
Instagram
Author
Thanks Kira! x
I have been looking for a new highlighter lately. These look like great selections.
Meghan | BeyondBasicBlog.com
Author
Thanks Meghan! xx
Wow that flatlay is so crisp. Such a nice shot!
Alexander x
Author
Thank you! x
Wow. I love this selection. Great shot too! The liquid highlighters are my favourite since my skin is so dehydrated.
Xo,
Miki
http://mikialamode.com
Author
Thanks Miki! Liquid highlighters are amazing!
Perfect stuff, wow !
Author
Thanks babe! x
You have quite the collection of highlighters!! I’m a bit of a highlighter junkie myself (although I don’t have THIS many) and Becca is my fave!
xx freshfizzle
Wow, you are obviously the highlighting queen, so many highlighters! I must admit that I am still searching for the one, perfect one. There are so many products and it is really not easy to find the right highlighter. Currently I am using the NARS Orgasm Highlighter and it is quite good but probably not perfect.
Have a great start into this new week,
Monique xx
MOD – by Monique
Thank you so much for this post, babe! I’m actually searching for the perfect highlighter and this helps me a lot! btw. gorgeous pics, hun!
xx Sarah-Allegra
http://www.fashionequalsscience.com
Oh my gosh, you have so many beautiful highlighters!! Highlighters are one of my favourite products, I am in love with them all!!
Much love,
Marianne x http://www.beautiful-in-essence.blogspot.com
Author
Hehe I’m obsessed with highlighters! Xx
I’ve been looking for a good highlighter for so long! Thank you for sharing. I’ll be heading to Sephora ASAP.
-Didier
http://www.didieryhc.com
Author
Let me know what you end up getting! Xx
Beautiful photos! I need to give these a try! :) xx
Author
Let me know how you go with them!❤️
Oh thanks for the review !!!!
http://constancerose.fr
Author
❤️❤️
I love those golden highlighters, they look so beautiful!
xx Sarah-Allegra
http://www.fashionequalsscience.com
Author
They are so stunning! Xx
Soo many beautiful highlighters! I want them all!
la veine chronicles
Author
Obsessed with highlighters! Xx
wow thankyou for all these recommendation! highlighter is def a the highlight to my makeup routine <3
VVEEKEND 101
Author
Me too! Xx
These highlighters looks so beautiful! I would love to try them out!
http://roadesque.com
Author
They are stunning! X
I haven’t used highlighter ever, haha! I see you really know how to use it, I just have to learn because like you said it does make a difference. Love your flatlays always!!
xo,
Tania
http://inspiremyfancy.blogspot.com
Author
You should definitely try one lovely! They make such a different in an instant! Xx
This is a round up of all my favorite brands. I’m definitely going to check these out.
http://doreensstylediary.com
Author
Hope you find some you love! Xx
wow!
so cool post!
I love highlighters.
http://www.itzytrendy.com/2017/08/shoulderless-inside-style.html
Author
Thank you lovely!
Wow look at all these lush highlighters!! This helps a lot. Thanks for sharing, beauty!
http://missymayification.blogspot.co.uk
Author
Thanks gorgeous girl! Hope you find some you like!
Wow! I have never mixed them with foundation or moisturiser I must try it. I loved the ones you picked in this post. Have a lovely day. xoxo Cris
Last post: http://photosbycris.blogspot.com.au/2017/09/yoins-tops-lookbook.html
Author
Thanks Cris! Hope you find some you love! X