My Favorite Highlighters

As a self-proclaimed makeup junkie I love anything that shimmers. I'm drawn to it like a fish drawn to a glittery ball of death. Strobing has also become really popular lately, which is just a fancy word for highlighting. Highlighting is a pretty way to bring out your features and much simpler than contouring. I think it also looks more natural than contouring.

My sister is getting married this weekend I went on the hunt for a nice highlighter because that ones I had were too glittery, gold, silver, white, or pink for this special occasion. I'm sure any of them would be fine, but I'm looking for an excuse to buy something new and shiny. I'm heading out to the mall today so I'm hoping to find the perfect highlighter for the special occasion.

 Here's what I have and love:

e.l.f Shimmering Whip (Lilac Pearl) // Benefit High Beam //  NYX Narcissistic and Magnetic // MAC Pearl // e.l.f. Baked Highlighter // Palladio The Definer

Here are some items I'm dying to try and I included them in the graphic based off their rave reviews and recs from my friends and bloggers. They're also the items I'm hoping to check out today:

MAC Strobe Cream // Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator // Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector

I like to use the e.l.f Shimmering Whip, Benefit High Beam, or MAC Pearl first in the areas I want to highlight (after I've done my bronzer and blush) and then take the powder highlighter I'm using and pack that on top. Of course, you don't need to do both, you can use any of the products alone. It just depends on how much of a highlight you're looking to achieve.



I found this awesome YouTube tutorial for strobing that's really easy to follow and is a great how-to if you wanna get on trend. The biggest tips I took from the video is to layer your highlighters; use a cream highlighter first and then pack on a powder highlighter on top (such a great tip and super easy!) and a more specific area of the cheek to apply your highlighter to make your cheek bones pop. It's a quick video and was really helpful for me to hone my highlighting skills.

What are your favorite highlighters? Do you like the strobing trend?

Product Review: Benefit High Beam vs e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip

I've been using Benefit's High Beam for a few years and it's something in my makeup bag that varies from using it every single day to months without wear.

Then I saw this pin on Pinterest...

....which took me to her blog post about the e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip and I decided that for a $1 I could pick it up on my next Target run. I mean, I love her makeup in the pic, I love any makeup that highlights, and if the product sucked and I threw it out after one use, I'm only out a buck.

Here's the Benefit High Beam side by side with the e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal

I couldn't believe that the e.l.f. Facial Whip gave more color than the Benefit High Beam! In fact, I washed it off and did it again to be sure I had the products right and sure enough the e.l.f. gave more color.

Ok, here are the products stats:

Benefit High Beam
-Size: 0.45 oz
-Price: $26.00
-Deemed it's a "supermodel in a bottle"
-Made for all skin tones

e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip
-Size: 0.34 oz
-Price: $1.00
-Deemed to "brighten and soothe skin with no greasy after-feel"
-Multipurpose- made to be worn anywhere on face/body

Here are my reviews of how the two compare:

-The Benefit High Beam blends easier and is more sheer while the  e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip I find to be thicker and harder to blend. T

-The BHB blends well both before and after my face powder, where as the ESFW blends best before my powder (I just powder around where I've highlighted or work harder in my blending if used afterwards).

-I like the look of both highlighters, they're so similar in outcome I can barely tell the difference when wearing them.

-The ESFW lasts longer  and gives more color than BHB (it's less pink than ESFW), but you can apply less product if you want a more sheer look.

-Both look great alone or mixed with foundation/lotion and don't ruin your base by putting them on even though they're liquid.

-A little goes a long way for both products

Overall:

Save yourself $25 and buy the e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip. Although it's not quite as blendable, I think it's a better product altogether. I don't have anything against the Benefit High Beam and still like the product, there's just no point in buying it when there's another product that is equal in comparison. Plus, the e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip comes in several colors that I think makes it superior for people of different skin tones and types.

Do you use a highlighter? Have you tried these two products? What are your thoughts on how they compare?

Product Review: Benefit High Beam

I've heard a lot about this highlighter from friends, magazines, and other blogs like Coley's Closet Cravings (see her review here) and Jenny's Beauty Blog (see her review here). A few months ago, I picked up Benefit High Beam To Go from Sephora and thought it was my perfect opportunity to test it out. The original Benefit High Beam is .45 oz for $24 and the To Go size is .13 oz for $10 so I saw this as my opportunity to try it without committing to the full size or price. The To Go version has an easy-to-use applicator with a sponge tip and the regular bottle is a brush tip (very similar to nail polish applicator). According to it's description, it's "supermodel in a bottle"- total selling point right??

So there's a couple way to use this product. You can put it under your make-up for more of an inner glow vibe, over your make-up for a dewy look, and as a highlighter on your browbone.

Here I have it on in a C-shape from my outer eye corner swooping to the tops of my cheeks, under my bronzer and blush. Not much of a glow though huh? You can really see the highlighter on the inner top portion of my cheeks close to my nose, but I definitely don't look like a supermodel.

Here I have it on top of my make-up as the finishing touch to my overall look. You definitely see more of the highlighter on my cheeks. It's really pretty and is more prominent in real life than the pictures do it justice.

Overall, I don't really care for this product. Let me tell you why, the pink hue looks really white with pink hint and I prefer more of a golden highlighter on my face. After Googling some reviews I found that Benefit has a gold highlighter call Moon Beam on Makeup and Beauty Blog (plus an even more awesome review than mine. I mean you got to give credit where it's due right?).

This is my first rodeo with a liquid highlighter, but I much more prefer a powder highlighter instead. My favorite highlighters still remain MAC Irridescent Powder (see my review here) and Victoria Secret Beauty Rush Eyeshadow in Gold Rush (see my review here). I know the VS one is an eyeshadow, but it really makes the best highlighter! I use it nearly every single day.

Do you use a highlighter? Have you tried High Beam before? What was your experience?