Affordable/Drugstore Highlighters that Rival High End

This topic is definitely not a novel one by any means, but I do think the highlighters I've chosen today are ones that aren't talked much about, and I am very excited to sing their praises.

For reference, I have combination-oily skin, with fine lines/a bit of texture on the areas I like to use highlighter, like the tops of my cheeks.  My skin tone is fair and cool-toned, and I do prefer highlighters of many different colors, though I have been steering away from gold-toned highlighters lately.

Though I do have a small collection of higher-end highlighters I very much enjoy, there are drugstore/affordable highlighters in my collection that prove that you don't need to shop high-end to get a fabulous highlighter:

Though the ones I've selected all skew on the lighter side, the products I've chosen belong to lines that have a good range of colors of the same high quality.

First pictured, the top left, is Colourpop's Here Kitty Kitty, which retails for $8.00 and contains 6.5 g. It is a light champagne shimmer. It lasts all day, but also has a sheerer base so that the sheen is natural and smooth.

It sort of appears the product has bits of hard-pan, but I have not experienced any difficulty working with it. On the contrary. This is a highlighter that can give off a natural shine, or be built up dramatically. 

Next, we have Milani Strobelight in After Glow. Milani's line has a great range of colors and depths, with plenty for people to choose from. These retail for $10 and contain 8 g of product, but it seems that Target is selling travel sized ones for $6.00. I am not sure when Milani/Target started selling the travel sized versions, but now I am even more intrigued.

Anyway, before I got my hands on the loose highlighter from Wet 'n Wild, this one was one of the most "blinding" highlights in my collection. It is definitely one of the more frostier ones, in my opinion, but with a pinker-toned metallic shine.

From what I have seen, all the powders in this line, of various gold and coppery tones, are of excellent quality.

Next is from Physician's Formula, from their Butter line of Highlighters, which is well-regarded and reviewed. These retail for about $10 and contain 5 g of product. The shade I own is a Pearl. The formula of these are similar to Colourpop's Super Shock line. I have heard amazing things about all the colors in this Butter Highlighter line. I've been using Pearl for a couple of weeks now and love it. It creates such a natural but intense sheen, and stays on the face all day. Pearl is a sheer-based frost that almost has a pinkish/lilac reflect.

As the most expensive option on this docket with the least amount of product, I would strongly suggest using a CVS/Walgreens coupon when buying this, but I do think it's worth it.

Personally, I do have trouble keeping face powders and cream products on my face, but not with any of these, especially the Butter Highlighter. One caution is that the product is scented. I think it has more of a buttery, cake-like smell to it, compared to the Butter Bronzer. With the Butter Bronzer, I just smell sunscreen.

Finally, my newest acquisition, one the one that inspired this entire post: Wet 'n Wild Written in the Stars, $7.00, containing 8 g of product.

Woo boy. I have been using cream-like highlighters for a while, and I was wondering how I would transition back to powder products in the summer, or even if I was going to do that at all. Well, this loose powder by Wet 'n Wild, as part of their Zodiac collection, has a bright, pink, cool-toned reflect, and though the product is sparkly, it by no means is full of chunks of glitter. Though Written in the Stars was part of a limited edition collection, I believe it is still on sale. Wet 'n Wild also has two newly released loose highlighters available that suit darker skin tones. This product not only lasted all day on my face, but still gave an obvious/vibrant glow. 

A swatch of all of these products together:

(click image for better quality) From r-l, After Glow, Here Kitty Kitty, Pearl, and Written in the Stars

Honorable mentions include the Megaglo pressed highlighters from Wet 'n Wild.

Let me know if you have tried any of these, or if there are others worth mentioning!

Thanks for reading! 

Wet 'n Wild Bloom Time: Review and Swatches

Hello! November is nearly over, and winter is soon upon us. But Wet 'n Wild is keeping the spring alive, it seems, with two new highlighter releases.

Their Megaglo Highlighter line is one of the best drugstore lines I know of. These highlighters are imprinted with a flower design, and have a mostly consistent quality.

A couple of days ago I put Bloom Time- a brand new release for the brand- on my wish list, and it just so happens I stumbled upon it at my local CVS.

As with all these powders, Bloom Time contains 5.4 g of product and costs $4.99.

This is what it looks like in the pan:

It appears to be a pale frosty light orange/peach. However, when swatched on my skin, the powder appears a lot warmer. It becomes a light warm pink with a light gold, almost silver, reflect:

  

On the left we have one swipe of the product, and then on the right it is blended out. 

Here we also have some blurry-ish photos to show the intense pale gold reflect. 

I also have comparison swatches. On the left is Precious Petals, the original shade in the line and the one with the best reported quality. In the center is Bloom Time, and to the right is Sweetest Bling, a pale cool-toned gold. 

 Precious Petals and The Sweetest Bling have excellent formulas, and I feel Bloom Time is no different.  The formula is a little powdery, but in a good way. It does not emphasize texture on the skin, and glides over my skin.

Like the other highlighters from Wet 'n Wild, Bloom Time definitely rivals my more high-end ones. I don't have anything else like it in my collection, aside from Lilac Geode from Becca, which is a touch more purple. I love that it adds a bit of color and glow to my face without being obvious. It's just really, really pretty, and makes me feel like I'm wearing the last bits of springtime sunshine.

I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thanks for reading! （✿ ͡◕ ᴗ◕)つ━━✫・*。