For the latest post in my battle of the brands series, I’m ranking my entire powder highlighter collection to tell you which is my all-time fave.
My battle of the brands series is where I rank my makeup collection by a specific product type. From foundations and bronzers to lip liners and brow products, battle of the brands is my ultimate makeup collection rating, so you can see my holy grail products.
Starting from my least favourite product and working my way up to my number 1 product in any given category, this is the fastest way to see my thoughts on my makeup collection. I’ve previously ranked my mascaras, powder bronzers, skin tints and tinted moisturisers, lip glosses, brow products, and more.
Find out which powder highlighters are my faves in terms of ease of blending, shade, texture, and glow.
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11. Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Highlighting Powder Gelée in Solar Crush
£44 for 9g
The Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Highlighting Powder Gelée has since been repackaged. I’m not sure if it’s been reformulated as well. This sits somewhere in between a bronzer and a highlighter. As a bronzer, it’s too shimmery on my skin, and it emphasises texture. As a highlighter, it’s too warm and deep for my complexion, so it ends up looking like a strip of colour on my skin rather than effortlessly working with my skin tone. It’s a nice formula, but it just doesn’t really work for me.
10. wet n wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder in Precious Petals
£6.49 for 5.4g
The wet n wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder is a fantastic and very affordable drugstore makeup product. It has a soft and smooth texture, compared to many other drugstore highlighters that can be powdery and chalky. This offers a nice, natural highlight, as the shimmer particles are soft rather than glittery. As lovely as this is, it just doesn’t have the same wow factor that others do in this list.
9. Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey
Discontinued
The Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator is a cult classic. It’s since been discontinued, but this highlighter was everyone’s fave when it first launched. This has been in my makeup collection for ages, and it holds a lot of nostalgia. I used to wear this all the time. I still like this highlighter a lot. It’s smooth, blends easily, and offers a blinding highlight. It’s a little on the yellow side for my complexion, but if I only apply a little bit, then I can make it work.
8. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Vanilla Quartz
Discontinued
The Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter is another iconic highlighter. Everyone was obsessed with the shade Champagne Pop. I own the shade Vanilla Quartz, which is a pretty champagne shade with a light pink shift. The formula is smooth and doesn’t look like a strip of blocky colour on the skin. However, it’s quite glittery, so it doesn’t look natural. This means it’s not as wearable as some of the other formulas on this list. But I still really like it.
7. Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter in Enlighten
£24 for 2.8g
The Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter is another popular highlighter from a well-loved brand. This is a high-quality highlighter, as the powder is very finely milled, which makes for a buttery smooth, non-chunky glow. Once applied, it feels completely weightless. The shade Enlighten is quite fair, though, so if I apply too much, it can end up looking a bit chalky on my skin. It’s also a touch too shimmery for my taste; I prefer something a bit more natural. Despite this, the highlighter is still gorgeous.
6. Half Magic Light Trap Duochrome Glow Powder in Enter the Glow
£19.75 for 3.5g
The Half Magic Light Trap Duochrome Glow Powder is brilliant. This duochrome highlighter has a champagne base that shifts to a lilac pearl. It’s stunning. The formula is smooth, buildable, easy to blend, and provides a soft glow. I actually find this to be quite a subtle highlighter, but when it catches the light in a certain way, it provides a multi-reflective ethereal glow. I love it.
5. Fenty Beauty Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil in How Many Carats?!
£32 for 8g + 15% off at Sephora UK with my code SARAHSSPH
The Fenty Beauty Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil is beautiful. I love a scattered glitter effect that looks wet. And this delivers exactly that. I actually prefer using this as an eyeshadow topper than as a highlighter. It looks gorgeous pressed over a matte brown eyeshadow to add some extra dimension. Under artificial lighter, this diamond highlighter is so reflective and sparkly. It’s truly beautiful.
4. Flower Knows Little Angel Embossed Highlighter in L02 Paradise Lost
£23.75 for 8g
The Flower Knows Little Angel Embossed Highlighter is elegant. From the ethereal packaging to the intricate embossing, this highlighter is stunning throughout. The highlighter isn’t just beautiful packaging either; it performs beautifully too. This is the most lightweight highlighter on the whole list. It’s so smooth and cushiony that as soon as it’s been applied, you can’t feel it at all. The texture is smooth and applies seamlessly. It’s buildable, non-powdery, non-chalky, and offers a lit-from-within-glow. It’s not glittery whatsoever, so it looks natural. The rose gold shade is divine.
3. Illamasqua Beyond Powder in OMG
£34 for 7g + 20% off at LookFantastic with my code LFTFBLOGSARAH
The Illamasqua Beyond Powder is a beautiful champagne shimmer. Although the texture is a little bit more powdery than some of the others on this list, it’s really lightweight and still smooth. It applies effortlessly, feels weightless, and doesn’t emphasise skin texture. As this doesn’t have a strongly coloured base, it means that it doesn’t look like a block of shimmer on the skin. For this reason, I think this neutral champagne colour would work well with a wide variety of complexions. The shimmer provides a natural glow that looks beautiful with any makeup look.
2. Fenty Beauty Demi’Glow in Pretty Purlz
£32 for 4.5g
To me, the Fenty Beauty Demi’Glow highlighter is the better version of the Rare Beauty one. I’m obsessed with the shade Pretty Purlz. It’s this gorgeous pearlescent shimmer that’s pretty neutral, so it works with all makeup looks. This mimics how your skin would naturally catch the light under artificial lighting but with extra oomph. It gives skin a natural, radiant-looking finish because the shimmer particles are so fine. The highlighter is lightweight and feels buttery soft on the skin. It applies like a dream, as it blends itself out. This is the one I’m reaching for the most at the moment.
1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Highlighter
Discontinued
Another oldie but a goodie is the legendary Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Highlighter. This champagne highlighter is still my fave. I’ve had it for years, but it’s still so good. I probably shouldn’t keep using it, as it’s certainly expired, but I just love it. This champagne highlighter strikes the perfect balance of shimmer and colour for me. It’s very glowy, but it’s not chunky or glittery, which can emphasise skin texture. The champagne tone leans on the warm side, but it’s not yellow, so it’s flattering on my complexion. It’s smooth, ultra-luminous, and melts into the skin seamlessly. This is exactly how to add glow to your skin without it looking patchy or powdery.
Although this Amrezy highlighter no longer exists, apparently the Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Seeker Highlighter is exactly the same. So if you also loved the Amrezy highlighter or never got around to trying it, give Glow Seeker a go! I’ve heard great things.
Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 6 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has oily skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.