A must-have in your makeup kit, highlighter brightens your complexion. How do you apply it without making a mistake? We take a look.

What exactly is highlighter used for?

We are entitled to ask ourselves the question before rushing to buy one. Brought up to date by celebrity makeup artists, highlighter is a makeup product designed to add luminosity and radiance to certain areas of the face. It is generally used to highlight the cheekbones, the brow bone, the Cupid's bow (the upper part of the lip), the inner corner of the eyes and the top of the forehead bone.

Highlighter is available in powder, cream, liquid or gel form. It is often gold, silver, pink or pearly in colour (to suit all skin tones). It is often used to give the skin a brighter and fresher appearance.

When applied correctly, liquid highlighter can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by reflecting light and creating the illusion of smoother, more youthful skin. It can also help sculpt the face by creating areas of light and shadow, and give a more defined appearance to facial features… It’s a versatile tool that’s a must-have in your makeup bag!

How to apply your highlighter step by step

As explained above, highlighter must be applied correctly in order to be truly effective. For a fresh and luminous complexion , there are specific gestures and steps to follow.

What equipment do you use to apply highlighter?

Highlighter comes in different forms, it can be found in powder, cream, fluid or stick form. You will need to choose an applicator brush depending on the type of highlighter you prefer. To apply a powder highlighter you will need a fan brush, to apply a creamy highlighter you will need a flat brush, to apply a stick highlighter, a special complexion brush will be sufficient.

Prepare your skin

This is the basis of the bases. Clean and prepared skin will support better and embellish the makeup applied more. For this, we respect a meticulous and diligent skincare routine according to our skin type.

We hydrate our skin barrier by applying in order: our serum, our eye contour serum , and our cream. We continue by preparing the skin with a luminous base (for even more glow) and we finish with a sun protection, special face, obligatory summer and winter to protect our skin from UVA/UVB rays of the sun which dangerously accelerate skin aging and accentuate the various skin problems.

Apply your makeup base

Once the skin is prepared to receive the touches of makeup, apply your foundation (preferably a light-textured liquid to keep a fresh and sparkling appearance) by stretching it as much as possible using your special complexion brush or your makeup sponge (beauty blender). To avoid demarcation lines, be careful to choose the exact shade and go down to the neck. It is possible to skip the foundation step. For a lighter and more natural look, you can only apply your concealer to the dark circles and small imperfections.

Illuminate!

It's time to add that long-awaited touch of light. After choosing the highlighter of your choice (powder, liquid, cream or stick) and according to your skin tone (silver and pink for cool skin tones, gold for warm skin tones). Apply your highlighter using a brush to the areas you want to highlight. The most common areas are the cheekbones, the brow bone, the Cupid's bow (upper lip) and the top of the forehead bone. However, you can have fun applying it to the collarbones, the tip of the nose, the inner corner of the eyes or even the temples. Make sure to blend the material well for a natural effect.

Little tips for choosing your highlighter format: combination to oily skin will prefer a powder format, dry to normal skin will prefer a creamier format, stick or fluid.

We fix everything

To keep this luminous complexion all day long, make sure to set your makeup using a setting mist, which is easily found in specialist stores.

Be careful, it's important to note that it's easy to overdo it with highlighter... it's best to apply a small amount at first and adjust as needed.