And on the 8th day he created highlighter...

We all have our vices, some of us can't resist sweets, some of us like the wine ( ok I like this one too), and some of us buy EVERY SINGLE HIGHLIGHTER IN SIGHT. It's become a problem, I don't know why but if I see a highlighter or illuminator I will compulsively buy it. I don't discriminate either, liquid, powder, cream, high-end, drugstore, I NEED THEM ALL. If you have been living under a rock and don't know what glorious  product I am talking about, highlighter is a shimmering product to bring attention to certain parts of the face. Its usually applied to the cheekbones, cupids bow, on the brow bone and the bridge of the nose. Word of warning if you plan to apply it to all those parts of the face I would use it sparingly because it can easily look like you just have an oily face, and it can bring out texture on the skin that you may be trying to hide. A light dusting on the tops of the cheekbones looks great and gives your face a glow. I figuired I would put my addiction to good use and feature all of the highlighters I have, which are my favorites, and which are dupes for each other!
I divided the highlighters into two categories, the first are powder highlithers which come in a compact and are very similar in texture to a blush. These can be applied with a fan brush or a blush brush and they can also be build up in intensity by spraying your brush with a setting spray to give them a wet/dewy look.

From Top to Bottom: Sonia Kashuk Loose Illuminator in Exotic Crystal, Mac Blush in Trace Gold, Kevyn Aucoin in Candle Light, Milani Baked Bronzer in 04 Glow. 

From Left to Right: Kevyn Aucoin Candle Light, Mac Trace Gold, Milani Glow, Sonia Kashuk Exotic Crystal

The first swatch all the way on the left side of my arm (excuse my pale slightly hairy arms) is the Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candlelight. This is one of my all time favorite highlighters, it has proven to be a really great go to highlight that looks great on most light to medium skin tones. It is made in a deeper shade too if you are a deeper skin tone which is great! It has a really great smooth texture and blends into the skin well. It also has more of a glow rather than a straight up shimmer or glitter so if applied lightly can look very natural. It does does come in at a $44 cost, its the most expensive highlighter I have ever bought but I definitely think its worth it I haven't been able to find something that is similar in both color and texture. Don't worry though that is the highest one in price and it only goes down from here! Next to that one is Mac's blush in Trace Gold, this one is $22 which still isn't super inexpensive but its half of the last one. To be honest I don't use this that often, don't get me wrong its BEAUTIFUL, and the texture is great super smooth and blends great. The color is just a bit too dark for my skin tone so I don't get a chance to use it too much. Its a really great gold/ copper color with gold shimmer in it that would look amazing on medium to deep skin tones. It can be really difficult to find a highlighter that accommodates deeper skin tones so if you have been having trouble this is the one! Third in line is Milani's Baked Bronzer in Glow this is the one that I have had the longest, I think it has been about 1 year and I still haven't ran out it lasts FOREVER. This one is technically a bronzer but it has gold shimmer running through it so it can be a great highlighter for darker skin tones. I like to use this to warm up the face and blend the highlight and contour into the skin to make them look seamless. It gives the skin a really great glow and gives you that JLo sun-kissed look. Its also super affordable at $9.99 and can easily be picked up at your local drugstore, I know CVS and Walgreens both carry it. The last one all the way on the right is a little gem I just picked up about a week ago. I always look through the clearance end caps at Target because I have a spending problem but you can also find some really great deals in there. Well as i was digging through all of the clearance I saw this Sonia Kashuk loose powder illuminator in Exotic Crystal, I had never tried a loose powder highlight but figured I would pick it up because it was only $6! Now I unfortunately cannot link you to where you can get this one because its not on the website anymore but if you head to your local Target you might still be able to find it! Its a really pretty rose gold color with multicolored glitter in it. This is definitely the most glittery one out of the powder ones I have and I can't even lie it can look a little unnatural if you aren't careful. The application is a little trickier too since it is a loose pigment, I usually pick it up on a damp beauty blender sponge apply it on the cheek bones and then use a big fluffy fan brush to blend it in and knock off the excess. The packaging is also a little messy as with all loose powder so be careful when opening but trust the extra care is worth it, it looks amazing on the cheeks and really makes them pop!

