7 Places on Your Face to Apply Highlighter

If you’re looking to get your glow on, you’ve come to the right place. Learning how to use highlighter makeup on your skin is key to achieving a radiant makeup look. In fact, a touch of perfectly placed highlighter can help instantly open up the look of your eyes, define your face, and create symmetry. Seriously, let’s have a quick round of applause for such multi-tasking, illuminating products. Not sure where to start with this makeup must-have? Lucky for you, we have all the details you need, from naming the best highlighter makeup to revealing how to highlight your face so you can get in on this glowing beauty trend.

OUR BEST HIGHLIGHTER MAKEUP

Are you ready to add some major luminosity to your face? With so much highlighter makeup to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down the best products to use. Here are our best highlighters: 

L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Shimmerista Highlighting Powder: This highlighter can be used on both your face and your body. The powder formula is ultra-buildable, easy to apply, and creates a prismatic glow. The versatile illuminator powder comes in two shades: Moonlight will give you a cool glow, while Sunlight will create a warm radiance.

L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Glow Nude Highlighter Palette: This highlight makeup puts not just one, but four highlighters at your fingertips. Each highlighter palette (there are two: Sunkissed and Moonkissed) contains four shimmering powders to illuminate your visage with.

L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator: This highlighter has shades available for every skin tone and undertone. The product is available in three colors based on your skin tone and undertones: Golden, Rose, and Ice. Golden is for those with warm skin tones and peachy or yellow undertones. Rose is for those who have neutral skin tones with peachy, yellow, pink, or blue undertones. Ice is perfect for cool skin tones who have pink or blue undertones. The highlighter makeup can be used to highlight certain features or for an all-over glow.

L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator: This highlighter makeup is also available in Golden, Rose, and Ice shades. The liquid illuminator has a lightweight formula that can be used to highlight individual features or for an all-over glow. The product can be worn alone or mixed with foundation for a radiant glow.

L’Oréal Paris Infallible Longwear Highlighter Shaping Sticks: This highlighter makeup will last all day. The buildable formula has SPF 17 and is in a convenient stick format that’s easy to apply. The shimmery pigments are available in two shades: Slay-in-Rose and Gold is Cold. This take-anywhere tool can easily be stashed in your purse for when you need instant radiance.

L’Oréal Paris Infallible Galaxy Stick: This highlighter makeup is out of this world. Have fun with any makeup look by topping it off with a colored cream highlighter. This one comes in Astro Blue, Cosmic Pink, and Galaxy Gold.

L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Glow Amour Glow Boosting Drops: This highlighter makeup allows you to add a drop of glow to your makeup or skin care products. Mix the formula into moisturizer or foundation, or simply apply drops where you desire and blend out with your fingers. The non-greasy formula will blend seamlessly and is available in two shades: Daybreak for a cool glow and Golden Hour for a warm, sun-kissed glow.

L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer: This highlighter makeup is completely customizable for your look, as it can be applied under or over foundation, all over or just on key spots. It comes in four shades that suit a variety of skin tones: Fair, Light, Medium, and Deep.

HOW TO APPLY POWDER HIGHLIGHTER MAKEUP

Partial to powders? Here’s how to highlight with one:

STEP 1: PRIME

Before you can highlight, you’ll need to build up from the base. Start with a light-infusing makeup primer, like the L’Oréal Paris Magic Lumi Light-Infusing Primer, which can help contribute to your luminous look. Smooth the primer over your skin prior to picking up any other products. This primer will give you a subtle radiant glow while helping your makeup last throughout the day.

STEP 2: APPLY FOUNDATION

Opt for a foundation with a radiant finish, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Glow Foundation, to continue to create a luminous makeup look. Use the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender to apply and blend in the foundation effortlessly for a professional makeup result.

STEP 3: SET WITH POWDER

When working with makeup, it’s best to remember a simple rule from science class: Like attracts like. What does that mean in regards to makeup? Pair powders with other powders for the best results. Lock in foundation and prepare for your powder highlighter by dusting your skin with a long-wear, radiant-finish face powder, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Glow Powder, first.

