Anastasia Sunset Aura Loose Highlighter Review & Swatches

Christine — Sat, 09 Mar 2019 15:00:00 +0000

Sunset Aura

Anastasia Sunset Aura Loose Highlighter ($25.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a medium copper with warm undertones and a sparkling, golden sheen. It had buildable pigmentation from semi-sheer to opaque coverage, which was more dependent on how much product was dislodged from the sifter and picked up with a brush. It seemed more “flake-like” in texture where the particles seemed larger and/or clumped together (most visible in the close-up photo of the sifter holes), and this seemed to ensure that not that much product came out when sifted and minimized how much disappeared in the air when swirled onto a brush. The loose powder applied evenly to my skin and buffed out with little effort for a smooth, sparkling, and metallic sheen. It wore well for eight hours on me before fading noticeably.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

NARS Galet (LE, ) is lighter (95% similar).
Haus Labs Golden Pyrite (P, $40.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
NABLA Cosmetics Lucent Jungle (P, $26.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
Inglot J203 Luminous (LE, $23.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
Dose of Colors Chasing the Sun (LE, $28.00) is warmer (95% similar).
Dior Copper (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar).
Tarte Candlelight (LE, ) is lighter (95% similar).
Huda Beauty Tahiti (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar).
NARS Orgasm Fever (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (95% similar).
Rare Beauty Flaunt (P, $25.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$25.00/0.21 oz. - $119.05 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to to have "more pearls, more sparkle and a higher reflect" than a typical pressed powder highlighter. It has "customizable levels of intensity" with a "smooth application" that can be used "alone" or "mix[ed] together." The loose nature of the product definitely made it a more buildable product as coverage was very much dependent on how much product was put onto the brush. That amount often was related to how much product came through the sifter, which was a fair amount with the more finely-milled, less sparkly So Hollywood shade but much less with the more sparkly Snowflake and Sunset Aura shades.

All three shades applied evenly and blended out without much effort, and while sparkkly, they weren't gritty or so glittery that the particles didn't adhere well to my skin. The shades seemed to get to a more sparkling, metallic sheen faster than Anastasia's powder highlighters have and had a bit of a wetter sheen overall. I felt that they were just shy of pore-emphasizing territory on my skin. They wore for eight hours on me on average.

Browse all of our Anastasia Loose Highlighter swatches.

Ingredients

Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Mica, Nylon-12, Octyldodecanol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Diisostearyl Malate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Lauroyl Lysine, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Tin Oxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891).

Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.