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Finding The Perfect Highlighter For Your Skin Tone

I miss the simpler days when all I had to do with makeup was put some powder on my face, draw a line on my eye, and put a shit ton of mascara on. Now, I have to worry about painting my entire face different colors so that my cheekbones look on point in my selfies. Because all the filters in the fucking world aren’t enough, I guess. I should be thankful, honestly, because it seriously steps up my Instagram ratio, but it’s a lot of fucking work to make your skin look like it naturally glows without looking like you spent at least an hour on your contour. That’s not including the times you mess up and have to start all over.

Makeup

Me every fucking day ^

Simply wearing enough bronzer to convince people you got a shitty spray tan doesn’t cut it anymore. Of course, there will always be another thing to add to our faces that makes us look more extra than we already are. That, my friends, is a shimmery, holy-looking highlighter that’s supposed to make you glow like you’ve never glowed before.

Assuming you’ve already chosen a highlighter to last you like, 2 weeks tops, it’s honestly fucking annoying and inconvenient when you can’t settle on a perfect highlighter for your skin complexion. It is such a life-ruiner when you spend half your rent check on a palette but end up loving the blush and bronzer and absolutely hating the highlighter. Like, it’s bad enough you spend your entire life savings at Sephora buying other shit necessities. It’s even worse when you go home and try out yet another fucking highlighter only to be like, “well, now that I look like I just poured gold glitter on my face, I may as well run to the nearest rave.” Then, you have to suck it up and go with it because there’s no way in hell you’re throwing out an Urban Decay powder.

Since I’m completely over this bullshit, I’ve done us all a fucking favor and found the best highlighters for your skin tone so you can look like the glowing goddess you are all the time. Because you, at the very least, deserve to shine like a goddamn diamond.

For Pale Skin

If you find yourself thinking you always look pasty no matter the season, find a highlighter that’s pearlescent in color. Using a highlighter with pink or gold undertones on a light skin tone may actually cause your friends to worry about your health. BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl leaves a smooth, subtle shine with a white finish. If you’re going for a look that shows everyone you’re a fucking queen with an ice-cold heart, try NARS Illuminator in Copacabana. It’s a light-reflecting liquid in a glistening pearl. To add some color, mix with a golden bronzer and light pink blush.

NARS Highlighter & BECCA Highlighter

For Medium Skin

You already have tan skin or you just vacay somewhere in the tropics every two weeks. Now, you just need to enhance your tan and make people more jealous of you than they already are. For warmer skin tones, find a highlighter with a light pink hue or one in a golden shade. If you’re trying to enhance a rosy glow, go with Lancôme Glow Subtil Silky Creme Highlighter in Buff Lights. If you’re trying to look like you laid out in the sun for hours without stepping outside of your house, go with Natasha Denona Face Glow Cream Shimmer in medium. This stick applicator gives you the perfect sun-kissed dewy look if you can’t make it to the beach. Just swipe right on your face.

Highlighters For Medium Skin

For Dark Skin

For darker skin tones, aim for highlighters that have a rose gold or darker bronze variation. Since you probably don’t want to look you’ve aged 10 years overnight, stay away from silvers, pearls, or icy-looking shades—they will give you a gray look that just doesn’t look cute. Immerse your face in a bottle of rosé a color that reminds you of rosé by using Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Highlighter in Sparkler. If you want something that enhances your skin tone, go for a shade like Dior Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer Powder in Bronzed Glow.

Highlighters For Dark Skin