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Highlighters & Finishing Powders | 2013 Editor's Favorites
I love a good finishing powder. I love an ethereal, lit-from-within glow. There is a very high likelihood of me trying any new formulas or shades that hit the market–I’m just a total fiend for them. I can’t wait to see what 2014 brings in this department!
- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder — easily one of the most talked about new formulas this past year, it delivered as a beautiful finishing powder–plus, 50 users reviews and still maintaining a 4.5 average!
- Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Skin Liquid Illuminating Emulsion — since I first started testing it, I’ve been reaching for this nearly everyday to mix with foundation
- Illamasqua Supernatural Gleam Highlighting Cream — a gorgeous, shimmering bronze highlight
- Tom Ford Fire Lust Skin Illuminator — absolutely love this peachy-pink mixed into foundation or patted onto high planes of the face
- Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight The Celestial Powder — a pale, golden beige with soft warm undertones and an ethereal glow
- NARS Nico Blush — a pale, subtly warm-toned beige with a satiny sheen–perfect for a subtle highlight
- Giorgio Armani No. 10 Fluid Sheer — a warm, golden bronze with very, very fine shimmer to give a dewy sheen on the skin
- Becca Rose Gold Shimmering Skin Perfector (Pressed) — a rosy, golden copper with a frosted, slightly metallic sheen for a pronounced highlight
- Guerlain Crazy Meteorites Radiance Powder — fell in love with this holiday’s finishing powder–and I fell hard!
- NARS Translucent Crystal Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder — for a smooth, flawless canvas
Chanel Poudre Signee de Chanel is my favorite highlighter this year! I use Guerlain Crazy Meteorites on my cheeks and Les Voilettes on my T-zone. I love a glow as well, but my T-zone needs some good oil control 🙂
Poudre Signee de Chanel was so pretty in the pan!
Awesome highlighters. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading!
For finishing powder, I really like Tarte Smooth Operator whatever it is. For highligher, I’ve been enjoying Benefit Sun Beam (does that count even though it’s more bronze-y?) and Wet n Wild Centerstage whatever palette in…. whatever the lightest pink one is.
Wow, all names have left my brain.
Sun Beam totally counts 🙂
My favorites are:
1) Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Rose Gold (pressed)
2) Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick Compact in Pink
3) Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in No. 5 and No. 11
4) Guerlain Crazy Meteorites Radiance Powder
5) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
6) NARS Translucent Crystal Light Reflecting Setting Powder (loose)
7) Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust
I love your list, Precious! So many awesome products on your list!
I discovered most of them through you. So, thanks! 😉
You’re welcome! xo
After I finished applying Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (Dim Light) for the first time, I literally gasped out loud at how amazing the effect was. I remember being bummed there was no one around to share my excitement with in that moment haha. Definitely an HG product for me. I wore it Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!
Nars Reflecting Powder is an amazing product too, the blurring effect is extraordinary, so noticeable in photos, I love using it on my chin especially since I tend to have blemish problems there. I would say it’s also an HG product for me.
That’s amazing!! I love when products make you have that type of reaction.
I totally agree with you re: NARS Reflecting – SO smooth and poreless!
I was lucky enough to have a friend bring me back Dim Light from the US (it is not sold where I live), and I had the same experience as you did. I am amazed at how it fills in my fine lines and pores for a flawless finish 😀 I take note on the Reflecting powder as NARS is more easily accessible to me.
I tried so hard to get the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette but I could never get my hands on it 🙁
Awww! 🙁
The three I discovered this year and love to bits are the last two of your list and the highlighter from the Chanel spring collection. UH, they’re great!
YAY! 😀
Becca SSP in Gold which I Luvv & Sephora Microsmooth baked luminizer in Star Dust Luvvv both items & have worn them everyday since purchasing, favorite highlighters so far.
I have samples of the Armani fluid sheers in 3,6,10,11 & have not had a chance to use them, looking forward to.
Hourglass palette did not wow me on my NC45 strong yellow undertone skin there was no Pow, could be that I used it with a tinted moisturizer? Or havent found the right brush? might give it another shot before I get rid of it.
