Whether you’re working from home or working your way back into the world, there’s always time for a little glow-up. One of the pros’ best-kept secrets: most of us still need to learn where to apply highlighter on our face.
It’s not complicated, but it does take some insider knowledge, so let’s get going!
There are a few approaches when it comes to figuring out exactly where to apply highlighter on your face. One relies on contouring and the other on highlighting.
Full Frontal: Contouring Your Whole Face
Which parts of your face do you want to accentuate and which parts do you want to minimize? Contouring allows you to enhance features you love and downplay the ones you don’t.
All contouring has 4 basic steps — contour, highlight, bronze, blush — but it’s important to understand your face shape before you start so you can really make your features pop. Full-face contouring, while an essential trick of the highlighting trade, is more time-consuming and product-intensive than standard highlighting, so bookmark these pages for another day and keep scrolling for our 5 all-in-one highlighter tricks.
- How To Contour Your Face
- How To Contour For Your Face Shape
- How To Contour Your Nose
Just A Touch: Spot-Highlighting with Glass Glow Shinelighter
There’s a reason Beautyblender only makes one highlighter: it’s all you need. The Glass Glow Crystal Clear Shinelighter is colorless and natural, giving you tasteful illumination without the sticky, sparkly, over-the-top shine other highlighters create.
Start with Selfie Shield™ Primer, which has built-in SPF 38 and goes on clear, and then wet, squeeze and bounce your foundation. Next, decide where to apply highlighter on your face.
If you’re worried about highlighting the wrong part, just remember: highlighter works in any spot on your face that naturally picks up light. For most of us, that includes:
- Apples of the cheeks
- Below the eyebrows
- Inner corners of the eye
- Bridge of nose
- Lower chin
- Cupid’s bow
- Collarbone
Are you a visual learner? SAME. Here’s our top-secret tip: Save these graphics to your phone’s photos and you’ll never be without your highlighter cheatsheet.
Once you’ve played around with where to apply highlighter on your face, try these 5 specific spots for a sophisticated, grown-up glow.
For a luminous, glam eye, add Shinelighter on top of your eyeshadow. Squeeze a little onto the Beautyblender bounce pad on your foundation case, dab with an eyeliner brush and swipe on. Shinelighter is smooth and never sticky, so it creates a crease-proof shine every time.
You can also use Shinelighter on the inner corners of your eye and under your brow line for subtle reflectivity when creating the perfect smokey eye.
To elongate your face, highlight the bridge of your nose and add a little dot of Shinelighter to the tip. That will help the parts of your nose you want to accentuate catch the light. You can also put a little on the cupid’s bow right below your nose and above your upper lip to continue the long line.
If you’re hesitant about lighting up your whole face, start with your cheeks. The apples of the cheeks are the most beloved spot to wear highlighter because that’s where your face naturally catches a glow. To do it without overdoing it, think about it like this: on the apples of your cheeks, create a parenthesis to frame your eyes with two “C” shapes facing inward.
There are two ways to use Shinelighter on your lips:
1. Turn your favorite matte lipstick into a glossy game changer by swiping Shinelighter all over.
2. Dab a dot on your cupid’s bow, the very middle of your bottom lip and on your lower chin to elongate and brighten your face in a natural way.
It sounds weird, but trust us. Using a little Shinelighter on your collarbone is a great way to add sheen and glow to your overall look, especially in warmer months when you’re rocking tanks, swimsuits and strapless tops.
- Check out How to Apply Highlighter Like a Pro.
- Dig into our Pro-File with Makeup Artist to the Stars D’Andre Michael to learn how he uses Shinelighter to keep everyone from L’il Kim to Mary J. Blige looking fresh, flashy and fly.
There isn’t a right or wrong way to glow but there may be a better option for your skin type or the look you’re going for. Ultimately, it’s up to you which highlighter you choose and what you like, so check out the best highlighters for the job, below.
If you’re looking for an incredibly lightweight, buildable powder highlighter that you can use for your face and body, this is for you. It has a fine shimmer that creates a gorgeous luminosity on the skin.
Mixing and matching highlighter shades can be helpful when trying to find the most flattering one for your skin tone. With this palette, you get four powder shades that provide a soft, lit-from-within glow that you can easily build up when you want more intensity.
