Rihanna's Highlighter Gave My Skin an Amazing Glow—Here's Proof

written by

updated Apr 18, 2019

Fenty Beauty launches will never not make my eyes twinkle. Dozens of beauty products land on my desk on the daily, but when Fenty arrives, a drumroll might as well be playing in the background. I mean, when the bad gal of the beauty industry comes out with a new beauty product, you pay attention. Ask Byrdie's managing editor, Lindsey Metrus, what my face looked like this morning when she handed me the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter ($34) in Diamond Ball-Out. My eyes marveled at the first glance of its icy, platinum hue.

Fenty Beauty Diamond Ball-Out Highlighter Review — Fenty Beauty

In full transparency, I'm 100% devoted to the OG Fenty highlighter of the bunch, Trophy Wife, so I went into this all the way biased. I love the fact that her highlighters are so pigmented yet easily buildable so I can control how sheer or bold I want them to look.

Before the highlighter was even in my hands, I was tuned in to Ri's Instagram when she announced this was a limited-edition platinum shade to benefit the Clara Lionel Foundation. What's even more amazing is that 100% of the proceeds of each highlighter sold will be donated to this nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to improving education, health, and emergency response programs around the world. All the claps for Ri for glowing up our summer makeup routine and giving back to those in need.

Lindsey told me that Fenty Beauty global makeup artist Hector Espinal likes to swipe this on the inner corners of the eyes, too. So you know I took that hack and went to town with this.

I used the Fenty Beauty Cheek Hugging Highlighter Brush and swiped it on the back of my hands to diffuse the shade a bit before applying it onto my cheeks.

Fenty Beauty Cheek-Hugging Highlight Brush 120

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Cheek-Hugging Highlight Brush 120 $32

Shop

Not going to front, I was initially slightly intimidated by its shiny, silver hue. I've never worn anything close to silver as a highlighter before, but there's a first time for everything. I applied this on my cheekbones and gradually took it up to my temples. The cream-powder hybrid was surprisingly sheer despite how bold it looks in its packaging, so it left a grown-up glow and sultry sparkle on my cheeks. Then I took the warmth of my ring finger and dabbed a generous amount on my lids. The result: incredibly lit.

Fenty Beauty Diamond Ball-Out Highlighter Review: Maya Allen selfie — @Mayaalena / Instagram

I'm sold on silver highlighter now and will be using this all summer long—everywhere. Why? Because Fenty Beauty global makeup artist Priscilla Ono told me I could. "The Killawatt Freestyle Highlighters are formulated for not only the face and eyes but also look great on the body as well," Ono recently told Byrdie. "Depending on your sun exposure, you can really use a variety of shades and just dust it on for a sprinkle of shimmer."

This limited-edition highlighter will be dropping 1 August on Fenty Beauty's website, which does offer UK shipping, but fingers crossed that Harvey Nichols picks up this beauty too. Mark your calendars, because it'll only be available for a limited amount of time.

While you wait, shop some Byrdie-editor favorite Fenty products below.