little white truths

And in natural light:

Direct sunlight:

Indirect sunlight:

* L-R: Euphoric Strobe Light, Brilliant Strobe Light, Kevyn Aucoin Candelight, theBalm Mary-Lou, Becca Opal, Becca Champagne Pop, Laura Mercier Matte Radiance 01

Verdict

I love this highlighter but it's not perfect so that's why I haven't given it an HG tag. If it weren't for the flecks of glitter it contains, it would hands-down be my favourite formula - but I much prefer highlighters that don't contain shimmer so that's why I haven't rated it above all others.

These highlighters are soft, smooth and creamy - almost velvety - to the touch. They're finely milled and they blend and apply beautifully.

My favourite thing about them is that they don't emphasise texture (eg pores and fine lines) and they're also not too metallic, so they look very natural on the skin. Indeed if it weren't for the glitter in these, you wouldn't necessarily know that the highlighter isn't my skin: that's how natural they are. I would love to see Hourglass reformulate these without the glitter, but alas I don't think they will.

If you look at the comparison swatches above, you'll see that the Hourglass formula looks most like the Kevyn Aucoin formula on the skin. They both look more refined than the other highlighters I've swatched. This is why I prefer these two formulas: they're more my speed.

These highlighters wear well throughout the day and you can certainly build them if you want a stronger highlight (you can also apply them wet), but I personally prefer to leave them looking softer.

They also look gorgeous on the eyes and they're among my favourites for inner-corner highlighting because they're not too shimmery or reflective.

Brilliant Strobe Light is a beautiful pale gold. I don't own anything like it. There's something special about this particular gold, and I'm not the first person to have said this. Yes Euphoric is the right shade for me if I want a highlight that looks like it's my skin, but this is invariably the one I reach for when we're going out because I love the shade so much.

Overall I love this product and I recommend it. Its only fault is the visible shimmer, but it is super fine so I can live with it. I would happily take it out of the formula, though, and I would test one of these on your face before purchase just to check that you're ok with it.

Gorgeous but not perfect.