Best Highlighters 2026: Formulas for Every Finish and Skin Type

Applied to the high points of the face, a good highlighter makes skin appear healthier, features more sculpted, and the overall makeup look fresher and more dimensional. Katherine Dorn, a makeup artist based in New York City, describes highlighter as “the icing on the cake”—it emphasizes the high points of the face and brings the entire look to life.

The variety of formulas available today means you can choose based on the finish you want, the ease of application that suits your routine, and how well the product works with your existing makeup. Modern highlighters span blendable powders, creamy sticks, high-impact liquids, and palettes that layer together, mix with foundation, or serve as makeup prep. The key is finding a formula that melts into your skin rather than sitting on top of it.

Why Highlighter Transforms Your Makeup

The purpose of highlighter goes beyond simple shimmer—it’s about creating the illusion of dimension and a healthy flush. The best highlighters work with your skin tone and undertone, enhancing rather than overwhelming your complexion. This means the product should blend seamlessly, whether you apply a thin layer for everyday subtlety or build it up for evening events.

Powder and Hybrid Formulas

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Smashbox x Becca: The Powder-Cream Hybrid

The Smashbox x Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter splits the difference between powder and cream, starting as a pressed powder but melting into skin with the seamless finish of a liquid highlighter. This hybrid texture makes it blendable with a brush, sponge, or fingertips, diffusing effortlessly without harsh edges or patchiness. The result is a smooth, lit-from-within glow that builds from subtle daytime radiance to fully reflective finish.

Champagne Pop, the shade favored by testers, delivers a pearlescent finish that works across skin tones and makeup looks. According to Katie Gunderman, an associate social media manager at Allure who tested the product, the formula glides on without heaviness or chalkiness. She noted that using a smaller brush lets you control the product and target just the tops of cheekbones, brow bones, and Cupid’s bow. The stick stays put in heat and humidity—a significant advantage over cream highlighters that can slip off with perspiration. Bianca Richards, the publication’s social media manager, praised how the formula avoids the streaky or patchy finishes common in other highlighters on the market.

Rare Beauty: The Synthetic Mica Option

Rare Beauty’s Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter earned a 2025 Best of Beauty Award. The formula is powered by synthetic fluorphlogopite, a lab-made mica that blends seamlessly into skin while delivering a perfect microshimmer. With six available shades, you can choose light, pearl-toned options like Enlighten or peachier shades like Reflect to complement bronzer.

Whether you use a brush or sponge affects the finish—a brush delivers a mirror-like sheen, and a damp sponge creates a more diffused, skin-like glow. The semi-sheer formula allows you to keep things subtle or layer for intensity. Ingrid Fowler, Allure’s senior art director, noted that the formula feels so light and fine it feels like applying air, requiring only a small amount for shimmery payoff. Jesa Marie Calaor, the publication’s senior beauty editor, tested the Exhilarate shade in multiple scenarios—office days, workout classes, and date nights—and found it looked fresh all day, remained diffused even through sweat, and was transfer-proof. She also highlighted that the price point, falling between $9 and $42 for similar-effect highlighters, represents strong value.

Dior: The Multi-Shade Palette

Dior’s Backstage Glow Maximizer Palette packs four complementary shades into one compact, allowing you to wear each shade alone, layer them, or mix them for a custom glow. Despite being a powder formula, it feels soft and silky and blends into skin without chalky or glittery fallout. The lighter shades brighten cheekbones and inner eye corners, while the deeper hues work on top of blush or as a bronzy body highlighter, making it versatile beyond the face.

Balm and Stick Highlighters

Chanel: The Backstage Essential

The Chanel Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick is a backstage favorite and editor go-to for its ease of use. The twist-up stick glides over makeup without disturbing foundation or concealer, making it ideal for touch-ups throughout the day. The sheer formula means it’s difficult to overdo—swipe it across cheekbones, eyelids, Cupid’s bow, or collarbones for a fresh, dewy sheen. The result is skin that appears hydrated and radiant without glitter, making it perfect for anyone pursuing a natural look.

