The 10 Best Highlighters for the Ultimate Glowing Complexion

Best Overall

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish

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This highlighter was one of the original highlighting products on the market, and it stands the test of time. The baked powder formula is soft and lightweight, and it works to illuminate the complexion without looking overly metallic, greasy, or powdery. It comes in a range of shades with various depths and undertones that complement different complexions, and it's quick and easy to apply with a few strokes of a highlighting brush. Unlike cream formulas that can contribute to excess oil—especially for those with oily skin—this one is flattering on all skin types. With one gentle swipe, you're able to achieve a natural-looking glow, but it can also be built up for a more intense highlight, making it a versatile product that any makeup collection can benefit from.

Price at time of publish: $40

Type: Powder | Shades: 5 | Size: 0.35 oz | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Drugstore

e.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Liquid Filter

4.8

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E.l.f. nailed it with this liquid formula that works beautifully as a luminous primer or a traditional highlighter for more targeted application. The texture is smooth and lightweight, and there are absolutely no large glitter particles, making it an excellent option for those on the hunt for a skin-like glow. The large doe-foot applicator makes application quick and easy, and it can be blended out in seconds with your desired blending tool. Once applied, it creates an etherial radiance to the skin that truly looks like it's coming from within. While we adore that it's offered in so many shades, we would love to see a lighter option for those with very fair skin, as well as a darker option for those with very deep skin.

Price at time of publish: $14

Type: Liquid | Shades: 8 | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Luxury

Chanel Baume Essential Multi-Use Glow Stick

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If you want to treat yourself to a little luxury item, this gorgeous highlighter is a great place to start. The silk, smoothy, juicy-looking formula looks gorgeous when swiped onto cheeks, lips, or lids. While one layer offers a more sheer, dewy finish, you can also build it up for more impact. Bonus points for the fact that it comes in an easy-to-use twist-up stick. While we adore the dewy glow it creates, beware that it does remain a bit tacky on the skin.

Price at time of publish: $45

Type: Stick | Shades: 3 | Finish: Gloss | Size: 0.3 oz | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Cream

RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

4.9

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This long-beloved pick (Byrdie’s Senior Editor, Hallie Gould, is just one of a legion of devoted fans) is more about leaving skin with a natural-looking glow rather than coating it with glitter. It strikes that perfect balance, offering plenty of radiance without veering into disco-ball territory. The creamy finish is super easy to blend onto the high points of the face with your fingertips, making it a great product for an on-the-go makeup look.

The luminous finish offers a gorgeous wash of incandescent color—it comes in four shades—while the base is rich in skin-loving hydrators such as coconut oil and vitamin E. Plus, it works equally as well dabbed on your cheekbones as it does on spots like your collarbone, chest, or even shins.

Price at time of publish: $35

Type: Cream | Shades: 4 | Size: 0.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Powder

Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter

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Rare Beauty has created yet another fantastic product with this silky powder highlight. The ultra-smooth formula is so finely milled and completely weightless, allowing it to provide an airbrushed finish on the skin. In fact, it's so soft that the product is prone to cracking if you drop it, so be careful. We love that while it provides a super high-shine finish that can be built up to create a blinding highlight, it doesn't look overly metallic on the skin, nor does it look dry or powdery. If you're looking for a powder formula to give your complexion some serious illumination that somehow looks pretty skin-like, this is the one for you.

Price at time of publish: $25

Type: Powder | Shades: 4 | Size: 0.1 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Stick

Victoria Beckham Beauty Reflect Highlighter Stick

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We often reject the idea that products are universally flattering, as everyone's skin tones are truly so different—but this highlighter really does look so beautiful on everyone. It has a clear base with an extremely fine pearl running through it, so the color is almost undetectable—it's just enough to provide the most natural-looking glimmer. The stick format makes it easy to swipe on, and the creamy formula can be effortlessly blended with your fingertips, a brush, or a sponge. It can be used on bare skin or layered on top of foundation for a sophisticated, glowing finish, and we love that the compact packaging is chic and easy to pop into any bag.

Price at time of publish: $42

Type: Stick | Shades: 1 | Size: 0.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Liquid

Auric Cosmetics Glow Lust Radiant Luminizer

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If you're looking for a liquid highlighter that appears incredibly natural and elevated on the skin, we highly recommend checking this one out. The creamy formula contains squalane and glycerin to keep the skin hydrated, yet it's not greasy or heavy once applied, making it an excellent liquid option for all skin types. It can be applied underneath foundation or layered on top for a subtle glow, and you can build it up slightly for added luminosity. It also works beautifully as a mix-in product to enhance the glow of your foundation—it's truly so versatile. Plus, it comes in the most gorgeous glass packaging that looks beautiful on any vanity.

The brand nailed the shade range of this formula—there are eight different colors that range from fair to dark with varying undertones. But while there's no need to get an exact shade match to your skin, it's worth nothing that the formula is pretty opaque, so getting a color that's as close to your skin tone as possible is ideal.

Price at time of publish: $47

Type: Liquid | Shades: 8 | Size: 1.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Palette

Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette

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If you like to customize your highlight color, you'll love this palette from Dior. It comes with four different shades that range in depth and color, and the formula is buttery smooth and ultra-shiny. The baked powder doesn't produce any kickback, making it totally mess-free, and just one or two swipes with a brush is all you need to get intense color payoff. Despite how shiny it is, it still manages to maintain a fairly authentic-looking appearance on the skin, and miraculously, it doesn't emphasize texture nearly as much as other powder highlighters do. While some shades to have a fine glitter to them, we find that tapping off your brush and being sure to really blend the product into the skin seems to mitigate a glittery finish.

Price at time of publish: $45

Type: Powder | Shades: 2 colorways | Size: 0.35 oz | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Multi-Tasker

UOMA Beauty Double Take Contour Stick

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As any professional makeup artist will tell you, the key to creating natural-looking contour is to pair a creamy contour stick with a strategically placed highlighter. Enter this dual-ended stick, which makes it easier than ever to do just that. The contour end is made with 30 percent pure pigments, so just a little bit delivers the right amount of color to help " your features. Then flip it over and use the shimmery side, which imparts buildable glow that can easily be more subtle or full-on strobe-like.

Price at time of publish: $40

Type: Stick | Shades: 5 | Size: 0.4 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No