Golden Highlighter Swatches
- Jade Goman
- Mar 20, 2017
- 11 min read
I really love a nice, golden highlighter. There's just something about having a beautiful warm glow, and gold just makes you feel expensive! Seeing as I am so pale, the majority of my gold highlighters are in beautiful pale shades, but I do have the odd golden gold one or two in there just because I love them so much! These are not my best ever photos in this post, but I wanted you to be able to see their true colours so I have done zero editing. This is kinda a long post, so sorry about that but I wanted to go into a fair amount of detail for each highlighter!
Swatches from L-R:
-Tom Ford: Nightbloom Powder 01 Black Bloom
-Charlotte Tilbury: Bar Of Gold
-Mac x Mariah Carey: My Mimi
-Dior: Diorific Splendor
-Laura Mercier: Mineral Illuminating Powder, Starlight
-I Heart Makeup: Goddess of Love Triple baked highlighter
-Mac: Extra Dimension Skinfinish, Double Gleam
-Sarazaar Cosmetics: Goldrush
-Colourpop: Supershock cheek, Flexitarian
-Inglot: Sparkling dust Face, Eyes, Body, 02
-Urban Decay: Afterglow Highlighter, Sin
-Makeup Revolution: Radiance palette (3rd shade)
The swatches above were just a finger swatch with no primer underneath. The ones I will be talking about below have 3 swatches per shade; two finger swatches - first without primer and the second with, and then a brush swatch, also with a primer base. I used the YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer (which I realize may not necessarily be a suitable primer for all these highlighters, but I just wanted to have the same base throughout.) I have also taken two sets of photos for each - one in natural light and one using a white light. I didn't do a review of the Makeup Revolution one in the end because I hated it and will not ever use this shade.
1. Tom Ford's Nightbloom Powder, 01 Black Bloom
Priced at £55 this is a pretty pricey highlighter and for this much money I would expect to be blown away. But it is not mind-blowing. Don't get me wrong, it is really pretty and does look very nice on the face, giving a shimmery pale golden glow. But it just doesn't scream wow. It really lacks in pigmentation. I find I have to put a lot on my brush and end up swirling it around in the pan quite a few times until I feel as though I have enough product, and will often end up going back for more anyways.
This highlighter looks quite different on the skin than it does in the pan. It comes out much more golden than the pale colour shown which I was really drawn to. However, it is still a very nice colour which can be suitable for a subtle daytime look but can also be built up for a more dramatic glow (using a fair amount of product!)
I do really like the formula of this highlighter. It is a nice texture, slightly creamy and not dry which is lovely as it keeps your skin feeling soft and not dried out.
The packaging is super luxurious - expected of course as this is a Tom Ford product! The clasp opens and shuts nicely, and I really love the black and gold contrast. I also like that this has a mirror inside! Super handy!
Overall, I think this is a pretty standard Tom Ford makeup product - Looks amazing but lacks in pigmentation, although this is pretty good compared to some of their other products.
2. Charlotte Tilbury's Bar of Gold
I LOVE this highlighter. It is amazing. It is really pigmented and you don't need to use too much - as you can see from the photo, I have already used this highlighter about 4/5 times and you can still just about see the embossing. This is another one which is quite a pale gold (they're my favourite) and I think this is better as a daytime glow, or if you want a more subtle look. You can make this really bright, but I think it looks the best when it is quite natural looking. As you can see from the swatches, it doesn't even really need the primer underneath it, but it certainly brightens it up a lot and makes it really POP
One thing that shocked me about this was its size.. it is TINY!! This only contains 4.5g of product (compared to the average MAC product which will hold around 9g). For £32, I would expect something a little more substantial - although I guess it can be forgiven for how pretty and glamorous it is, it was just a little underwhelming to unpack.
I am not overly fussed about the packaging either. Yes, it is a lovely rose gold shade and yes, it feel very solid and compact and I have no worries that my product will be damaged. But I just don't really like the cardboard. I think it makes it look much cheaper and could have been glammed up so much more. That being said, I love the design of the actual highlighter itself - the little gold bar is just so cute!
Overall, this highlighter is incredible and gives you a perfect hollywood glow, but touching up things like the packaging and the size could have just taken the whole thing to another level!
