How to choose highlight color for face

The 30 Best Highlighters for Dewy, Radiant Skin

August 08, 2022

Dewy, radiant skin is a year-round staple, which makes highlighter as essential as lipstick and mascara in our book. Highlighter is not a one-size-fits-all though — some formulas provide a natural, lit-from-within glow, while others create an iridescent sheen. To help you find the best highlighter for your skin tone, we highlighted (pun intended) the hues that work best for every skin tone and rounded up 30 that are perfect for every occasion. Whether you prefer powder, gel, stick or liquid formulas, find the best highlighters, below. 

Highlighter for Fair Skin Tones

If you have pale to light skin, opt for highlighters with a pearlescent, icy silver or champagne sheen. You want to avoid going with shades that are too warm or contain dark red undertones, and instead look for shades that have more of a cool pink finish.

Highlighter for Medium and Olive Skin Tones

If you have a warmer skin tone, keep your complexion from looking too frosty by going for a highlighter with a gold-bronze or copper undertone. 

Highlighter for Deep Skin Tones

Rich variations of rose gold or bronze work best on darker complexions. Just be sure to look for super-pigmented options and steer clear of frosty, opalescent shades, as they can cause the skin to appear dull instead of lit-from-within.

Ahead, find 30 of our favorite highlighters for every skin tone.

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NYX Professional Makeup Wonder Stick

The new and improved Wonder Stick formula features a super-blendable highlighter that is meant to mimic a sunlit glow on all skin tones. The stick format makes it great for travel, too.

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Lancôme Dual Finish Highlighter

Depending on how you apply this powder, you can increase the luminosity — so it’s like having two products in one. Use a brush or your fingers for a natural, barely-there glow or dip a wet makeup sponge into the compact for a more intense highlight.

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Valentino Beauty V-Lighter Face Base Primer and Highlighter

Not many highlighters also have added skincare benefits, but this one does. This multi-purpose product acts as a primer, highlighter and moisturizer that provides 24 hours of hydration while blurring out imperfections. The result, of course, is an enviable glow.

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NYX Professional Makeup Born To Glow Icy Highlighter Duo

Available in four colorways, each duo has a soft-lit sparkling shade to give you the perfect highlight and a hyper-reflective pearl shade designed to pump up the glow. Wear them separately or layer them for a truly unique look.

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L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion

Infused with glycerin and shea butter for hydration, this luminizing lotion, which is available in four shades, can be worn alone, under foundation or along targeted areas for a natural, dewy effect.

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Giorgio Armani Beauty Neo-Nude A-Highlighter

Like a neutral, watercolor paint for your complexion, we love using this liquid luminizer on minimal makeup days because it enhances our skin's natural glow without looking shiny.

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YSL Beauty Couture Highlighter

Inside the luxe mirrored compact is a delicate highlighting powder that helps to enhance your natural features with subtle shimmery illumination.

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Valentino Beauty Go-Clutch Finishing Powder

There has never been a more fashionable highlighter. Offered in seven shade options, the soft illuminating finishing powder enclosed in the compact provides a buildable, natural finish that can be worn alone or over makeup. Bonus: it’s refillable.

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NYX Professional Makeup California Beamin’ Glow Booster

This high-intensity liquid highlighter can be used on your face and body for a gorgeous shimmer. It’s infused with avocado, rosehip, grapeseed, and jojoba oils so your skin will also be left feeling soft and smooth. The easy-to-blend formula is offered in four shades: Pearl Necklace, Bombshell, Beach Babe and Golden Glow.

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Half Magic Light Trap Duochrome Light Powder

The hue of this duochrome highlighter shifts depending on what light you're in. Available in two shades — an effervescent rose gold and an eye-catching purple — the buttery smooth formula melts into skin and is buildable so you can get a sheer wash of color or more intense pigment.

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EM Cosmetics Heaven's Glow Radiant Veil Blush

Cut an extra step out of your makeup routine by using this incandescent blush that’s scattered with pearly pigments. Available in seven shimmering shades, it provides a gorgeous, diffused glow.

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Lime Crime Sunkissed Glimmering Skin Stick

While we love using these portable sticks along the high points of your face, they’re also great for body highlighting — especially along your collarbone. They’re super portable, too, so you can add more shimmer as you transition from day to night.

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Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand

The unique cushion applicator on this wand allows you to precisely dispense the pearly, blendable formula for natural-looking radiance that’s super glamorous without being over-the-top.

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Tower28 Superdew Highlighter Balm

You won’t find any glitter, shimmer, or pearls in this highlighter. The translucent balm melts into skin, giving your complexion a gorgeous, glassy effect.

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RMS Beauty Luminizer

If you’re after a lit-from-within glow, this creamy highlighter is for you. It’s made with vitamin E, coconut oil and castor seed oil to nourish and draw light into your skin.

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Saie Glowy Super Gel

This lightweight liquid highlighter can be worn alone or under foundation to boost luminosity. We love that the formula is cruelty-free, gluten-free and vegan, and that the packaging is completely recyclable, too.

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Westman Atelier Lit Up Highlight Stick

For those who prefer minimal makeup, this lightly pigmented gel highlighter provides a barely-there, dewy sheen. The stick formula has a balmy texture that instantly adds a silky glow wherever it’s swiped.

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Kaja Mochi Glow

Housed inside this mini compact is an innovative formula that feels like a cream when applied but has a pretty powdery finish. Pop it in your purse for on-the-go highlighting.

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Live Tinted Hueglow

Care for your skin and get a lit-from-within glow at the same time with this serum-moisturizer highlight. Squalane helps to hydrate the skin while the micro-shimmer finish provides a natural finish.

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Uoma Beauty Double Take Contour Stick

The illuminating end of this contour stick adds a hint of highlight that can be built up for an eye-catching sheen, and the contour end melts into skin for natural-looking definition. In six hues, there’s a shade for every skin tone.

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Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight

Creamy and pigmented, this liquid luminizer will easily blend onto bare skin or on top of makeup. It comes in eight eye-catching shades that complement all skin tones and can be worn as you please, whether it’s highlight or eyeshadow. 

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R.E.M Beauty Interstellar Highlighter Topper

Take your beauty routine to the next level thanks to this multi-dimensional highlighting powder. There are ten versatile hues, including your classic rose gold,  bronze, copper,lavender and light green.

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LYS Beauty Aim High Pressed Highlighter Powder

For a radiant finish that looks just as good as it is for your skin, opt for this pressed powder. It contains hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to plump and nourish the complexion — not to mention, it comes in three blinding shades: a rose gold, champagne and bronze.

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