The Guerlain crazy pearls for whatever reason I havent used since purchasing, I havent even taken it out the box, will see if that can work as a finishing powder on me.
I gotta try the Sephora one you mentioned! Thank you for the rec 🙂
Are you trying it as a highlighter or finishing powder?
Bare minerals the love affair luminizer!
Great pick, Rochielle!
I got the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette for Xmas and I love it so much! My skin is pretty dry during the winter months and Dim Light gives me the perfect healthy glow without looking shimmery or shiny. I have a feeling I’ll use them more as highlighters once we move into the warmer months but that’s what makes this powder so great. I see myself buying it in full size once I’ve finished it. 🙂
So happy to hear that Dim is working well for you 🙂
Which shade of the ambient powders is good for someone with a skintone like Jessica Alba? I’m so confused!
Maybe Luminous Light?
what fabulous list Christine 🙂 and yaaaaaaaaaaaaa i own GUERLAIN 🙂
i like thebalm mary luminizer also :d its gorgeous but yeah not recent launch 😀
Mary Lou is classic!
I have been dying to get my hands on the Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight The Celestial Powder . Looks amazing!
It is really quite lovely! The texture is so soft.
I’ve been so enamored with finishing powders lately. Which is your favorite permanent pressed Meteorite, Christine?
I think for permanent pressed, they just have Mythic 🙁 I love Mythic, but Wulong is my fave (LE).
I’m just stuck on stupid with my Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Luminous Light followed by my Bobbi Brown Shimmer bricks, and NARS in albatross. Now albatross almost received an early retirement because I didn’t like how chunky it was showing on my skin. Then I switched up the brush….what a HUGE difference a brush makes. Now it goes on much finer and lighter than what I was using before.
What brush did you use originally and what brush did you switch to?
This overview excited me less than the blush list I just saw, but that’s just because I don’t highlight a lot. The Giorgio Armani highlighter looks pretty incredible though.
Do you have any favorite highlighters or is it a step you usually skip?
I wanted to buy the 3-pan Hourglass highlighter palette but it was sold out when I went during the 20% off VIB thing in November. I did recently get Dior Rose Diamond and earlier this year, got (as a the birthday gift from Sephora) a mini of Benefit Watts Up but I already had the full sized one (which I don’t use….I find that if I apply it over my foundation and then blend, it sort of rubs off my foundation or makes it cakey looking; I much prefer High Beam). I wish I’d not bought the full size and just had the free mini because the thinner stick actually works better for me. I am enjoying Rose Diamond, though. And I will always love TheBalm’s Mary Lou Manizer (and Guerlain’s LE Cruel Gardenia – how I wish they’d re-release that one).
The Dior Shimmer Stars are a classic highlighter – Rose Diamond is lovely.
I got a lot of hghlighters this year! I mean forayed seriously into the concept of highlighters. Top ones were hourglass ambient lighting, kevyn aucoin candlelight, NARS Devotee, Guerlain meteorites,the highlighter from NARS flushed palette 🙂
Nice picks, Vineetha! So glad you gave highlighters a go this year!
I’m *trying* to hold out on the NARS Light Reflecting powder(s) until I’m ready to replace my foundations, but it’s sooo hard! I’ve convinced myself I *must* completely finish 5 products first, so hopefully in a couple months… I’ve been using Physician’s Formula Happy Booster Glow Powder in Transluscent, and have been pretty happy with the results, but feel I can do better.
I like NARS Nico (or it’s near dupe, WnW Reserve Your Cabana) for everyday subtlety, and the KA Candlelight for more intense looks. I’m also a big fan of NARS Albatross.
At least it’s permanent 🙂
I picked up Laura Mercier’s Spellbound a few months ago and have been loving it ever since. I will probably pick up Dim Light from Hourglass one of these days. So happy that it’s not LE .
I hope Hourglass will do another palette sometime. It would be really cool if you could pick the ones to go inside it!
My favorite list!♥
<3
I would love to try Guerlain Meteorites some day! It’s just that it costs more than a week’s rent in this country 😛
My favourite finishing powder this year would have to be a generous gift I received of Chanel’s Vitalumiere Compact Douceur. It’s so soft, and gives a perfect finish!
