Highlighter – VANITY CLAIRE

My my, here we are at last. The end of the best in beauty 2015 makeup reviewing road.

And what better way to finish than with a look at some of the most fun and pretty products, blush, bronzer, and highlighter.

For lips it was the year of liquid lipsticks, but for the face, highlighting, or strobing, as the kids call it these days,was the new orange.

Here are my picks as the top cheek products of 2015.

Nars Luster Blush
Nars in general is my favourite blush formula. Long lasting, excellent colour range, and outstandingly pigmented so you only need the tiniest amount, and the plan itself lasts for ages. Luster, however, is my favourite shade by far, and although an old favourite, was far and away my most used blush of 2015. Its peachy-orange tone, and subtle gold shimmer makes it a perfect pair for pretty much any look, but especially a coppery eye, or orange lip.

Nars x Steven Klein One Shocking Moment Palette
First, the packaging. Adorned with the photography of Steven Klein, the outer bespoke case is striking and a gorgeous addition to a makeup display. But the contents are just as special. Containing a Laguna bronzer even bigger than a full sized single product, four blushes (including the aforementioned Luster), and contour and highlight duo in Paloma, the value alone makes this a favourite. I get use out of every shade in the palette, and it has earned itself a forever home in my makeup bag.

Although this specific, limited-edition palette itself has now sold out, take my advice and snap up other similar palettes when they are inevitably released throughout the year. The quality and value is unmatched, as far as I’m concerned.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Incandescent Electra
I couldn’t decide on which shade of Hourglass blush I wanted for months, and on the day I went into Mecca Maxima, convinced I would walk out with Diffused Heat, Incandescent Electra had been released. I left with it in tow. The prettiest, cool, neon coral, veined with incandescent highlighting powder, which adds a really subtle, lit-from-within glow to the cheeks.

Nars Dual Intensity Blush Fervor
The Dual Intensity blushes were a new addition to the Nars line in 2015. The unique formula can be used wet or dry, and each blush comes with two pans of complimentary colours. I’m keen to try a bronzer and highlight duo, but my standout favourite is Fervor, a deep, rusty rose and a pale pink. Works particularly well with the rust a wet, duo fibre blush, buffed into the back of the cheeks, and the paler shade lightly on the apples.

TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer
This highlighter is the old faithful workhorse of the intense highlight. A light gold champagne makes it versatile on many skin tones, and for all kinds of highlighting needs. TheBalm are an extremely underrated brand, with their products being of such a high standard, for a reasonably affordable price range (as far as high-end Australian makeup goes). If the gold isn’t quite your thang, check out the other Loumanizer shades, tailored for different skin tones.

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Champagne Pop
I’ve previously ranted about my love for this limited edition highlighter, released in 2015, so I’ll be brief here. It is great. Really great. Buy it.

So that concludes my look back at my favourite makeup products of 2015. Thank you so much for reading. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the series, and maybe found a few products you may want to try for yourself, or if you’re not that into makeup, use this as a gift guide for the special someone in your life who would love a cosmetic treat.

Did you have any favourite products I didn’t list? Or do you agree with me on some of these? Leave a comment below and we can gossip and enable together!

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All aboard the hype-lighter train.

I usually pride myself on being a meticulous planner when it comes to shopping, especially makeup shopping.

But Champagne Pop was an impulse buy, ordered before 9:00am, the first time I saw it for sale online, before I’d even left my bed.

If you watch or read any beauty blogs/vlogs, you will have heard about Champagne Pop, the highlighter offspring of collaboration between YouTube makeup artist sensation Jaclyn Hill, and cosmetics company Becca.

If not, you may wonder what the hell I’m talking about.

Basically everyone who slaps makeup on their face for the viewing pleasure of others has sung this little product’s praises, and despite my dubious mistrust of many beauty gurus’ word, my interest was sufficiently piqued.

It broke Sephora sale records for most purchased product on its first day of sale, and garnered nothing but praise from the paying public, furthering my intrigue.

So when I saw it online at Sephora Australia, haunted by the words ‘Limited Edition’, I simply dove in and bought it.

Worst-case scenario, I mused to myself, I’d sell it, perhaps at a massive profit, once they’ve all sold out.

For the love of all that is glowy, I am never selling this glorious pan of shine.

Jaclyn Hill has raved about Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors on her YouTube channel for quite some time, so this collaboration makes a helluva lot of sense. Retaining the same high quality formula, Jaclyn developed her personal perfect universally flattering highlighter shade, with everyone from her fair skinned sister, to her darker skinned viewers, in mind.

Champagne Pop is described as a “soft white gold, with peachy pink undertones”, and it is just that. Its peachy undertone, rather than straight gold or yellow, is what allows it to look so flattering on so many different skin tones.

I didn’t always ‘get’ highlighters. They’re probably the last makeup product that made its way onto my radar as something I was willing to spend my dollars on. Their purpose is somewhat less obvious to the casual makeup user than say mascara, or concealer.

But oh, they make a difference when used correctly.

Highlighter 101: As their name would suggest, they’re used to highlight parts of the face you wish to draw attention to.

Word of warning, as pretty as Champagne Pop is, it is easy to pile on too much.

The first time I dusted it onto my cheekbones, I didn’t love the effect. It was late, my lighting was poor, and I went overboard, with the powder enhancing my skin’s natural texture. I was doubtful. For a moment I almost regretted my (more expensive than I’d care to admit) purchase.

The second time I used it was a whole other story. Using a fan brush, during the natural light of the morning, I layered on a light dusting of the creamy-powder formula. It looked so pretty that another layer was of course necessary.

It looked nice. Really nice.

From a distance, it looked ridiculously astonishing.

If you’re looking for subtle, this isn’t the highlighter for you.

My cheekbones damn well popped, shining like I had little strobe lights beneath my skin. I unashamedly stood in front of the mirror, moving my head around like some kind of fool, checking out my glow, and Snapchatting the experience.

ezgif.com-crop.gif — Aforementioned moving head around like a fool. Don’t judge, this is a safe space.

It lasted around seven and a half hours on my cheeks before I began to notice some slight fading. Though it was definitely still there, just not quite as intense.

I had worried that the gold colour may be a bit much, or too dark for my fair skin, despite Jaclyn’s insistence that any skin tone could rock this perfectly.

But she was right, of course. It definitely looks at home on my pale skin, like my cheekbones have been kissed by the sun.

I can’t help but feel sad as I think of the contouring craze that has carved its way into beauty routines and cheeks across the globe. I’ve not seen a single contouring powder, muddy looking face, or poorly blended bronzer, that has enhanced cheekbones the way Champagne Pop has enhanced mine.

With a light hand, this is the most easily achievable, perfect glowing set of defined cheekbones you’ll find.

Champagne Pop is available from Sephora Australia here.

Right now, at time of publication, you can get other shades of Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors, for a cheaper price here.

Check out Jaclyn Hill’s tutorial using her beloved Champagne Pop here.

A+ Jeff Probst being the man here.

Tag: Highlighter

Best in beauty 2015: CHEEKS.

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop Shimmering Skin Perfector

All aboard the hype-lighter train.