I once happily pranced up to a makeup artist friend and said “Can you highlight my face for meee?”, to which he replied (in jest) “Your face so oily, don’t need to highlight anymore! You have natural shine!”
You know, I agree – about the oily face portion. Hah.
However, highlighting can be done even on oily faces – you just have to do it strategically with the right products and also on the correct locations of the face. Avoid disco ball types of sparkly shine, and go for more natural glowy powders, such as this one from Hourglass (which I got from Sephora online).
First Impressions: Now note that the colours in my swatches above are multiple layers (so that I can capture them on camera), but they’re actually more sheer when you apply just a couple of layers.
Dim Light: This is a neutral beige that gravitates slightly more towards a muted rosy shade. There’s no shimmer in this, and can function as a very subtle contouring color for defining your cheekbones, jawline and for usage along the hairline.
Incandescent Light: A highlighter with a faint pinkish-pearly sheen that’s good for use on the apples of the cheeks, nose bridge, just above the Cupid’s bow of the lips and perhaps a slight dusting on the forehead and chin. Thankfully it doesn’t sink into the pores and thus, does not emphasize them facial potholes heh.
Radiant Light: This has a tinge of gold in the beige tones. I’d say this is better for events when you need to dress up, or else use it sparingly.
The Verdict: This trio of colours seems relatively easy to use (even for makeup blending noobs) cos the colours aren’t overly bright/shimmery. This contains 2 of the permanent shades (Dim Light and Radiant Light) while Incandescent Light is a limited-edition shade that’s exclusive to this palette.They’re all finely milled powder grains – in fact, fine to an extent that if you’re too vigourous with the brush, it can work up a mini powder storm. That said, it gives a natural-looking glowy finish (read: not shiny) when you apply a light dusting. There’s a slight pore-blurring effect, but should not be used as a full-face setting powder (unless you’re into the OTT strobing and contouring finish). Overall, this palette is convenient to use, especially when you don’t want to carry too many individual highlighters/bronzers around. Available from Sephora 😀
