How to Apply Highlighter to Get Glowing Skin

Having natural looking, glowing skin can make you look and feel your very best. Highlighter can brighten and lift your face, giving you the appearance of younger looking skin and accent your best features. But if you’re using a highlighter to achieve a perfect glow, it’s important to do so in a way that looks natural and accents all your best features. Using the wrong highlighter, or applying it in the wrong places can make you look greasy or sweaty (not cute!)

Types of Highlighter

There are different types of highlighter; liquid, cream, and powder. There are thousands of products to choose from in each of the categories, and there isn’t necessarily one that’s better than another. However, typically speaking, liquid and cream highlighters tend to be the easiest to work with if you have more mature skin, as they’re easier to blend in. Powder highlighters can create an amazing glow, but they do also tend to emphasize fine lines and wrinkles more than creams and liquids do if not placed correctly.

I actually love to use all types of highlighter despite having more mature skin. I use more care in the placement of products to ensure that I’m not “highlighting” my fine lines. See my tips below for application of the different types/formulas as well as a few of my favorite products.

How to Apply Highlighter

1. The first step is to complete your regular base make up routine. If you are using a cream or liquid highlighter, you’ll want to apply them before using a setting powder on the face. A powder highlighter can be used after.
2. Pick where you want to apply your highlighter. If you want to lift the face and add a natural looking glow, you’ll want to highlight the cheekbones, nose, and brow bone. Try to avoid using highlighter anywhere else in the t-zone other than the nose, as it can make you look sweaty or greasy.
3. To apply a liquid or cream highlighter, dab a tiny bit of product onto the back of your hand or a clean surface, and use the tip of your finger to blend. You can also use a damp, clean beauty sponge to blend your highlighter. Make sure not to be too heavy handed, a little goes a long way! If you’re using a powder highlighter, use a fan brush to gently sweep the highlighter on to the desired areas, making sure to blend out.
4. When highlighting the cheeks: start applying the highlighter about an inch below the outer corner of the eye. Blend down towards to bridge of the nose and up to the temples.
5. Highlighting the brow area can lift and brighten the eyes and help to define the brows. Simply sweep a small amount of highlighter across the brow bones, directly under the eyebrow.
6. Highlighting down the bridge of the nose can define the face further and make your look more youthful. And if you want to make your lips look bigger, try adding a touch of highlighter to the cupids bow.

You can shop my favorites right here by clicking on the photos of my favorite highlighters below.

Often with highlighter, a little goes a long way, and if you get your highlighting routine down you can easily create the appearance of young, healthy, glowing skin and more defined facial features. Just remember to pick a product that works best for you and blend, blend, blend!