Your best glow can be found in the skincare aisle! Algenist REVEAL Concentrated Luminizing Drops is a 5 Star Gem!

By: Amanda V.

I, the self-proclaimed glow queen has come across yet another gorgeous highlighter, this time from high end skincare brand Algenist. Being that this product ISN'T laid out there with the other makeup products throughout all of Sephora, you would more than likely walk past this and not know that your best glow yet even exists!

You can see the shimmering glow dripping off of the dropper. its so gorgeously pearlescent. 

I am a major fan of liquid highlighters and this one is no exception. This serum formula gives a gorgeous dewy effect and I love the way it sinks into the skin rather than lay on top, especially for the hot and humid summer months. This gorgeous highlighter was love at first drop. The iridescent sheen pulled on my heartstrings. I love how the beam can be built from subtle radiance to an intense glow yet still feel so incredibly lightweight and airy. It feels like nothing on the skin. You can apply with your fingers or a brush like Real Techniques' duo fibre contour brush (which is my go to for liquid highlighters) and then tap  a tiny bit with a beauty blender just to blend out any harsh lines and make it seamless. It seemed to last an entire work day which is major. This liquid highlight may give a dew effect but it doesn't set wet. It sets kind of like a semi matte, So this will work for all skin types even for all of you oily babes out there. Also, It works so well with my sensitive skin but I felt like that was a given coming from a great skincare brand. The highlighter is formulated to work well with mature skin as it has gold pigments and ultra fine luminous pearls that don't crease into fine lines and wrinkles as well as Alguronic Acid to reduce the appearance of them. You can mix this into your moisturizer for a brightening effect and even your foundation for a diffused soft focus effect to the skin. This highlighter contains an AlgaCorrecting Complex that aids in color correction and treats uneven skin tone. It is also formulates without synthetic dyes, parabens or sulfates and is dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic. ALL OF THIS SKINCARE MAGIC WHILE GIVING YOU A BOMB GLOW!!! YES PLEASE!!!

This is a swatch on my medium skin tone (with flash) & The beam is real!!! It will photograph beautifully. This is in the shade "Champagne". 

The Algenist REVEAL Concentrated Luminzing Drops comes in 3 different shades, "Rosé", "Champagne" and "Pearl". This highlighter is more on the pricier side, retailing for $38 and you get 0.5oz of product. A single drop of this product goes a very long way. Although it may seem small, you're still getting alot of glow for your buck. You can find this Product at Sephora Stores and Sephora.com as well as Algenist.com.

Highlighters Go Head to Head! Summer 2017 Glow

Written by @Twist.it.tea 

BECCA

Shimmering Skin Perfector® Poured Crème Highlighter in Champagne Pop

VS.

Urban Decay

Naked Skin Highlighting Fluid in Sin

Becca retails for $38 in 0.19 oz at Sephora

Urban Decay retails for $28 in 0.21 oz at Sephora

HIGHLIGHTERS GO HEAD TO HEAD …

Urban Decay’s Sin, and Becca’s Champagne Pop are both described as the natural and subtle highlight shade of their family.  Personally, I tend to lean more towards natural glows than a holographic look.  This is just a preference because I spend a lot of time in an office setting so I like to keep it low-key during office hours.  What’s important as well is being able to build with a natural highlight that will give me the drama for my afterhours fun.   I decided to run a little experiment with these two uber popular highlighters.  Based on their obvious differences in formula, Urban Decay being a liquid and Becca being a poured cream, I thought they were fair contenders.  But what really mattered to me in the conclusion of these highlighters was; are they easy to apply to a fresh face of makeup, longevity and if their pigment was right for a day to night, look.

THE APPLICATION: URBAN DECAY HIGHLIGHTING FLUID & BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR HIGHLIGHTER

WINNER OF THIS ROUND: BECCA

What stood out to me the most about Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector was the poured cream.  I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t intimidated by this formula at first because of the unusual consistency.  I ended up loving the flawless application due to the formula. I use my finger tips to apply and a small stipple brush to buff it out.  At first I was generally worried that the cream texture wasn’t going to perform to my expectations of this being a “Holy Grail” item, because of the application process of using my finger tips as suggested. When I first started using this product my finger tips did a horrible job of applying the highlighter.  It got stuck dry spots, looked streaky and really scaly for some reason. As soon as I put the stipple brush to it, it buffed out to a sheer perfection. 

