If you’ve been hesitant to wear highlighter since the ultra-glittery days of the 2010s, these formulas offer a softer, more natural glow from within.
I don’t know about you, but the blinding highlighter trend of the 2010s wore me out. I’m talking about the awkwardly reflective streak of Becca Champagne Pop cut across your cheekbone and looked a tad more subtle in your bedroom mirror than it did in photos. You might have been a little traumatized looking back at that era and probably swore off highlighter for a few years afterward. Application matters, sure, but the real fix comes down to picking the right formula for your skin and your patience level. Some of us want a Becca dupe, since the brand was sadly discontinued in 2021 and left a hole nobody has quite filled; others want something that melts into skin and asks for nothing else.
Whether you gravitate toward a stick you can swipe on in the car, a powder formula you can build up slowly, a liquid that mixes into foundation, or a palette that gives you five moods in one compact, there’s a formula out there that won’t send you back into hiding. Here’s where to start.
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Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Glassy Balm Highlighter Stick
Haus Labs’ highlighter stick treats glow as a skincare outcome rather than a makeup effect, with its formula running on moisturizing hyaluronic acid and squalane. It skips shimmer entirely and goes for the glazed, glass-skin look instead, which makes it a strong pick for dry skin. Oilier skin types might find it slides by midday, so pack blotting papers if you’re testing it through a long day.
Chanel Baume Essentiel
Chanel Baume Essentiel simply works every single time you swipe it on. The stick warms against your skin and melts into a sheer wash of light rather than a defined streak. It won’t compete with punchier formulas on raw intensity, but that restraint might just be the whole appeal. This is the fuss-free highlighter you reach for when you want to look like you slept nine hours and drank enough water.
Hourglass Unreal Liquid Highlighter
Hourglass’s liquid highlighter comes in a dropper bottle and behaves like a serum that happens to glow. Hyaluronic acid sits in the formula alongside pearl-based light reflectors, and the brand claims up to 12 hours of wear without pilling. Once it’s blended, the payoff is a plumped, lit-from-within look that easily mixes into foundation.
Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter
This highlighter melts into a soft, wet-look sheen instead of sitting on top in flakes, skipping over dry patches rather than clinging to them. It’s easy to swipe on with or without a brush, which makes it the safest starting point if you’re only willing to commit to one new highlighter right now.
Simi Haze Soft Strobe Creamy Highlight Powder
This product by Simi Haze splits the difference between a powder and a cream. It goes on with more give than a typical pressed powder, which makes it forgiving on texture, though the pan itself is delicate and needs a light hand to avoid cracking. It works equally well swept across cheekbones or patted onto lids for a subtle wash of shimmer.
Benefit Cookie Highlighter
This Benefit highlighter’s formula has stuck around for a reason. Its warm, champagne-opal shimmer flatters medium skin tones especially well. It’s a dependable, no-fuss pick if your undertone lines up with what it’s built for. It layers nicely over brow bones and inner corners if you want to extend the glow beyond your cheeks.
Dior Backstage Glow Maximizer Palette
A personal favorite. Dior’s Backstage Glow Maximizer Palette gives you five shades and four finishes in a single compact, spanning pearlescent, metallic, glitter, and duo-chrome effects. The powder is finely milled, so even the more intense finishes diffuse rather than clump. The range covers everything from your average workday to your Friday night dinner plans. If you’re someone who likes options within arm’s reach instead of committing to one finish, this palette should earn its space in your bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Highlighters can come in different formulas, including cream, liquid, and powder. Products from Haus Labs, Chanel, Hourglass, Rare Beauty, Simi Haze, Benefit, and Dior show how each formula creates a different finish and level of glow.
Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Glassy Balm Highlighter Stick, Chanel Baume Essentiel, Hourglass Unreal Liquid Highlighter, and Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter are designed to create a soft, skin-like radiance instead of an intense glittery finish.
Yes. Hydrating formulas like Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Glassy Balm Highlighter Stick and Hourglass Unreal Liquid Highlighter can suit drier skin, while powder options such as Benefit Cookie Highlighter and Dior Backstage Glow Maximizer Palette are popular for those who prefer a longer-lasting finish.
Cream sticks like Chanel Baume Essentiel and Haus Labs are easy to blend directly onto the skin, liquid formulas like Hourglass can be mixed with foundation, and powders from Simi Haze, Benefit, and Dior offer buildable luminosity.
Yes. Simi Haze Soft Strobe Creamy Highlight Powder and Benefit Cookie Highlighter can also be applied to the eyelids, brow bones, and inner corners, while Hourglass Unreal Liquid Highlighter can be mixed into the foundation for an all-over glow.
