Everyone wants bright, healthy-looking skin. It is a trademark of seemingly never-aging stars and celebrities, and Americans spend over 50 billion dollars per year on brightening creams alone (source: www.EzineMark.com). However, there is a huge, skin-brightening trade secret that every makeup artist, celebrity and model knows, and, it has nothing to do with skincare or facial creams.
The reason models and celebrities always look glowy and perfect, regardless of their age or state of health, is a little, underrated makeup product called highlighter. This product is generally a light, translucent product, quite shimmery, and typically either in a gold tone or a silver tone, though some come in a yellow, orange or even purple tone. Highlighting makeup in both cream and powder form can be found at virtually any high-quality makeup counter.
Highlighter, used properly, makes eyes look bigger and cheekbones higher, taking years off a face. Naturally, as with any makeup product, the trick is to apply the highlighter in a way that, literally, highlights a face's best attributes, while avoiding the areas that should be kept hidden. In other words, highlighter should be dabbed onto the cheekbones, yet should never be placed over puffy, irritated areas. Since highlighter's trick is to illuminate areas, thus making them seem larger, it will only make the puffiness look puffier. Similarly, while highlighter can be used to accentuate the nose and forehead by blending a line of the product down through the forehead and then down the nose, the same should be avoided in the case of a larger-than-average forehead or nose.
It is important to remember that highlighter can be overused, and that, in this case, less really is more. While using too much highlighter can make a face look more like a disco ball than anything else, highlighter applied with a sparing, practiced hand really does make skin look brighter, healthier and younger.
Now that you know how to use highlighter properly, be sure to read LA Makeup Examiner Deidra Burtonelli's article on how to contour properly.
Comments