After the cosmetics companies got all of us to invest a lot of money into contour kits that were primarily focused on shadows and subtle highlights, they switched towards the end of last year and suddenly the focus was highlighters and strobing. A lot of artists and enthusiasts seem to have reacted to “strobing is the next big thing!” with a big “LOL that’s just highlighting, we already own products for that, thanks!” but that hasn’t stopped companies from either making new products or more heavily promoting their existing highlighters.
I’m not about to go crazy over highlighters, but they do appeal to me more than contour powders. For one thing, contour powders are not very exciting and there’s not a lot of variety. The idea is to create the illusion of shadow, so once you finally find a product that creates a convincing shadow on your skin tone, you’re set. You may want varying intensities depending on whether you’re doing a lightweight contour or a full “I must withstand the glare of stage lights” contour, but that’s about it. However, with highlighters you have a lot more options, whether you want to just echo the natural effect of light hitting the high spots of your face, or whether you want to sparkle like a magical faerie.
I think we both know where I fall on that spectrum, so today we’re looking at two shimmering, sparkling highlighters. I thought it would be fun to splurge on a luxury highlighter and compare it to a budget highlighter. You can probably find more expensive and cheaper options, but these are two popular options.
Although I chose two really pale options because I am a really pale girl, both of these brands have a variety of highlighters to choose from. Shimmering Skin Perfector by Becca comes in 7 shades and ColourPop Highlighters come in 20 shades, so there’s an option for everyone.
Let’s look at the two products side-by-side first. Shimmering Skin Perfector is $38 for .25oz of product. It comes in a compact with a mirror. It’s a pretty sleek presentation, matte black with a metal insert. Very sophisticated. ColourPop highlighters are $8 for 1.5oz, so you’re getting 6 times the product for $30 less. It comes in the same packaging as all ColourPop products, a white jar with a twist-off lid that has a clear window decorated with the CP logo.
Bottom: ColourPop
I did not choose colors that are exact duplicates, but I did choose two colors that I thought would suit me well. From Becca I chose Pearl, which is a pure shimmering white, neutral leaning towards cool. From ColourPop I chose Stole the Show, which is a cool golden white with iridescent pink, gold and silver. Pearl is like crushed pearls while Stole the Show is more like crushed opals. Both could be made with magical pixie dust for how sparkly they are.
Let’s talk about the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector first, since I tried it first. It came with a little plastic insert that I threw out but probably should have kept, because the product is a little powdery and now there’s highlighter on the mirror and the outside of the compact. This is a fine pressed powder and surprisingly a little goes a long way. I applied it lightly with a fan brush and still got a noticeable glow across my cheekbones. It may be only .25oz of product but I suspect it might last you forever if you take good care of it.
I suspect this product could be built to a much more opaque coverage, based on the arm swatch (both swatches were applied with a finger). As such, it’s pretty versatile. Brush it on lightly for non-performance makeup or small venues, then build it up for brighter lights or just because you want to be extra sparkly. If you’re in the market for a luxury highlighter, definitely give Becca a look.
Like other ColourPop products, Stole the Show is a creamy moussey product. As such, while the package holds a lot more than the Becca compact, I suspect it may dry out before you can use it all. I applied it with a finger then blended out with a brush, as ColourPop recommends fingers, but you can use a brush if you’d rather not be poking your makeup. I was worried it would be too intense when I saw it on my finger, but it actually diffused out nicely and I didn’t feel crazy wearing this for Valentine’s Day.
I can see this one really building up to greater, ridiculously sparkly intensity. Because it has a light, creamy texture, you may even be able to use it as a base for glitter if you’re going for a real fantasy stage makeup look (I’m thinking of that one picture of Rachel Brice with a glitter cheek highlight). I wouldn’t be surprised if you could also use it on your eyes. The glitter in it is a fine shimmer, so I wouldn’t be worried about fallout, but since it’s not a specific eye product, use your own best judgement. If you’re looking to get into the highlighter game without breaking your budget, definitely check out ColourPop.
Ultimately, I feel like either of these products would work well for a belly dancer who wants a really shimmery highlight for her performance makeup, while also being able to do double-duty for cocktail parties and other formal occasions. They’re probably too shimmery for daily wear, unless your usual look tends towards the glamorous or sparkly. Dancers who prefer a more natural highlight will probably want to check out other formulas that have less shimmer.