If a subtle glow that melts into the skin is what you’re after, you’ve met your match with this liquid highlighter. Liquid highlighter can be used all over the skin as a luminous priming base before foundation, or you can apply it to more specific areas for a targeted glow.
Achieving the glow you want comes down to the formula you select and where you apply it. If you prefer cream or liquid-based highlighters, using your fingers is key for those types of products. The warmth from your hands will help to melt the product into the skin. Always remember to start with clean hands and use your fingertips to lightly press the liquid formula into the high points of your face for a seamless, natural glow.
If cream products intimidate you, powder highlighters are also great, especially when you have oily skin. When working with a powder formula, use light application with a medium-sized fluffy brush, which will help to disperse and blend the highlighter onto the high points of your face, creating a diffused glow versus a harsh line of shimmer.
The way you apply powder highlighter is going to differ from the way you apply liquid highlighter. Here’s how to use the latter in your makeup routine.
Even out your complexion and cover up any imperfections with the L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Foundation in a shade that matches your skin tone. There are 47 shades, in warm, neutral and cool undertones to take the guesswork out of shade matching. Dot the foundation onto your cheeks, nose, chin and forehead. Then, blend out toward your hairline and down toward your neck with your makeup tool of choice.
Contour and blush are two great ways to add color and definition to your complexion. To find your perfect shade of cream contour, opt for a concealer that is two shades darker than your skin tone. We suggest a full-coverage formula, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Full Wear Concealer up to 24H Full Coverage. Take a damp makeup sponge and buff the cream contour below your cheekbones, onto your temples, and down the sides of your nose. Top off your cheeks with a cream blush, like the L’Oréal Paris Glow Paradise Lip and Cheek Tint, blending the color starting at the center of your cheeks and going back toward your ears for a subtle lifting effect.
Pick up the L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer and dot the shimmery liquid above your cheekbones, at the inner corners of your eyes and above your cupid’s bow. Blend the liquid out with a fingertip to melt the product into the skin for a seamless shine.
To keep up with your dewy, luminous makeup look, set your makeup with a spray instead of a powder. Spritz your face with the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Spray & Set Makeup Extender Setting Spray four to six times in “X” and “T” motions to extend the life of your look.
If you’re partial to powders, here’s how to highlight with one.
Before you can highlight, you need to perfect your base. Start with a brightening primer, like the L’Oréal Paris Prime Lab Up to 24H Dullness Reducer, or a pore-reducing primer, like the L’Oréal Paris Prime Lab Up to 24H Pore Minimizer. Both will help to smooth your skin and extend your makeup look.
After applying your primer, opt for your foundation of choice. If you like something with a little bit of glow, try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible 24 Hour Fresh Wear Foundation. If you like matte skin, try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24H Fresh Wear Foundation in a Powder.
Use a matte bronzer, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24H Fresh Wear Soft Matte Bronzer and dust it along your cheekbones, forehead and jawline with a fluffy brush. Then, brush a peachy blush, like the L’Oréal Paris True Match Blush in Barely Blushing onto the apples of your cheeks for a natural-looking flush.
Now is the part you’ve been waiting for — reach for the L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Shimmerista Highlighting Powder and use a small fluffy brush to dust the powder onto your cheekbones, your brow bones, the bridge of your nose, and your cupid’s bow. You can also add some to the inner corner of your eyes to brighten your eye makeup.
If you’re working with all powder products or all liquid products, apply highlighter to your cheekbones before you apply your blush. When you apply the blush over your highlighter, it will help to seamlessly blend the two together, creating a smooth, luminous application. If you’re using powder blush and liquid highlighter, apply the liquids before you apply your powder products.
Liquid highlighter can go on before foundation to create a luminous base or after foundation to highlight specific areas. You can even mix it into your foundation to sheer out coverage and sport a glowy base. The reason is that liquid highlighters and liquid foundations have a similar consistency which lets them blend and layer well together.
As for powder highlighter and cream formulas, these are best applied after foundation to ensure your makeup looks even. (Don’t forget to apply cream formulas before you set your foundation.) If you’re wearing powder foundation, such as the aforementioned L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24H Fresh Wear Foundation in a Powder, apply any highlighter after you’ve completed your base.
Once you’ve chosen your highlighter, knowing where to apply it (and where not to apply it) is the next step. Below, check out the eight areas of the face to apply highlighter for a natural and seamless glow.