Glossier Quartz Haloscope Review, Photos, Swatches
Quartz
Glossier Quartz Haloscope ($22.00 for 0.19 oz.) is a soft, warm champagne with a pearlescent, dewy finish. It had buildable coverage–swiped directly from the tube, it could easily be nearly opaque, and if patted onto the skin with fingertips, the coverage could range from sheer to medium depending on how much product one picked up. The texture was dense and firmer in the tube but as it warmed up, it became more yielding and pliable with light slip for a thinner, cream-based formula that sat well on my skin.
The formula was moderately tacky, though lightweight and easy enough to manipulate (even over foundation), and lasted well on my skin (which is more normal these days than dry). I didn’t have any issues wearing it on its own or over foundation–didn’t find one was any better or worse for application or wear–but I recommend applying with fingertips over foundation due to the consistency taking a few seconds to warm up (and the pressure could disturb foundation). It stayed on well for eight hours on me. I found it to be one of the better cream highlighters, as it gave a noticeable, glowing finish to my skin but was still very skin-like, didn’t emphasize my skin’s texture, and managed to last well despite not drying down.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Glossier Moonstone (P, $22.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Becca Moonstone (P, $41.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Pat McGrath Clear (Balm) (PiP, ) is less pigmented (90% similar).
- NARS Capri (P, $38.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Colour Pop Glazed (LE, $8.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- MAC Climax (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$22.00/0.19 oz. - $115.79 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to give a "hydrated, dewy finish" with an "otherworldly sheen that's never dry, never glittery." First, it's important to note that this product is not marketed as an intense, metallic highlight, and second, the other key takeaway is the use of the word "dewy." It's a luminous, pearlescent highlighter that is cream-based and has some tackiness on the skin, which helped it adhere and stay in place better without destroying base products (like foundation) over time while maintaining a true, dewy finish. Despite the tackiness, it felt very lightweight and worked well on bare skin or on top of foundation (even heavier, matte foundations). If you love glowing, lit-from-within and want some pearl and sheen, this formula just might work out for you.
Browse all of our Glossier Haloscope swatches.
Ingredients
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Beeswax, Mica, Silica, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Nylon-12, Quartz, Sodium Hyaluronate,Tin Oxide, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carmine (CI 75470).
Quartz
PPermanent. $22.00.
Very nicely natural looking and yet still one realizes that there is *something* there! My luck with true cream cheek products hasn’t been the best, though, so I’ll probably pass on it.
I have to say that after trying some of the more recently released cream highlighters… the industry has come a long way!
How would you say this compares to the Marc Jacob cream highlight you recently reviewed?
This doesn’t dry down, feels tacky to the touch, has less coverage/pearl, and has a glossier finish.
Quite natural looking – very pretty Christine.
Hey I’ve been thinking about buying this! I’m kind of over the frosted finish and looking for something glossy.
This looks really pretty on you Christine. I’ve been looking at Glossier products recently. So, I’m really tempted to try this highlighter, as the ones I have are powder, & I’m almost done with my liquid moonstone.
I had it and it’s so beautiful! but I have acne prone skin and it clogged my pores on the cheekebones . Now my mom is enjoying it for me 🙂 . I recommend you to try the Pinch of Colour honey balm, it’s gorgeous! Also the Estee Lauder soft glow from Violette’s collection 😉
This looks so pretty on you Christine! I picked this up after seeing Samantha Ravndahl say it was one of her favorite highlights and it’s rare that I try something she recommends and have it not work out… but I cannot get this to show up on me! I have tried applying it directly to the skin, on a finger then patting it, with a brush, with a sponge, and no matter what I just can’t seem to get any real effect on my skin… It doesn’t look glossy on me, it doesn’t have a real sheen or shine… I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, it looks lovely on other people I’ve seen use it… I guess I have to keep playing with it, maybe I will unlock the secret lol
Does yours feel creamy or dry? What are you applying it on top of? All I can think is somehow yours is dried out?
Hmmm, that’s an interesting thought… Maybe mine is a bit dried out, because it feels almost thick or pasty and very sticky when you run your finger over the top. I’m not sure if this is normal since I had gotten it off the website without seeing it in person. I have the MILK highlighter stick in Lit and the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick and I was expecting this to have a texture more like those, which are really smooth. I have tried applying it over several different bases although I usually reserve it for the more light makeup days, so they were mostly lighter bases (Lancôme Skin Feels Good, MILK Sunshine Skin Tint, IT YSBB Serum, and just for experimentation purposes the Huda FauxFilter), and it didn’t work well with any of them. I wonder if I were to slice off a little bit of the top if it would be more emollient underneath or if I should just contact Glossier and see what they say. Thanks for writing back Christine!
It’s more emollient and slippery compared to the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick, but Haloscopes were definitely tacky to me without any of the dry down of the Glow Stick, IMO. From what I’ve seen, Glossier has good customer service, so I’d really just reach out them and ask about it. I doubt they’d make you return your product, so you could for sure slice it up and see, but I’d check with CS first!
I’m so glad you reviewed that, I’ve been wanting to try some of their stuff but didn’t want to listen to the hype machine.
YESSSS thank you for reviewing Glossier stuff! I always wanted to know your thoughts as to how the brand compares to more mainstream brands. Glad to see it performs similarly.