Why highlighter is used in makeup

In the 50s down to the 90s, a face powder,  lipstick, eye pencil, and some pink blush was all that was needed to prop up your face to look beautiful.

Times have changed!

Now, makeup is more “complicated” than ever. Although you can still decide to go with a natural look like Alicia Keys, but not many of us are ready to give up that full face makeup or bold enough to take on the natural look.

Just with everything in life, makeup has evolved over the years. While many things have stuck around for ages (powder, lipstick, eye liners, blush), others like concealer, highlighter, bronzer, and fake lashes were introduced to make your makeup outstanding. Talking about things evolving, you would agree that the lipstick, powder, eye pencil, and blush have also undergone transformations. Back in the day women wore red lipstick or a natural tone only. Now we have evolved into bold lipcolors like green, blue, and purple.

Someone asked me why highlighter is used in makeup and after replying, I realized that not many people know the importance of using a highlighter or how to apply it right.

What is highlighter?

A highlighter is a cosmetic product that can be used on any part of the body but is usually used to enhance the focal points of the face. It draws attention to your face and gives it that magical touch for a perfect finish.

Just as the name suggests, its main function is to highlight that hidden beauty and add a beautiful glow to your face. When you see some celebrities on the red carpet and you’re like: “wow, she looks so beautiful.” Highlighter played a huge role.

Unlike contour, which recedes your facial features, a highlighter illuminates the good stuff on your face. Highlighter is the magic to looking youthful and vibrant.

If you’re not a fan of shimmer and sparkle, yet still desire your facial features to standout, you can opt for highlighting with concealer alternatively. I’d recommend using a contouring palette (with a few shades) or a matte concealer that’s a couple of shades lighter than your natural skin tone. You can then start adding the highlighter with a sponge or stippling makeup brush to the areas on your face.

For a soft glow: Once your makeup look is finished , if you want to add a sun-kissed glow, gently dust your face with a a highlighter along the cheekbones and under the brow bones with a fan brush.

For a bold glow: When you’re seeking a glamorous glow, you should add the highlighter to multiple areas of the face. A bold highlight will use product on the tops of the cheekbones, brow, cupid’s bow, down the middle of the nose, and around the temple areas .

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How to apply highlighter

Knowing where to apply highlighter is important. The facial features mainly highlighted are the bridge of the nose, cheekbones, the forehead, cupid bow, and the brow bone. You can make your nose appear slimmer, plump up your lips and have your cheekbones looking higher with a highlighter.

Do you have a powder or liquid highlighter? They are applied a bit differently, so check out the steps below.

If you’re using a powder hightlighting product, follow these steps for applying highlighter perfectly.

1. With a clean and moisturized face, apply a makeup primer. This will hide any large pores, correct color, and help the makeup last longer.
2. Apply your foundation with a sponge or brush.
3. Set the makeup by adding your favorite finishing powder.
4. Add any bronzer or blush to cheeks.
5. Now, let’s apply your highlighter the right way! If you’re using a powder highlighter be sure to have a fan brush. Fan brushes will grab highlighter and apply it better than any other makeup brush. Glide the fan brush over the product gently, so it picks up the highlighter evenly. Now, dust the powder onto the focal points of your face based on the finished look you want.
6. You can add a light coat of finishing powder if you’d like and you’re all done.

When you’re using a liquid highlight product, follow this step by step to apply the highlighter right.

1. Wash your face and add moisturizer.
2. Apply your foundation and blend it out.
3. Contour your face to define your features. When I use liquid makeup products, I like to use a beauty blender. But, you can use contouring brushes as well.
4. Apply your blush and blend it in beginning at the middle of your cheeks and reverting towards your ears.
5. Now, let’s add the shimmering highlighter! Apply small dabs of the the product above your cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, center of chin, above eyebrow, on the inner corners of eyes, and above your cupid’s bow. You can blend this to perfection with a blending brush, sponge or your fingers. If you use your fingers, make sure your hands are clean. If you’re using your finger for full control, using a tapping motion, blend the product out for the perfect glow.
6. Apply a setting spray to keep your makeup fresh looking all day.

Now that you know why highlighter is used in makeup, here are some tips to keep in mind while you master highlighter application:

• Go for a highlighter that complements your skin undertone. There are many options available.
• When applying a powder highlighter, choose a fluffy brush
• Use a sponge to stipple on a liquid highlighter
• Use a pencil highlighter to reach the cupid bow and brow bone better
• Cream highlighter lasts longer on the face

Hope I’ve answered the question on why highlighter is used in makeup? And if you still have some questions or suggestions, I’d love to read them in the comment section.