How to Master Glowy Skin With One Product in Five Minutes Flat
You know that glowy makeup look that pretty much everyone is obsessed with these days? Yeah, that dewy, radiant, and healthy look? Well, if you've been wondering how to achieve it, I'm here to tell you that there's one product that will make your life so much easier. Enter highlighter.
It's a no-brainer that a highlighter would help you get that glow. It's designed to enhance your complexion, reflect light, and illuminate your skin. For best results, apply the product to spots where the light would normally touch, like the forehead, cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, inner eyes, Cupid's bow, and chin.
There are different kinds of highlighters—powders, liquids, and creams. But my absolute favorite is a highlighter stick because it's just so easy to use. In fact, it can take me less than five minutes to apply for the perfect glowy look. After applying, I just blend it with a brush or my fingers, and I'm all set. It's seriously the best and great if you don't have much time to spend on perfecting your look or if you're lazy like me and prefer a no-fuss way to put on makeup.
Seriously, give it a try, and the compliments will come rolling in. Take a look at some of the best highlighter sticks below.
Merit's Day Glow is what turned me on to highlighter sticks since I was previously a powder gal. This one just looks so natural and gives me a dewy glow that always gets compliments. The awesome thing about the product is it's enriched with nourishing ingredients like squalane, olive oil, and a phytosterol-and-amino-acid blend.
Yes, this stick from Chanel might cost $45, but it's a multipurpose product. You can use it on your face, eyes, and lips for a natural-looking, radiant complexion.
You can't go wrong with this drugstore find. The lightweight and creamy formula contains micro-pearls to boost radiance.
Fenty Beauty's cream-to-powder formula is long-wearing and lightweight. It's easy to blend and layer, too. And it does such a good job of enhancing features.
Here's another multipurpose highlighting stick for you. It can be used on the eyes, cheeks, lips, and even body. The sheer color has a cream-to-powder consistency, and it has nourishing ingredients like vitamin E and açaí oil.
You don't have to worry about any touch-ups with this product—it lasts up to 24 hours. The buildable formula also contains SPF 17 protection, so consider that an added bonus.
The gel consistency of Westman Atelier's highlighter makes it so easy to apply and blend. Plus, it leaves your skin with that glassy, dewy look that's forever trending.
The coolest thing about Glossier's Haloscope highlighter is that it is actually infused with real crystals—rose quartz or golden topaz, depending on the shade. The formula is enriched with coconut, castor seed, and sweet almond oils to hydrate the skin and give it a dewy finish.
Both a contouring and highlighting stick, this product from Uoma Beauty allows you to define and illuminate the skin. The highlighting end is a creamy formula infused with lychee extract for hydrating and antioxidant properties.
Another highlighter-contour duo, Nyx's highly rated Wonder Stick is extra creamy and blendable. It's available in six different color pairings. One reviewer wrote, "In my research, this product continued to come up as a great product for beginners. I was happy to find that applying was really easy. I felt I could control the amount of product I was putting on my face really well."
This full-pigment stick can be used for both contouring and highlighting. While the formula is creamy, it leaves a natural, matte finish. And it can also be used on the body, too.
Hourglass's highlighting stick has really cool technology that adjusts to your body temperature so it's easier to blend. It contains hollow microspheres so it won't feel too heavy.
E.l.f.'s Jelly Pop Glow Stick is a universal shade that works well with all skin tones. And while it leaves a luminous glow and blends easily, it also has the added bonus of being a hydrating formula thanks to watermelon extract.
If you're looking for a natural formula, try this stick from Burt's Bees, as it's made with 100% natural ingredients like nourishing coconut oil, jojoba oil, cupuaçu butter, and daikon radish extract. And as for the highlighting part, it enhances your natural glow and lasts for a long time.
Both a bronzer and a highlighter, this product can be used all over the face for a glowy, healthy look. The formula is water-resistant, non-feathering, and lightweight. There's also a built-in blending brush on one end so you don't have to worry about adding an extra brush to your makeup bag.
Clinique's creamy highlighting stick contains light-reflecting optics to enhance your features. It's also an oil-free and long-wearing formula.
Made with organic ingredients, this highlighter is weightless and satin-smooth. It's enriched with green tea, jojoba oil, and olive oil—all of which work to give your skin a hydrated and natural glow.
This buildable formula leaves a radiant pearl finish without any streaks. You can use it on your eyes, cheeks, and body. One reviewer wrote, "This highlighter is amazing! I can actually see that my cheeks give the illusion of lift and that is exactly what I was looking for."
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Sarah is lifestyle writer and editor with over 10 years of experience covering health and wellness, interior design, food, beauty, and tech. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she attended New York University and lived in New York for 12 years before returning to L.A. in 2019. In addition to her work on THE/THIRTY and Who What Wear, she held editor roles at Apartment Therapy, Real Simple, House Beautiful, Elle Decor, and The Bump (sister site of The Knot). She has a passion for health and wellness, but she especially loves writing about mental health. Her self-care routine consists of five things: a good workout, “me” time on the regular, an intriguing book/podcast/playlist to unwind after a long day, naps, and decorating her home.