How To Use Cream Highlighter for Radiant Skin

If you love using highlighter to illuminate your features but find powder versions to be too drying, cream highlighters should definitely be on your radar. These velvety, moisturizing products are just what you need to fake that dewy, sun-kissed vacation look—no sweating or sunbathing required. While applying cream highlighter may seem fairly straightforward, there are a few tricks to getting its application just right. Ahead, we’re breaking down what you need to know about using cream highlighter, including how to put on a highlighter stick and where to place the formula to bring your best features forward. Plus, we’ll introduce you to our favorite cream highlighter for the job. Keep reading for the full scoop.

What Is Cream Highlighter?

Put simply, cream highlighter is a type of makeup product designed to reflect light onto certain areas of the face for a glowy, luminous appearance. It’s typically formulated with moisturizing ingredients and light-catching particles and blends easily into the skin, leaving behind a dewy or glossy finish. Cream highlighter can range from overtly metallic to subtly shimmery, allowing you to go as bold or understated as you’d like with your final look.

What is cream highlighter used for?

As with any kind of highlighting formula, a cream highlighter is used to enhance and emphasize your features while leaving skin with a radiant glow. Depending on where you apply it, cream highlighter can make certain areas of your face appear more lifted (like your brows and cheekbones) or give the illusion of fullness (like on top of your lips), so strategic placement is key. If you’re a highlighter newbie, don’t fret—we’ll dive further into the application process below.

Cream Highlighter vs. Powder: What’s the Difference?

Both cream and powder highlighters are great options for creating illuminated makeup looks, but neither is objectively better than the other. Choosing between the two ultimately boils down to your skin type and personal preference. With that in mind, each boasts a few unique characteristics that can help you determine which is right for you.

Cream highlighters, for starters, tend to work exceptionally well on dry or mature complexions. The hydrating ingredients and buttery texture of these formulas mean they usually melt right into the skin with less risk of settling into fine lines or emphasizing flaky patches. Plus, creams are generally easier to blend and ultra-buildable. This way, you can really customize your look, whether that be a glossy hit of color or a softer, more diffused finish. If you typically apply makeup for daytime wear or prefer a no-makeup makeup look, a cream highlighter may be your best bet.

Powder highlighters, on the other hand, can provide a more intense shine when layered, making them suitable for more dramatic makeup looks. Additionally, powder formulas tend to have better staying power on oily skin, ensuring a long-lasting glow without transferring or sliding off. That’s not to say that cream highlighters can’t work on grease-prone skin (they absolutely can), but, in that case, properly priming and setting your makeup is essential.

It’s worth noting there are no rules for which option you should choose. We always recommend playing around with different formulas in your makeup routine until you find the products that suit you best.

Our Best Cream Highlighter Stick

Cream highlighters come in many forms, including sticks, tubes, and pots. However, highlighter sticks are one of the most popular options because they offer precise control so you can target specific areas of the face. And their compact design is travel-friendly, allowing for quick touch-ups and blending anytime, anywhere.

If you’re looking for a new option to stash in your makeup bag, our best cream highlighter stick is the L'Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Le Glass Sticks. The collection is available in three glass shades for a translucent, reflective finish, as well as three glow shades for a luminous, satin-glow finish. They glide smoothly and evenly over the skin in just one swipe to deliver a multi-dimensional glow on the go. Plus, these cream highlighter sticks layer like a dream over makeup and feature a lightweight texture that feels comfortable on the skin.

How To Apply Cream Highlighter in Your Makeup Routine

So, here’s what you’re really here to find out: how to put on cream highlighter. We’re breaking it all down in our step-by-step guide below.

Step 1: Prep your skin

The crux of any good makeup look is how well you prep your skin. As such, you’ll always want to start with a clean, hydrated complexion, which gives you a smooth canvas on which to apply the rest of your products.

Once your skin is clean and moisturized, be sure to layer on a primer to help your makeup better adhere and extend its longevity. We’re partial to the L’Oréal Paris Prime Lab OA Pore Minimizer Primer, which instantly blurs pores, controls shine, and smooths skin over time. Give your primer some time to dry before moving onto your base makeup.

Apply your base makeup

To prevent caking and patchiness, it’s best to pair cream highlighter with other cream or liquid makeup products like foundation, concealer, and blush.

We love the L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Foundation, a hydrating, medium-coverage foundation that offers a precise color match in 47 true-to-skin shades. It’s designed to pair with hues from the L’Oréal Paris True Match Radiant Serum Concealer range, a hydrating, radiant-finish concealer that’s ideal for glowy makeup looks.

After you’ve applied your base makeup, reach for the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Liquid Blush to give your complexion a youthful pop of color. Dot the liquid formula onto the tops of your cheekbones and gently blend it into your skin with your fingertips.

Highlight the high points of your face

Now, it’s time to apply your cream highlighter stick. Grab your preferred L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Le Glass Stick, twist it to your desired height, then glide the rounded tip onto areas that catch the light: down the bridge of the nose, the tops of the cheekbones, beneath the brow bones, and the cupid's bow. It can be easy to overdo it when applying cream highlighter, but go slow—begin with one swipe and then add more until you reach your desired level of pigment.

As far as blending goes, you may be wondering what the best brush for cream highlighter is. But your fingertips are actually all you need. Here’s why: The heat from your fingers can help melt down the cream formula, making it easier to blend. If you prefer a separate tool, we recommend using a makeup sponge (rather than a cream highlighter brush) to gently pat in the creamy formula.

Finish and set your makeup

From here, you can finish the rest of your makeup as usual: mascara, eyeliner, and your favorite lip products. Then, last but definitely not least, you’ll want to set your makeup to help your cream highlighter last longer.

Keep the glowy vibes going with a setting spray like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist With Microfine, up to 36H Wear, which provides up to 36 hours of transfer-resistant wear. Hold the spray about 12 inches away from your face and mist it in circular motions to ensure even distribution. If there are areas of shine you want to control, like the nose or the T-zone, lightly dust a translucent powder over them to keep unwanted oiliness at bay. Now, you’re good to glow.

Next Up: Where to Apply Highlighter For a Glowy, Lit-From-Within Look

Photo Courtesy of L'Oréal Paris