From Left to Right: Becca Shimmering Perfector in Opal, Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Skin Enhancer in Candlelight, Colourpop Highlight in Wisp.

From Left to Right: Becca in Opal, Kevyn Aucoin in Candlelight, Colourpop in Wisp.

These three highlighters are liquid and a cream/powder/gel/mousse hybrid that I don't really know how to describe other than AWESOME. Liquid highlighters like the first two are some of my favorite products because they are so versatile, they can be used as a primer to give your face an all over glow, mixed into your foundation to give it a dewy glow, or as a traditional highlighter on the cheekbones. The first one on the left is the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal  its a really great champagne, opal pearlescent color. It is pretty pigmented but the shimmer in it is so finely milled that it looks really natural if just applied on its own. I have used it as both a primer and as just a highlighter and I think I like it more just on the cheekbones on top of foundation especially with a more oily skin tone it can make you look like an oil slick if its put under. It is $41 for a full size BUT you can buy the travel size for $19 and a little goes a long way trust me I have had this for about 6 months and I haven't even made a dent in it. The nice thing about this highlighter is that it also comes in a bunch of different colors to accommodate different skin tones, Topaz or Rose Gold would look good on deeper skin tones so go check them out! With this liquid highlighters I usually put a little on my hand and then use a damp beauty blender sponge to apply it lightly on the cheekbones and blend it in. The next highlighter in line is the Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Skin Enhancer in Candlelight, now I'm not even gonna like this one is expensive as hell. It is $52 ( I know RIP wallet :( ) BUT its one of THE BEST liquid highlighters I have ever used as both a primer and on top of the cheekbones. If you have the leftover coin then its definitely worth the splurge. First its a really neutral gold/champagne color that I've found is flattering on almost every skin tone. It also has a really great texture to use as a primer, it applies initially like a liquid and is easily blended into the skin but it quickly sets to a very smooth almost powder like finish that makes your foundation blend on your skin like  a dream while giving your skin an overall lit from within glow. If I was a normal person I would just use that and be done but I like to look like a unicorn sat on my face when I go out so I use that as a primer, the Becca one on the cheek bones layered underneath one of the powder ones ( I know I have a problem). The last one all the way on the right is one that I just bought from a really cool brand called Colourpop. Almost everything on their site is $5 with exception to the highlighters, liquid lipsticks, and some gel lingers but everything is for sure under $10. The highlight I picked up was the Super Shock Cheek in Wisp. It is a gorgeous champagne gold with as you can see from the picture a lot of gold glitter. The best part of this highlight other than the $8 price tag is the texture. All of the colourpop shadows, blushes, bronzers, and highlights have this really unique cream/mousse texture that is super smooth and creamy when you touch it but once applied sets to a powder finish that DOES NOT BUDGE ALL DAY. The texture also makes them super easy to blend into the skin but after working with the product I do have some tips for application. I agree with the recommendation on the website to pick up the product on your finger tips, apply them to the desired area and then use a duo fiber brush or beauty blender sponge to blend them in seamlessly into the skin. I have fallen in love with these products and I will definitely be purchasing more once I get a chance, you should totally check them out. That is all the highlighters I have right now, although I did lose a couple or gave a lot away in my move to Chicago in an attempt to downsize my collection (even if I did just end up buying more OH WHALE). Don't Tell anyone tell you that you have too much highlighter on, if they do cut them out of your life, you don't need that type of negativity. 

When people tell me I have too much highlighter on "BAI ASHIES"

Of course as with any makeup product make sure you BLEND BLEND BLEND and find a color that suits your skin tone, but once you do you will be one step closer to that Victoria Secret model glow. 

I hope this post helps you find some highlighter so that you can get your glowing goddess on especially with the warm weather coming up and let me know what some of your favorite makeup products are in the comment box below! Also let me know if you like these types of posts about some of my favorite makeup products or would you rather see more of just makeup looks! Good luck in your highlighter search! 

