Most days, I'm quite partial to a touch of highlighter along the top of the cheek, cupid's bow and brow bone. I love anything that helps my skin to look bright and radiant, especially when I'm feeling tired and my complexion is looking dull. When worn during the day, I tend to reach for cream formulas for a softer finish, as powder highlighters can end up looking too chalky and intense for the daytime. After recently sorting through all the cream highlighters hidden in my stash, I thought I'd put together a comparison post for a selection of them.
Illamasqua's Cream Highlighter in Lies is quite dramatic, giving a strong wet-look effect when applied to the skin. The lightweight texture dries down slightly as it's blended, but it continues to look dewy on the cheek. Lies looks like a stark, cool-toned pink in the pan but seems to translate as a lot warmer on the skin as you apply. The hint of pink only really translates when the product is layered up. Even though the product is infused with a heavy dose of silver shimmer, it's so fine that it literally looks like shimmering water. The sheer silvery tone only becomes more evident as the light hits the cream highlight at certain angles. Like with all Illamasqua packaging, it's sleek and modern. The window in the lid, allowing you to see the product, is super handy if you have more than one shade. My only reservation with this cream highlight is that it's rather expensive for the tiny amount of product held within the compact.
Benefit High Beam looks intimidating in the bottle (despite the cutesy branding), but it's not as difficult to use as it may first appear. This baby pink highlighting liquid can give you more of a fake, frosted finish if you go all in with a dense brush and multiple layers, but it can provide a far more natural result when blended with your fingers or a damp sponge. I prefer to use Benefit High Beam either on bare skin to give myself a more awake look or with a sheerer foundation as it doesn't blend as well over heavier foundations and can leave a slightly patchy finish. Using it like a radiance-boosting primer across the high points of the face prior to layering additional base products over the top works really well. Although it seems handy that the screw-top lid contains a brush applicator, it's rubbish. It's too thin to apply the product effectively and isn't the most hygienic to touch directly onto the skin, so I instead decant the product onto my hand before using my own tools to apply to my face. I'm not the biggest fan of Benefit's kitsch packaging designs to begin with, but you can't use up every last drop of product from the glass bottle as the brush can't reach it when running low, which is so annoying as you waste half of it! Although it's a versatile product, I'll be reluctant to repurchase as it works out as quite expensive because of this.
Soap & Glory's Hocus Focus is more skin care than makeup product, but I just had to include it. Even though I think you're meant to use this under your foundation, I've used it on top of my makeup with no problems. Rather than having pink undertones, like the previous highlighters mentioned, this illuminating liquid has more of a neutral/golden undertone. The liquid has a gorgeously light and non sticky serum-like consistency, but it's quite runny, so you have to work quickly with it. Out of all the highlighters in this line-up, Hocus Focus looks the most natural of them all. It certainly helps to give the skin a healthy radiance and evenness when used all over as a primer, but does it soften the look of flaws entirely? I wouldn't say so. Perfumed with the famous Soap & Glory scent, this skincare-makeup hybrid smells divine, but this may be a concern for anyone with skin sensitive to fragrance. The pump allows you to use just the right amount of product each time and also keeps everything hygienic. For the quality, Hocus Focus is such a bargain. It might even be my favourite!
In terms of texture, Illamasqua's Gleam Cream in Flex is a lot thicker than the other cream highlighter in my roundup. Blending the product is no problem, but you need only a small amount to achieve a gorgeous sheen. Again, this is another product that you're supposed to use on its own or mixed with your base, but I regularly use it over my foundation. It's starts off as a white cream that then blends into a pinky, pearlescent highlight. Unlike Hocus Focus, this formula can remain quite white on the skin if it isn't blended enough, so I tend to warm it up on the back of my hand before applying when using it in more strategic spots on top of base makeup. Having a nozzle, the tube allows you to dispense exactly the right amount of product you want without a risk of accidents. As a little goes a long, long way, this product will last for a very long time. It seems quite expensive at first, but compared to Illamasqua's Lies Cream Highlighter, you get 32g more product for just £5 more.
Overall, my top highlighter from this bunch has to be Soap & Glory's Hocus Focus. I'd even be prepared to spend double the money on it, so it's a bonus that it's affordable and available on the highstreet. My least favourite is definitely Benefit's High Beam, despite it being a cult favourite. As much as it can have a lovely finish, you have be careful how you use it, and it's just so expensive for what it is. It would seem that drugstore/highstreet has prevailed over high-end this time round!
Have you tried any of these cream highlighters?
AGB X
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