3. Mac's Mariah Carey collection: Extra Dimension Skinfinish My Mimi
From the moment I saw this, I HAD to have it. There was no question. I kept googling when the release date would be for the UK and was so excited. Even though this is 10x too dark for me I couldn't say no to it. She is so cute. Until today, I couldn't bring myself to swatch it yet so I haven't actually experimented with this. Of course, I swatched it in store so I do know that this is an incredibly pretty gold, shimmery, glittery highlighter. Not that I would ever us this as a highlighter, but as a shimmery bronzer most likely, or as an eyeshadow. I would use a very light hand as I have done in my swatches. I didn't pick up too much product and applied very little pressure. (I accidentally forgot to take a photo of this one in natural lighting)
The packaging is ahhhhmazing! Not just this piece, but the whole set. It is like glittery heaven. They really captured Mariah's diva-status in this collection.
Overall, I probably will not use this product very often. Not because I don't like it, but only because its too dark (yes I know, I have a problem..I should only buy makeup that suits my complexion.)
4. Dior's Diorific Splendor
Unfortunately, my little Dior baby is rather worn away, so I put a photo of when it was still fresh and perfect. I also have a love-hate relationship with reflective packaging. It looks amazing and glamorous but it is so difficult to photograph! So I apologize about the second pic but I just wanted to show what the outside of the compact looks like.
This again is another expensive one (as is expected because well, it's Dior!) and for £50 I would expect more. It is very pretty. It has that soft, warm, gentle golden glow with glittery flecks that I love. But, once again it is lacking in pigmentation. I have to use A LOT of this to get it to show up. Like, really a lot. And you really shouldn't have to when a product is costing you this much.
I love the sequin pattern embossed into the powder. I think that it just looks so elegant, which matches the entire compact. This is super heavy. I haven't weighed the entire thing as a whole, but you would be surprised at the actual weight of this thing considering how tiny it is, which all adds to the expensive feeling element. It also comes with one of those tiny little brushes that you are never going to use for anything because they are just too small. One issue that I have with this (and maybe it is just a manufacturing fault with my particular compact) but the pan moves around slightly when I am swirling my brush in it.
Overall, this is nice but not show-stopping. It is worth having as a collectors item (although I have worn my pattern away) so will just be used for days when I want a less prominent glow.
5. Laura Mercier's Mineral Illuminating Powder in Starlight
This looks quite different in the pot than i does on the skin. It looks very yellowy in it's pot and I am not really very enticed to it so I am so glad that I swatched it! On the skin, it is a beautiful golden tone with a little shimmer. This is maybe slightly a darker gold than I would ordinarily choose but with a light hand (and maybe a bit of a tan) this is a very lovely highlighter. I don't use loose powder highlighters too often as I just prefer pressed ones but when applied with the Laura Mercier fan brush it goes on beautifully.
I struggled to get this to stick without a base whilst I was swatching. You can see that the area without primer underneath really has very little pigmentation there, unless I used a whole lotta product packed on there, so you really do need a good base if you are going to be using this highlighter.
For £26, I think that these are good value as you get 9.6g of product in there, although saying that there is more likely to be more wastage with this than a pressed product.
Overall, I like this. It is a lovely golden colour that will give you a warm glow, although loose powder products are always more difficult to work with.
6. I Heart Makeup's Goddess of Love Triple baked highlighter
These highlighters are very good for their money. For £4.99, you cant complain; you get an awesome glow! Well, more like you are shining, which in my opinion is what you want from a highlighter! I love the colour of this, not too golden but still has some colour to it. This is very pigmented, even without the primer underneath it it is shining bright!
With a price like that, there are bound to be some downfalls. It is a pretty dry powder. When I was swatching, it actually felt rather uncomfortable on my finger although did not feel too bad when I was applying to my skin. There was also a fair bit of kick-up when using my brush in it.
I am also not too keen on the packaging. It is clearly a Too Faced rip off and just looks cheaply and pretty poorly made. I don't like that you can see how it is all stuck down on the inside, it just devalues the product.
Overall, I do like this for the colour, but I do think that they could do with improving the formula to make it a bit more creamy, even if that does put the price up by a couple of £.
7. Mac's Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Double Gleam
HOLY GLOW! This is the highlighter for you if you want to be seen from space! It's name certainly is not wrong, you will be gleaming when you wear this! I really do love everything about this highlighter. For starters, it is that pale gold colour that suits my pale skin the best. You literally will have goddess like cheekbones when using this it is incredible. And I think this speaks for the pigmentation too - you really don't need much of this product at all (unless you're like me and like to OD on your highlighter).
