rms beauty Living Luminzer ($38.00 for 0.20 oz.) is described as an “ultra sheer, glowing, luminizer with a translucent, satin-pearl finish.” It’s a pale, champagne beige–a warmer, more golden beige–with a soft, frosted sheen that blends out to a barely-there glow (no frost) when applied to the skin. Tom Ford Beauty Blush Guilt (LE, $58.00) is warmer, shinier. Illamasqua Aurora (P, $24.00) is more frosted. See comparison swatches. MAC Strobe Cream, when mixed with moisturizer, also has a similar effect on the skin.

If you’re someone who feels like they’ve tried dozens of highlighters and they all feel over-the-top, pore-emphasizing, too frosted, too shiny, and just too much, you may find the Living Luminizer is exactly what you’ve been looking for. Subtle is the name of the game here. It mimics an illusion of glowing, healthy skin, which may be too subtle for some or just right for others. It doesn’t emphasize pores, dryness, or skin imperfections. When my skin is drier, and I’m not wearing any other base makeup, this is a nice way to add a little natural-looking luminosity onto my skin without wearing foundation and powder. If I apply a light-medium coverage foundation with a more luminous finish, I get similar results–I can’t really tell that I’ve applied the Living Luminizer in that instance. If you have a more matte-finish foundation, it will help to breathe life back into it so it’s not as flat all-over. The consistency is creamy, a little thick, but blendable and does melt on contact with the skin. It doesn’t feel tacky, but it never fully sets or dries down. On me, it lasted five hours on cheeks, four hours on the bridge of the nose, and five hours on the cupid’s bow.

rms beauty Living Luminzer

rms beauty Living Luminzer

rms beauty Living Luminzer

rms beauty Living Luminzer

rms beauty Living Luminzer

rms beauty Living Luminzer

rms beauty Living Luminzer

rms beauty Living Luminzer

Foundation + Powder / With rms beauty Living Luminzer