Shanna Shipin, Allure’s senior commerce director, described the product as a moonbeam in the makeup bag, delivering sterling, glimmering shine and a healthy, non-sweaty glow. She layers it on the tops of cheekbones (which she finds helps create definition), under eyebrows, across the nose tip, and on the Cupid’s bow. The smooth balm never skips across skin and doesn’t accentuate dry patches, making it comfortable even for dehydrated complexions. Unlike most highlighters, she carries it everywhere the way she carries lip balm.

Westman Atelier: The Gel Stick

While most stick highlighters use cream formulas, Westman Atelier’s Lit Up Highlighter Stick is a gel, combining the convenience of a twist-up stick with a jelly finish. Available in six shades, including a translucent iridescent balm, it glides over bare skin, undereyes as concealer prep, or over base makeup. Nourishing ingredients like Vitis grape extract and an emollient oil blend boost moisture and soften skin.

Kassidy Silva, Allure’s social director, noted that the gel formula helps rein in heavy-handed application, delivering natural shine rather than excessive glow. After foundation, she applies two swipes along upper cheekbones and blends with fingers. In summer, she adds swipes along the bridge of the nose for extra dimension. If application becomes too heavy, layering a tiny bit more foundation and blending again corrects the look.

Liquid Highlighters

Charlotte Tilbury: The Recognizable Wand

Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Light Wand Highlighter is instantly recognizable for its signature sponge-tip applicator, visible in makeup artists’ kits and across social media. The formula contains silica and lindera extract, delivering a soft-focus glow. Versatility is its strength: gently squeeze the tube and dot onto cheekbones for lift, tap onto eyelids for shimmer, brighten inner eye corners, highlight the Cupid’s bow, or blend across collarbones and shoulders for all-over glow. Some of the seven shades double as blush.

Hailey Roy, an Allure commerce production assistant who typically reaches for powder highlighters, found the glow compelling enough to use liquids for special occasions. The Goldgasm shade looked beautiful on her warm, caramel-toned complexion, delivering a sun-kissed glow. The soft, fuzzy applicator makes application enjoyable, and the small container goes a long way. The formula has staying power—it remained in place before and after dinner. The key is remembering to close the cap; leaving it open invites product waste. Catharine Malzahn, a contributor, has used the formula for years, typically applying it to cheeks and the nose tip, with additional swipes across collarbones for weddings or events. The lightweight formula melts seamlessly into skin and pairs well with cream blushes, with a couple of dots delivering serious luminosity.

Hydrating Highlighter Treatments

Rhode: The Multipurpose Milk

Rhode’s Highlight Milk departs from traditional highlighter by functioning as a moisturizer and skin prep. The lightweight, milky fluid contains hydrating ingredients including glycerin and a ceramic blend, leaving a shimmering, glass-skin finish. Use it as a glowy primer on bare skin before foundation for a hydrated, lit-from-within base, mix drops into complexion products for a radiance boost, or tap it onto areas like the brow bone as a final step in a natural makeup routine. The finish is more subdued than conventional highlighters but delivers soft radiance for those who prefer gentle glow.

Catharine Malzahn praised the formula for delivering hydrating properties without leaving hands sticky or covered in glitter—a complaint she has about most shimmery products. She applies it all over skin before foundation, and it keeps her dry skin hydrated and makeup smooth throughout the day. She receives regular compliments on her skin when using the product and notes it pairs wonderfully with Glazing Milk, the brand’s nighttime skincare step.

Finding Your Formula

Choosing a highlighter depends on the finish you want, how much maintenance you’re willing to do, and your skin’s needs. Powder formulas offer staying power and control, ideal for layering and touch-ups. Cream and balm sticks provide sheerness and ease of application, perfect for natural looks and travel. Liquid highlighters deliver intensity and versatility in application. Hydrating formulas work best for those prioritizing skin health alongside glow. The best approach is testing different textures to discover which formula complements your complexion and fits your makeup routine.