5 Great Highlighters

As requested by Noah, here are five of the best highlighters I’ve come across! Dior Skin Shimmer, Guerlain Meteorites, and Bobbi Brown Shimmerbricks are all excellent highlighting products–and they come in more colors than the ones I’ve shown above (e.g. if you are cooler toned, you might like Rose Diamond more than Amber Diamond!).

• Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer
• Shiseido PK #107 Face Powder
• Guerlain Rose Tint Meteorites
• theBalm Mary Lou-manizer
• Bobbi Brown Beach Shimmerbrick

What’s your favorite highlighter?

Bobbi Brown Cabana Corals:   Nectar Shimmerbrick

Bobbi Brown Nectar Shimmerbrick ($38.00 for 0.4 oz.) is new for spring–part of the Cabana Corals Collection–and is a coral lover’s dream. If you love Shimmerbricks and have an affinity for corals and bronzed golds, I think this just may be a new favorite for you.  (Also releasing with Cabana Corals is Pink Quartz Shimmerbrick!)

When worn on cheeks, it works as a blusher and highlighter in one, because it packs plenty of color along with a soft frosty shimmer sheen. Although some Shimmerbricks are just a tad too frosty to me at times (at least on cheeks!), Nectar is just right. It hits that sweet spot of color, shimmer, and sheen. It can be applied with a light hand for a softer application or layered for an intense cheek for night time. Since I am an absolute fiend for all things coral, Nectar is most definitely my favorite Shimmerbrick to-date!

Shimmerbricks are a pricey investment, but they’ll last you a long time (or forever, in my case) — you get a whopping 0.4 oz., which makes the cost per ounce just a smidgen more than MAC blushes. Each of the five strips of color swatch beautifully; rich color, intense pigmentation, and smooth to the touch Shimmerbricks can be used on the eyes or cheeks, and you could get a very pretty sunset-esque kind of look out of these shades in addition to its usage of a very coral-bronzed blusher. I like that it can be a multi-tasker, at least. I have to admit, I haven’t worn any Shimmerbricks on my eyes yet but may have to give it try with Nectar.

You can see me wearing it in this look!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 29/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you’re a Shimmerbrick collector, I know you need to check this out. If it’s your first-time thinking about a Shimmerbrick, I think you need to swatch!

Availability: Bobbi Brown, Nordstrom

See photos & swatches!

Bobbi Brown Nectar Shimmerbrick

All Warmed Up: Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland + Bobbi Brown Cabana Corals Look

Brrr, it was FREEZING (!) today here in California. Of course, freezing here is 55 degrees, but I swear, it felt way colder! I was happy with how this looked turned out; I hadn’t initially planned on putting Wonderland in the crease, but it looked so much better when I did–I was so tentative applying it at first! I was like, “Oh man, I’m going to wreck this look by doing this…” But it worked out. So, don’t be afraid to try is the lesson learned there!

Oh! And I’m happy to say that I found my perfect shade in Bobbi Brown’s Extra Tinted Moisturizing Balm — it’s light-to-medium.  Medium was a little dark and looked a bit yellow-ish on my skin tone, but the next lighter shade blended perfectly.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion (matte yellow base), Urban Decay Muchness (X) Eyeshadow (melon), Urban Decay Oraculum (Half Baked) Eyeshadow (copper), Urban Decay Queen (Last Call) Eyeshadow (reddish burgundy), Urban Decay Underland (Flash) Eyeshadow (violet), MAC Femme-fi Eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Urban Decay Lucky 24/7 Liner (copper), Smashbox Liquid Liner Pen (black), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face:  Bobbi Brown Extra Tinted Moisturizing Balm (Light-to-Medium Tint)
• Cheeks: Bobbi Brown Nectar Shimmerbrick (coral bronze)
• Lips: Bobbi Brown Coral Reef Lipstick (soft coral-orange), Bobbi Brown Coral Sand Lip Gloss (soft bronze)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: For MAC substitutes, try Melon Pigment (Muchness), Amber Lights (Oraculum), Cranberry (Queen), Stars ‘n Rockets (Underland); Femme-fi = Shroom

For eyes, start by applying Eden Primer Potion as your eyeshadow base all over the lid with the 249. Using the 239, apply Muchness eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply Oraculum eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with Queen eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend Queen eyeshadow, with the 239, on the outer corner and lid. Next, define the crease by applying Underland eyeshadow with the 226. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Femme-fi eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Penny eyeliner on the lower lash line. Finish by applying Liquid Pen Liner on upper lash line and then sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Nectar shimmerbrick to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Coral Reef lipstick first, and then layer Coral Sand lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!