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Top 10: Summer Highlighters

When I think of summer, I think gorgeous, glowing cheeks, and one of my weaknesses is a good highlighter. This post features ten of my favorite permanent highlighters, and some of them may be more blush-like on certain skin tones (and some are highlighting blushes on my medium skin tone), and I can’t wait to hear what your personal favorites are (share your skin tone!). I love liquid highlighters for mixing in with my moisturizer or foundation (typically the latter for me), while cream highlighters are lovely for a more dewy finish or to layer blush on top with for better hold and intensity.

  1. Becca Opal/Pressed
  2. Cle de Peau Sand Beige
  3. Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight
  4. Becca Rose Gold/Pressed
  5. Becca Opal/Original
  6. Kevyn Aucoin Starlight
  7. Laura Geller Ballerina
  8. Becca Rose Gold/Poured
  9. Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment
  10. theBalm Cindy-Lou

>> See side-by-side swatches! <<

54 Comments

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Alison Avatar

I love the sound of this, it looks like the perfect item to add a bit of color and highlight at the same time. Your enthusiasm for it is contagious, too. I’ll have to give this a try when I can. Thanks, Christine!

Nicole Avatar

Ohhh..this post speaks to my heart Christine! You know I share your love of highlighters. I have lost count of how many I have and that is one thing I think I will never say, enough. They are just so unique and do so much for your look IMO. I love the tip about layering a bream under a blush! I love all these- have all of them minus the CDP sand beige and Mary Lou.I may have to just buy them! lol. I want them both so badly! I must say,I love all of my highlighter and picking a favorite is almost like picking a favorite child to me, lol. But, I have been wearing ColourPop luminizers like they are going to drop off the face of the earth. I just love them! The cream-like consistency blends in so nicely with my skin and they last so nice with the hot weather. Plus, I love the ease of application and versatility of fingertip or brush application. My faves probably are highly waisted, Butterfly Beach, Monster, Hippo, and sticky Sweet. I also really am digging Tom ford’s Firelust. I think it was form last year’s collection. but, I actually just got mine this summer. So, it may still be available. So gorgeous! 😀

Christine Avatar

I totally blanked on the ColourPop highlighters once I started choosing! I have them categorized as a blush rather than a highlighter (I think I did that because a lot of them are more highlighting blushes, and I knew I would forget to look through for dupes for blushes in the future), but since I was only looking at highlighters, they skipped my mind. It is funny, too, because when I decided to do highlighters this morning, I was like, “Oh, I’ll have to make sure not to pick ALL ColourPop and ALL Becca!”

Lotus Avatar

Hello again! 😀 Ugh.. I’m like you here! But I caved long ago with CdP Pastel.. Luckily, all of them have a similar ColourPop highlighter so I can stop! LOL! 🙂

Christine Avatar

That’s a good question, LOL! I usually just sort through the Swatch Gallery to recall my favorites, and I remember going “Limit yourself to only a few,” and somehow they must have been categorized as something else. I just checked, and they come up under blush, which is why beyond my initial thought, I completely blanked after I started going, “Yes, I love that, and that… and that… oh that’s 15, put some back!”

Raeanne Avatar

I really want Ballerina, but I don’t know why the packaging just bothers me so much! So cheap looking for a mid-range product. I love Golden Honey, so I’ll probably end up getting Ballerina!

Irene Avatar

It makes me so happy to see thebalm make your list. I think they’re one of the most underrated brands so it’s nice to see them get some love 🙂

BB Avatar

When would you decide to wear the Becca Rose Gold in pressed versus poured on a given day? For example if it’s more warm would you go the poured look? Or if you wanted a dewier appearance?

Rachel R. Avatar

All gorgeous, but most are too dark for me. I have Cindy-Lou, and I have to wear it as a blush. lol The Kevin Aucoin Candlelight might work on me.

Rachel R. Avatar

Well, I have very fair and oily skin, so my highlighters don’t change for the summer. I wear powdered highlighters year round. In no particular order: Too Faced Candlelight, The Balm Mary Lou-manizer, Notoriously Morbid Osteomancy, City Color Intense Exposure Highlighting Powder, e.l.f. Blush in Gotta Glow, e.l.f. Studio Baked Highlighters (all 3 shades, but Moonlight Pearls is my favorite), e.l.f. Studio Baked Blush in Pinktastic, Wet n Wild Fergie Glow To Reflect Shimmer Palette in Rose Champagne.

I still haven’t gotten the chance to try the Colour Pop highlighters.

xamyx Avatar

I’m a big fan of highlighters, and have several, but 2 of my favorites for hpt weather are Wet N’ Wild Reserve Your Cabana & Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Sun Baked Bronzing Powder in Pure Shimmer. Both provide a subtle, luminous glow that isn’t OTT, and absolutely no sparkle. They’re also talc-free, so when I reapply sunscreen throughout the day, nothing gets “cakey”. I’m fair/neutral, but I think both can be used by those with slightly deeper complexions.

An added bonus-both are under $10!

Lea Avatar

I’m all for the glowing skin! I’m torn between the hourglass ethereal light (I have the diffusion light and I love it, but it is the same as my face color) and Cle de Peau Pastel (11)
Luminizing Face Enhancer. Any suggestions?

Jill Avatar

I just picked up all three of The Balm’s Loumanizers and they are really outstanding, plus they are so inexpensive compared to the other highlighters on your top 10 list. Cle de Peau’s highlighters are still my holy grail highlighters but The Balm’s prove you don’t need to go high end for a killer highlighter!

Lotus Avatar

HIGHLIGHTER LOVE! Oh yeah! Temptalia Style! I think all of these are quality and GREAT picks for highlighters if one has medium- deeper skin tones, but the fairest can enjoy them in multiple ways as well! Or if you are really fair, just look at these and choose the same one in the lightest color offered! Everyone’s happy! Or enjoy the bronze-rosy glow they’ll give paler skin! In my world, I can’t say no to highlighters. Nope, just can’t.. I can hold off buying ones too expensive when I find dupes, thank you to Christine, but whether it’s an eyeshadow or blush, or truly a highlighter.. It’s all sooooo good to me! Great post! <3 XOXO!! Gorgeous!

Vanessa Avatar

I’ve been wearing Becca Poured Pearl — which is white, maybe considered more of a winter shade (?) — apologetically since it came out 😀

Katrina Avatar

Great post, does any find Cle de Peau highlighter really glittery? I have it at home and i have to say the texture and colour are amazing. I’ve heard people say that it isn’t glittery at all.

Christine would you say the Becca pressed powder highlighters are less shimmery than the Cle de Peau?

Moja31 Avatar

I recently purchased “starlight” and it was a game changer, I may never buy another highlighter again,
Bare minerals, pure radiance is another good one.

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