The formula of this is really nice too - as standard with most MAC products. Price and presentation are also pretty standard for MAC, and I do love the design embossed onto these highlighters. It has a very sleek look to it.
Overall, I think I have made it clear what I think of this highlighter! It is everything you could want for a pale golden glow and more.
8. Sarazaar Cosmetics's Goldrush
I do apologize about these photos being the wrong way around.
First things first, this highlighter is from the lovely Sarazaar cosmetics (can be found on instagram.) The customer service is amazing! Quick postage, very reasonable prices and their instagram page is amazing too.
The packaging is very cute. It's just in a plain and simple little jar with their logo on the top. I like that the jars are clear, especially as it is a loose powder because you can see which is which without needing to open them and potentially spill powder everywhere.
The actual powder itself is very fine and very soft to the touch and just a delight to apply to the skin with glitter bits in there too, although you don't really see much glitter on the skin if that's not what you like. When you apply this with a finger you need to be quite light handed, or not put too much on as it comes out quite orangey. It seems like the more you try to rub it in, the more orange it goes. I also have the pink shade (Frosty Pink) and this does not go to any other colour so I think that it is just this shade that does this. When you apply Goldrush with a brush though it is soooo amazing. Because these highlighters are infused with real 24K gold you really do shiiiiine when you have this on your face!
At £14.50, these highlighters are great value especially as they are cruelty-free and from a lovely small run business! Many celebrities also use these highlighters such as Jeffree Star and Blac Chyna!
Overall, these highlighters are amazing if you want an unreal glow, and they also have 5 different shades!
9. Colourpop's Supershock cheek in Flexitarian
I LOVE COLOURPOP HIGHLIGHTERS! This is incredible. Imagine the most shining highlighter you have ever seen and times it by ten. I didn't use any primer underneath this because clearly I didn't need to, and also, I don't know if you have ever felt a colourpop product but they are incredibly creamy. You literally need a tiny bit of this and you just dab it on with your finger. Because of the texture of these highlighters they do not really work with a brush. I don't know if they would apply well with a beauty blender - I haven't tried but I just think that it is easier to pat it on with your finger.
And for $8 which translates to around £6.50 they are great value for money as you get 4.2g of product which is more than half than you would get in a MAC product for less than half the price. This one is another one of these pale gold highlighters that also has a silver tone to it, and just such a pretty colour. And they come in sooo many different colour options (I also LOVE monster, it is AMAZING.)
You do need to make sure that you put the lids back on quite tightly after use as because of their texture they do have a tendency to dry out a bit.
Overall, this is one of my favourite highlighters because of the brightness, and I actually really love the creamy consistency.
10. Inglot's Sparkling dust Face, Eyes, Body in 02
This is a super pretty highlighting powder, not only for the face but it can also be used all over the body! It is a lovely, shimmery, slightly yellowy gold colour and is very flattering for multiple skin tones. It is a fairly glittery powder, so if glitter is not your fav then maybe this isn't the one for you, but anyone who knows me, knows that I am glitter obsessed!
The powder is very fine and soft and applies like a dream. Even the swatch with no primer underneath it is extremely pigmented which I find is difficult to achieve with a loose powder highlighter.
I like that this comes with a puff applicator - not for the face obviously but I like to use these to apply over the chest. For the face, I find that loose highlighters will apply better with a small fan brush. I like Laura Mercier's. One thing that annoys me about this is that the powder doesn't come out of the holes very well and you have to tap it quite a lot to even just get a small amount of pigment to come out.
Overall, this is a very nice powder and I think will be best in the summer time for an all over shimmery glow.
11. Urban Decay's Afterglow Highlighter in Sin
This is a really nice highlighter. It is a lovely light golden colour and have a beautiful shimmer to it. Even just in the natuarl lighting you can see this amazing glow. It does have a slightly yellow tone to it but will be perfect for a summer highlighter. The texture of this is really creamy and soft and very nice to work with, and feels really nice on the skin. It is also super pigmented, you really do not need very much of this at all! Those finger swatches were just with one swipe!
I really like the packaging of these. They are really sleek and I love the magnetic clasp, it just has an all over lovely feel to it.
jade_highlights
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