little white truths

Not long ago I included Hourglass' Brilliant Strobe Light in Project Dent, and more recently I decided to dent this one in Euphoric Strobe Light.

I also reviewed Brilliant when I dented it (see review here), and funnily enough, my review on this one in Euphoric will be a little different because I don't like it as much and it can look a touch drying on the skin if I'm not careful. So turns out it was a good thing to review them separately because my reviews won't be the same for both.

As I mentioned in my review of Brilliant Strobe Light, I do really enjoy these highlighters because they look natural on the skin and they don't emphasise texture, but the problem is, they contain tiny flecks of glitter that's definitely noticeable when applied and that's not my cup of tea.

Of course, the glitter isn't that bad - if it were, I wouldn't have bought two of these - but it does mean that this formula isn't my favourite for highlighting.

Still, these powders are soft, smooth and silky and they're a pleasure to use. 

Hourglass claims/product details:

I guess I should also say again now that while I like the colour of Euphoric Strobe Light, Brilliant is my favourite so I tend to reach for it more often.

Nevertheless, Euphoric is the best match for my colouring and it's exactly the shade that you would expect to come from my skin naturally. Indeed if I wear it softly enough, it's only the glitter that tells you the glow doesn't come from my skin itself.

There's a shot of the pan, indirect sunlight:

Below are heavy and blended swatches in direct sunlight:

Next, comparison swatches.

Direct 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

Natural light (indoors):

* 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 really enjoy this highlighter but it's not perfect. If it weren't for the flecks of glitter it contains, it would be a different story - but I much prefer highlighters that don't contain shimmer so that's why I haven't rated it above all others.

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

As mentioned above, however, Euphoric Strobe Light can look a little too frosty and dry on my skin if I use too much of it, but I don't find that with Brilliant so there is a slight difference between them - at least when it comes to how they look on my light/medium to medium, yellow-based skin.

My favourite thing about these highlighters 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. Having said this, Euphoric can look too dry and frosty on me if I try to build it on the eyes: another reason why I prefer Brilliant Strobe Light.

What I do however like about Euphoric is that it's a more natural colour on me than Brilliant, so it's a good choice for no makeup days because it doesn't announce itself to be a highlighter on my skintone, given it's a neutral beige that blends into my skin.

Overall I like this product and I recommend it. Its main 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 you're ok with it.

Good but not perfect.