This is alovely, creamy, satin formula that applies nearly perfect on my cheekbones after a little love.  It doesn’t clog my pores or enhance any imperfections – it sits, stays and gives me a natural glow that I need throughout the day.

Applying Urban Decay’s Highlighting Fluid was …. Tricky.  This liquid highlight has a flat doe foot wand which awkward to apply.  The liquid is hard to blend with my finger tips and ended up shifting my face make up.  I have to dab the product on and not use too much, so at first it was a little time consuming to get this applied just right.  Although overall, the Urban Decay does give a beautiful glow when applied right.  It was hard to decide between the two given all of these factors but Becca won this round for me. 

LONGEVITY AND TRANSITIONING: URBAN DECAY HIGHLIGHTING FLUID & BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR HIGHLIGHTER

WINNER OF THIS ROUND: URBAN DECAY

I could conduct this portion of the experiment in my office but I don't think that would be a true test to the longevity of these products. I work in a showroom for the majority of the week, not facing many elements in regards to makeup staying put.  I started testing this highlighter out when I knew I needed to have a full face of makeup from afternoon to night aka a full day of running a, and most likely bar hopping.  The Urban Decay gave me the shimmer and shine for a good 10+ hours.  I didn’t feel that by the end of the night my makeup had dripped, or smudged off, it held on tight. It still looked beautiful, and dewy by the end of a full day of dancing and gallivanting around town. The Becca highlighter was a little disappointing. It’s a great base for day but it definitely needs to be reapplied throughout if you still want that initial glow that you get in the beginning. Becca is more on the low-key side while Urban Decay definitely gives you more of a sparkle and shine. 

CONCLUSION

All in all these are both great highlighters.  The only deciding factor I could come up with if I were faced to make a decision in the store would be to grab the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector based on the amount of product you get, the ability to build up a day-to night look and the ease of applying.  In all honestly for the price you pay and the amount of product you get in the Urban Decay Highlighting Fluid is a little disappointing.  It’s difficult to scrape out of the bottle and I felt that it ran out supppppper fast for only using a tiny amount of product a day.  The Becca hasn’t made a dent and I feel like I use more.  I also concluded that these two highlighters together are spectacular. For a day to night look I always use Becca and Urban Decay on top, it’s the perfect combo.

Mermaid Skin in a Bottle? Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Halo give the ultimate aquatic glow you’ve been craving for the Summer!

By: Amanda V.

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Halo is one of the most whimsical highlighters I’ve ever come across. It glides on super smooth and sheer but the multi dimensional glow is real. One drop of this mermaid dream in a bottle and you’re set, but you can customize the intensity of your desired beam from subtle to blinding by adding a few more drops.

This is what ONE drop can do!!! 

This highlighter doesn’t necessarily have the dewiest feel. It’s a silky, light liquid formula that absorbs into your skin and feels… well… LIKE SKIN. It doesn’t feel like you have product just laying on top of your skin, which I'm sure none of us want. You can wear this without anything on your face and itmakes you look like you naturally gleam holographic. I see this actually working well with oily skin gals because it dries beautiful without any greasiness. It sets light and matte while still keeping its glow. This product worked really well with my sensitive skin and didn’t negatively affect it at all, which is a plus for me. 

How gorgeous is this packaging? This is what dreams are made of!!!

What makes this highlighter the supreme? IT ACTUALLY LASTS ALL DAY!!! you’re angles will beam from sunrise to sunset and beyond. It also is free of chemicals like parabens as well as free of fragrances, talc, gluten and it is Vegan!! So all of you animal lovers can get in on this glow!!!

The dropper gives the perfect control of distribution so that no product is wasted.

Being that very little goes a VERY LONG WAY, this little 0.5oz bottle will last a VERY LONG TIME. It is pretty small for the hefty price of $42 (sold at CoverFx.com, as well as Sephora stores & Sephora.com) but as I always say, treat yourself if you can! You are deserving of it!! 

Glow Tips:

-For the babes with dry skin, try adding a drop of this to Glossier Balm Dot Com and add to cheek bones, along the bridge of your nose and eyelids. GLOW Baby, GLOW!

-There are no rules, you can glow as bright as you want. Hell, If you want to be a full on sea queen, add a couple of drops into your foundation (Have fun with it)

-Listen and Lip Sync to “Part of your world” and “Under the Sea” as you apply your highlight… release your inner mermaid!!!