STEP 4: ADD BLUSH AND BRONZER

Your complexion needs color, too! Place bronzer, like the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Bronze It Bronzer, in a “3” shape around the edges of your face, then brush a peachy pink blush, like the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Blush in Barely Blushing, onto the apples of your cheeks for a natural-looking flush. No flat faces here.

STEP 5: HIGHLIGHT

Time for the (shining) star of the show. Reach for your powder highlighter of choice, and pick up the product on a fan brush. Use the brush to dust the powder onto the high points of your face.

HOW TO APPLY LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER MAKEUP

Don’t forget that luminizing liquids are also an option when using highlighter makeup. Follow these steps to use one.

STEP 1: APPLY FOUNDATION

Even out your skin tone and cover up any imperfections with the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Super Blendable Foundation, using a shade that matches your skin tone. Dot foundation onto your cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead, then blend out toward your hairline and down using a foundation brush or makeup blender.

STEP 2: CONTOUR YOUR FACE AND ADD BLUSH

Rather than skipping to setting with a powder (remember, like attracts like), work on sculpting and defining your face with one of the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Longwear Foundation Shaping Sticks, choosing a shaping stick that's two shades darker than your skin tone. Taking a makeup blender, buff the contour color below your cheekbones, onto temples, and down the sides of your nose. (For more details on how to contour, check out our article, The Right Way to Contour for Every Face Shape.) Top off your cheeks with a cream blush, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Longwear Blush Shaping Sticks, blending the color in starting at the center of your cheeks and going back toward your ears.

STEP 3: HIGHLIGHT

It’s glow time! Pick up your cream or liquid highlighter makeup and dot the shimmery product above your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, on the inner corners of eyes, and above your cupid’s bow. Blend out with a fingertip for a seamless shine.

STEP 4: SET WITH A SPRAY

Continuing to keep formulas consistent, set your makeup with a spray instead of a powder. Spray your face with the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Spray & Set Makeup Extender Setting Spray, spritzing four to six times in “X” and “T” motions to extend the life of your look.

Bonus tip: Don’t think the look is quite illuminating enough? No problem! Next time, try mixing a few drops of the liquid illuminator into your foundation for all-over radiance. Then top off your cheekbones with extra highlighter for your most glowing look yet.

7 PLACES ON YOUR FACE TO APPLY HIGHLIGHTER MAKEUP

Now that you know how to highlight your face with both powder and liquid highlighter makeup, let’s go over the seven places to highlight your face.

1. HIGHLIGHT THE TIP OR BRIDGE OF YOUR NOSE

Apply your choice of highlighter makeup down the bridge of your nose or on only the tip to accentuate it and have it appear thinner.

2. HIGHLIGHT ABOVE YOUR CUPID’S BOW

Use your highlighter makeup to draw the eye to your lips.

3. HIGHLIGHT BENEATH THE ARCH OF YOUR EYEBROWS

By highlighting beneath the arch of your eyebrows, your eyes will appear more awake, and your eyebrow shape will be more defined.

4. HIGHLIGHT ABOVE THE ARCH OF YOUR EYEBROWS

Using highlighter above the arch of your eyebrow is just as important as applying it below. This will define the shape of your brows and allow your eyes to be accentuated.

5. HIGHLIGHT YOUR CHEEKBONES

Cheekbones are the most common place for people to apply highlighter. Doing so will create a more defined, contoured facial structure while also giving your skin a more youthful appearance.

6. HIGHLIGHT THE CENTER OF YOUR FOREHEAD

With highlighter makeup, you want to highlight all of the high points of your face. This includes the center of your forehead. Applying highlighter to the center of your forehead will create a more contoured face, especially if you apply bronzer to your temples.

7. HIGHLIGHT THE CENTER OF YOUR CHIN

Another key spot to apply highlighter is your chin. Brightening up this area may seem unnecessary, but it'll pay off, helping you achieve a more defined, contoured appearance.

After mastering the art of where to apply highlighter makeup, there’s more about highlighting to be learned. Don’t assume you’re a total pro just yet; first, you need to make sure you aren’t making any major highlight mistakes. How can you know? Check out the 7 Highlighter Mistakes You Could Be Making.