True Life: I'm Tina Belcher- My Warby Parker Experience

I have worn glasses for as long as I could remember. I am pretty close to blind without them, letters blur up, 3's turn into solid 9's. It's pretty dangerous for me not to wear them. After a couple wild nights out in the city and my accident prone nature my Ray Ban club masters had been stepped on, dropped, and super glued more times than they could handle. The last straw was when I they fell off my face as I was walking down the stairs of the redline ( not sure how they fell off I was probably dramatically flipping my hair ). I had recently gotten contact lenses and figured I would just switch over to them permanently but after wearing them for about a week I realized I hated contacts. I have astigmatism so my contact lenses have to be weighted and I can only see clearly when they are centered perfectly on my eye. In other words I COULD NEVER SEE and they really irritated my eyes. After about a month I gave in and decided to bite the bullet and buy glasses, I had my eye on a pair of Tom Ford frames that I loved but realistically could not afford even with my vision coverage it would have been like $500. Thats when I remembered that there was a Warby Parker brick and mortar store in Lincoln Park. Warby Parker is an eyewear company that is mostly based online. You order 5 pairs of frames that you think you would like, after picking the frame you like you ship them back along with your prescription and then about 10 days later your new glasses arrive lenses and all for $95 for MOST pairs of glasses (more on this later). I am so indecisive however that I was hesitant to have the frames sent to my house because I knew I was going to want to try on more than just five. I headed over to the store and after I got over how adorable the store was I started trying on glasses. Everyone inside was pretty friendly and once I had narrowed it down to about three frames I went up to one of the sales associates and asked for his opinion. He was very helpful in giving me more information on the process and offering feedback on the frames I had picked (unfortunatley I cant remember his name because I am terrible with names). Overall I'm very impressed with their customer service everyone I dealt with both in store and after via email was very helpful and new what they were talking about.  After trying them on and asking him which ones he liked the most we both decided on the frame Burke. Its a pair of chunky square frames with a keyhole bridge.

Warby Parket Burke in Tennesse Whiskey 

The color is called Tennessee Whiskey, a dark tortious shell print on the top half and clearly acrylic on the bottom. In a lame attempt to flirt with the cutie sales associate I asked if I looked too much like Tina and that was exactly when I realized this was just one step in my slow transition into Tina Belcher from Bob's Burgers. The chunky glasses, awkward flirting, lack of rhythm, and terrible driving all confirm it. Wikipedia says that Tina Belcher is a "hopeless romantic with a powerful sex drive and minimal social skills" which if that doesn't sum me up I really don't know what does. If you still don't believe me please refer to this series of Tina gifts as irrefutable evidence that I am in fact her. My sad attempt at flirting did not pan out but he did say I looked kinda like Tina so it was worth it.

Me trying to flirt

Me trying to drive

Me trying to show off my athletic prowess

Me trying to play it cool near my crush

Me trying to get turnt at da club

 If that doesn't convince you I don't know what will. Anyway back to my glasses, after picking the frames I put my order in right at the store it, was super easy. As the website says most glasses are about $95. HOWEVER since my vision is so bad on one of my eyes they suggested I upgrade the lenses to a thinner lens so they didn't end up super thick and made my eyes look huge. I always do this when I get my regular glasses and it was only and extra $20 which brought my total price up to $127 for both frames and lenses.That is substantially less then what I have spent on glasses before even with my vision insurance which I didn't even use for towards these. I do believe you can use your insurance to get glasses from Warby Parker but you pay for them upfront and then you have to send your receipt to your insurance provider to be reimbursed, and I just didn't feel like doing all of that. I did have to call my eye doctor and have my prescription sent over which added about two days to the process. However they do offer eye exams at their brick and mortar stores which is pretty awesome. After they got my prescription I got an email with shipping info and about 10 days later I had my glasses right at my door and they fit great! They were the exam same quality of anything I would have gotten from a traditional eye doctor and you can't beat the price. I think its a really great way to buy one or two pairs of trendy frames and not break the bank. I could definitely see myself going back in a couple months to get another pair of more circular frames I had my eye on.

Here is a picture of me in my new frames next to Tina, I think the resemblance is uncanny. I would definitely recommend Warby Parker if you are looking for some new specs regardless of price! The quality is great and you really can't beat the price! What do you think of my new glasses? Have you used Warby Parker before? and what did you think? Let me know in the comments!