Ooh, I haven’t tried that one before! Will have to look out for it!
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim, Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone and Rose Gold, and Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer were all new or at least new to me favorites of this year. I’m sure there’s some I’m forgetting, though. With the NARS, do you think there’s a difference between the loose and pressed version?
I just prefer the loose for application in general, but I think because you can apply more… in a way… the effect is easier to achieve.
My favorite one is the Armani fluid sheer I got in color 01 from an Armani event at Neiman Marcus, it is so pretty! Its like the liquid verson of Kevyn Aucoins celestial highlighter powder which is def my second favorite!
Nice!! I don’t have that shade, but I love the Fluid Sheer formula!
Girl if you can get your hands on it you will love it (pretty sure it was LE)
I wanted Tom Ford’s Fire Lust sooo bad, so much so that I called Bergdorf in NYC to try and snag one on a trip there! No luck 🙁
Aww!! 🙁
I have plenty of highlighters but this list is giving me tons of ideas anyway lol. I have one of the Hourglass Ambient powders (Dim) but I really wanted that palette! Incandescent and Radiant Light are gorgeous! I may still snag Radiant one day. The Kevyn Aucoin liquid illuminator, Nars Nico and the Becca highlighter are definitely on my list!
I could see Radiant working on you!
So happy to see both Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight The Celestial Powder and NARS Translucent Crystal Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder (what a crazy long name!) on the list! Candlelight is my favorite highlighter of all time and the NARS setting powder is my absolute favorite new product this year. It’s amazing for my oily skin and prolongs foundation wear for hours, keeping my t-zone matte for 5 hours (compared to the previous 1-2).
Wow! 1-2 to 5 hours? That’s AWESOME!
I don’t own any highlighters, I’m just not sure how to go about using them without it looking too obvious, but the two finishing powders that I’ve fallen in love with are both from Guerlain, Meteorites Pearls 02 Teint Beige and Crazy Meteorites. Lovely products!
Sometimes it’s about the brush – a light, fluffy brush will keep it from being over-the-top!
Mac 159 brush is my go to for highlighting!
becca shimmering skin perfector in opal – l have the liquid version but there is pressed version too… lovely product.
Haven’t tried any of Becca’s liquid ones! Do you use it mixed with foundation/moisturizer or patted over?
I love highlighters – just second to my blushes – so I have quite a collection of those. I’ve been using Benefit’s Sunbeam a lot recently, but as beautiful as it is, I won’t be repurchasing it because I have some much cheaper dupes / similar products. One of the best is Accessorize’s bronze highlighter, which is even better than Sunbeam, I’d say. I also love the highlighter in Sleek’s Face Form palette (contour kit + bronzer) in medium. The perfect golden shade for my NC40-42 skin tone.
As for finishing powder, I’ve been using Catrice’s translucent powder, which works fine. I love pale yellow powders for setting my undereye area, and Sleek’s Luminous Pressed Powder in the lightest shade is also really nice.
Good to know that Accessorize has a dupe for Sunbeam!
It’s not an exact dupe – it’s darker and bronzier – but it’s more pigmented and gives a nicer, more even glow, in my opinion. And you get a lot more product!
These lists are really useful! Thank you! Are you still loving les voilettes?
Oh, yes! 🙂 I use it more as a setting powder, so that might be why I didn’t even think to put it here!
I tried so many highlighters last year, and the only two I kept were Dior Shimmer Stars in Amber and Rose Diamond. I love them so much!
Those are great picks, Melio!
Of course..I have you to thanks for that!
🙂
Mac skinfinish in soft and gentle, Mac shimmer
Loose powders in pink dusk and bronze.
Lorac pressed powder in spotlight.
Bobbi brown shimmer brick in rose.
Nar’s liquid in copacabana. Guerlan meteorites.
Benefit bella bamba. IT illuminater in no more
Pores illuminator.
Finishing powders Nar’s crystal loose powder
Illiminating powder. Hourglass ambiant trio.
Mally Poreless loose powder. IT no mor pores
finishing powder HD. Guerlain loose powder
Translucent.
Some really nice choices!