Slapp's 10 Favourite Cult Highlighters
Finding the perfect highlighter is one of the most entertaining challenges in makeup, because all attempts are fated to end in you becoming significantly more sparkly.
It’s a fine line, however, between looking like a fabulous fairy and a disco ball, so we’ve put together a little list of beloved highlighters to help you on your road to radiance.
Chosen for quality and arranged in ascending order of cult popularity, our top 10 hot highlighters, range from high-street to high-end.
We hope you find something shiny and new!
- Anastasia Beverly Hills - Glow Kit (£39, Cult Beauty)
Each kit offers shimmer for a different range of skin tones, and with four gleaming vegan shades in each one, this is an excellent product. A beloved cult favourite, known for literally making you look intergalactic, the finely milled highlighters are serious about doing their job. The applied powder looks like melted gold - and we love it because you can build it endlessly.
- The Balm - Mary-Lou Manizer (£19.99, LookFantastic)
This favourite earned its status by being adorably packaged and flatteringly blinding. When applied, it almost resembles a liquid, considering how well the powder sits on skin, and manages to appear natural. We love this creation for working with our skin and for its dazzling shine.
- Benefit - Watt’s Up! (£25.50, Benefit)
Designed for convenience, this highlighter holds a stick of product in one half of the container and an inbuilt applicator in the other. It is not a newcomer to the beauty scene, so its staying power as a cult favourite can be attributed to both the formula’s actual staying power, and its interesting “cream to powder” finish. It mimics skin texture and looks very fresh; and we love it for one colour fitting all.
- I Heart Makeup - Unicorn’s Heart Rainbow Highlighter (£4.99, Superdrug)
The original product that pioneered this craze is currently discontinued, but we have found another. This highlighter trend rose to cult fame and encouraged more people to step outside of the box with makeup, and whether you’re heading to a festival or going for a picnic, we love this product for its individuality.
- Sleek MakeUP - Solstice Highlighting Palette (£10, Boots)
Another cruelty free cult favourite is the Solstice palette from Sleek Makeup’s range. Singled out for an invaluable mix of cream and powder and its unusual shade of lilac pink, the pretty and ethereal palette, comes with four shades of shimmer and can be applied with fingers or tools. We love this highlighter set for versatility.
- L’Oreal Paris - True Match Liquid Glow Illuminator (£6.99, Boots)
This highlighter comes in the form of a creamy liquid and can be used alone or mixed in with foundation to up your glow. It earned the status of cult favourite for the shine that can be layered to new heights of luminosity. It applies easily and dries fast with a pearlescent finish, and we love it for its simplicity.
- Makeup Revolution - Vivid Baked Highlighter (£3, Superdrug)
This affordable treasure packs a punch in pigment. A relatively new and cruelty free product, this cult favourite offers a powerful metallic shimmer. The powder applies densely which can be surprising if you’re unprepared, but fret not, because only the tiniest dusting is needed with a fan brush for your face to become a light source of its own. We love this for the unbelievable value for money.
- NARS - Illuminator (£23, Liberty)
As a liquid, this product gives a unique texture which is perfect for working with foundation. It’s a cult favourite due to its gorgeous shades and ability to work as a base for powder highlight. It blends smoothly and strobes naturally, and we love this product for dewy, fresh looks.
9. Kevyn Aucoin - The Celestial Powder (£35, SpaceNk)
With a following allegedly including celebrity fans such as Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian West, this compact little powder lights you up as if you were glowing from the inside. In multiple shades, this highlighter is praised for feeling feather-light while polishing your skin to beam beautifully. We love this for being a luxurious middle ground between “subtle” and “blinding”.
10. Ellis Faas - Glow Up (£17.50, Slapp Shop)
This highlighter has found the balance between giving you light, and not stealing the spotlight. Wonderful for its vegan formula infused with Vitamin E, this product is a cult favourite for being barely there, yet making all the difference. Finely milled and blending beautifully to all skin tones, we love these highlighters for enhancing our “no makeup” makeup.