Key ingredients: avocado oil, shea butter, orange peel wax | Shades: 3 | Finish: shimmery
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of using a highlighter stick?
Highlighter sticks are almost always cream formulas—which boast myriad benefits. “Cream formulations often contain a mixture of emollients and waxes that will melt at skin temperature allowing for enough playtime to easily blend the product,” says cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos. “Emollients give a sheen to the skin, from a high gloss to a more dewy finish. Water based and powder formulas just don’t do those things as well.”
Sticks are also generally more portable than other highlighter formats. You can typically apply them using your finger, rather than relying on a brush, and unlike a liquid formula, there’s zero risk of spillage in your bag. Wins across the board.
How should I choose a highlighter stick?
“When you’re choosing you want to think about the overall finish you’re looking for, the intensity of glow, and your own skin texture and overall look,” says New York City-based makeup artist Kasey Spickard. “There are two key categories of highlight sticks in my view. There are balm highlighter sticks and there are metallic highlight sticks.” Spickard defines balm sticks as products “focused on providing a sheer glow or sheen to the skin,” with that dewy, wet-look finish, sometimes containing skin-benefitting ingredients.
“Metallic Highlight Sticks are going to give you more of that classic ‘makeup’ highlight look with intense metallic payoff and often feel more like makeup than skincare. They do range from a soft shimmer to full intense chromatic glow,” explains Spickard. So, your choice of highlighter stick comes down to the classic criteria: Texture, finish-preference, price, and skin-loving ingredients.
“My advice is to visit a store where you can swatch the product on your skin because the level of pigments and pearls can be difficult to determine from labeling alone. Color cosmetic ingredient listings allow for all the color additives to be placed at the end of the list after the words,” adds Dobos. “This is because many color cosmetics are sold in many different shades and there can be shading matching that occurs when each batch of a color cosmetic is made. You might need a little more of a pigment to hit the target shade. So there’s a good reason for this unique labeling situation.”
How should I apply a highlighter stick?
“You can dab the highlighter stick directly onto the skin where desired and blend out with slim makeup brush or even your fingers,” suggests New York City-based makeup artist Neil Scibelli. “Highlighter sticks can be multi-useful, but I typically use them where light naturally hits the skin—above and along the cheek bones, down the bridge of the nose, you can also add a bit above the cupid’s bow.” Scibelli also likes to apply a touch of highlighter under the brow bones, and even as eye shadows for easy breezy brightness.
Meet the experts
How we test and review products
Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?
