Some Really Great Drugstore Highlighters

2013 was the year of the Highlighters. Right and left, brands were coming out with powders, creams, liquids, and some in between. There were strips of different shades, swirls and pretty patterns, different tones, funky packaging. It was and still is quite the rage to be highlighting the high planes of your face, namely on top of cheek bones, on the bridge of the nose, on the cupids bow and the brow bone.

Here I have some easy to get drugstore highlighters in an assortment of tones and types, and they are all at least half if not one third or less the cost of department store brands like Dior or Chanel.

The Body Shop Highlighting Beads, Prestige Skin Loving Mineral Bronzer, Essence I Love Runway Highlighting Pen, No.7 Skin Illuminating Beauty Fluid in Peach, The Body Shop Highlighter in Glow Enhancer, Palladio Shimmer Strips, Essence Vampire's Love Shimmer Powder 

The Essence Products are Limited Edition but with every collection they have some sort of highlighter and they are all very nice.

So for the first 3:

The Body Shop Beads, Prestige Mineral Bronzer and Essence Highlighting Pen

Corresponding Swatches. These are obviously concentrated, on the face these will be applied with a much lighter hand.

The Body Shop Beads have a nice sheen to them but not glitter particles. You just swirl your brush and dust where you want the effect to turn up. This is a pink based highlighter. It comes with a sponge but I can't get any use out of it.

The Prestige Bronzer is not a bronzer shade from any angle, its a highlighter.Its more neutral but if you use it from the middle it gives a more gold tone whereas using it more from the sides gives a pink tone, mixed together it makes a nice subtle rosegold highlighter.

The Essence Highlighting Pen is a cream product so it is obviously more intense. I find creams should be blended into the foundation with your applicator so it doesn't become very obvious. Applying it before foundation gives a glowing from within look. This is a more prominent pale pink color, but this one has some glitter too.

Now for the rest of them:

No.7 Skin Illuminating Highlighter in Peach, The Body Shop Highlighter in Glow Enhancer, Essence Vampire's Love Shimmer Powder and The Palladio Shimmer Strips

Corresponding Swatches.

The No.7 Highlighter is a liquid and extremely beautiful. From the tube it appears to be a very bright peach, but it actually quite sheer and blends nicely to give a slight peachy shine. The cap comes off, then the brush top twists to two settings, on and off. The product is dispensed from a brush.

The Body Shop Highlighter has an ever so slight hint of pink but its mostly gold and also similar in texture to the No.7.

The Essence Powder is the cheapest product (along with the highlighter pen) but it is so finely milled that it is truly comparable to higher end brands. Its a muted gold and so soft and blendable.

The Palladio Strips are beige toned so this is ideal for a very natural highlight. You can use it as an eyeshadow palette too. The powder is quite sheer but it is also very finely milled. Its a no fuss highlight that even very mature skins can pull off.

Highlighters make you face look fresh and with more vitality. It brightens a dull face and enhanced your features by bringing them out. Every girl should have one or two.