9 Highlighters You Need to Upgrade Your Makeup Routine: The Best on the Market

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Through the years, the incorporation of highlighters in makeup routines has evolved. In 2016, it was all about glitter and glitter everywhere. Tutorials from YouTube icons like Jackie Aina, Jaclyn Hill, and Desi Perkins proved that golden glows were essential, and brands like NYX, Hourglass, and Anastasia Beverly Hills led the way. (I mean, who can forget about the Artist Couture x Jackie Aina collab!) As we’ve championed skinimalism in recent years, focusing on softer, more natural looking beats, highlighters have remained popular. Take the spring/summer 2024 runways during New York Fashion Week, for example. Models strutted down the Meuret Tolegen runway with blinding beats, brought to life by Kanako Takase, creative director of Addiction Tokyo. Cosmetic companies have taken note, offering buildable products that allow the wearer to choose if they want to go big or go home. 

“Makeup is all about light and dark. Highlighter is always going to be part of makeup as it adds dimension to the face,” celebrity makeup artist Mary Wiles—whose clients include Naomi Watts, Emma Roberts, and Sadie Sink, told StyleCaster, explaining the hype. “Light makes things appear bigger and emphasizes cheekbones.”

Whether you’re looking to achieve a strobe light aura or a sunkissed vibe, highlighters are great for enhancing your complexion. There’s something for everything as highlighter products come in powder, cream, and liquid formulas. (If you have oily skin, it’s probably best to use powder-based highlighters as they will last longer.) As for application, the most common places to apply highlighter is on the cheekbones and nose, but you can also apply it to the forehead, chin, cupid’s bow, and brow bone to achieve a well-rounded shine.

Keep scrolling to read (and shop) the best highlighters:

Juvia’s Place Nubian Glow Liquid Luminizer

If you’re looking for an illuminating and hydrating highlighter, this is a great pick. It’s lightweight and packed with squalane, leaving a serum-like feel on your skin. It’s also buildable, meaning you can mix it with foundation or a tinted moisturizer for an all-over glow.

Merit Beauty Day Glow Highlighting Balm

For my clean beauty peeps, Merit is worth the hype. The brand is gentle, offering fragrance-free and cruelty-free products. The color cosmetics are subtle but noticeable and feature vitamin-rich ingredients that make skin dewy and supple. The Highlighting Balm comes in four different shades and leaves a light shimmer. (I apply multiple coats.)

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter

Remember Becca Cosmetics? The beauty brand shocked makeup lovers when it completely folded in 2021 after announcing that the company had been facing major challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, Smashbox later brought back some of Becca’s most beloved products, including the Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter. Despite this being a powder product, it feels creamy upon application and spreads easily.

Saie Glowy Super Get Lightweight Dewy Multipurpose Illuminator

Saie is a newer beauty brand that’s taken the industry by storm. If you haven’t already heard of the label, it went viral a couple years ago for its foundation, which feels absolutely luxurious. Now, Saie’s Glowy Super Gel Illuminator is the main character. Just one pump gives a soft but noticeable finish—even when I wear alone without foundation.

Wet n Wild Mega Glow in Love Radiance Liquid Highlighter

Wet n Wild will always bring back memories for me. The cosmetic company has been offering long-lasting products with affordable price tags since 1979. This particular highlighter is packed with niacinamide, glycerin, and vitamin E, making it ideal for those with sensitive skin.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter

We can’t talk about glow and not mention Charlotte Tilbury. While the brand offers a number of different types of highlighters, this one is always in my makeup rotation. It’s very pigmented, which is great for deeper skin tones. If you feel like it’s a bit too cakey, combine it with Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Water Cream for dewy hydration.

Danessa Myricks Beauty Dew Wet Balm

I didn’t know I needed a clear highlighter until I tried the Danessa Myricks Beauty Dew Wet Balm in the shade Transparent Gloss. By itself, it gives me an glistening appearance that I feel I’d get from drinking gallons of water. I also use it as a base when mixing with my other favorite highlighters.

Westman Atelier Super Loaded Tinted Cream Highlighter

If you want to splurge, Westman Atelier is worth it. The brand was founded by glam pro Gucci Westman, who has worked her magic on the faces Jennifer Aniston, Anne Hathaway, Reese Witherspoon, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Westman’s makeup philosophy is all about making her client’s skin look like their skin, and her brand reflects that.

Patrick Ta Major Glow Crème & Powder Highlighter Duo

With Patrick Ta’s Crème & Powder Highlighter Duo, you don’t have to choose between one or the other. In fact, the goal is to use together. Apply the cream over the powder and watch them melt seamlessly together, creating a twinkle that’s almost too good to be true.