Highlighting is the new trendy trend finding its way to the interwebs these days, and, I gotta say, I’m way more on board with this trend than full-on contouring. Contouring involves WAY to much time, effort, product, and you really can’t contour your face without also doing your neck, décolleté, head, shoulders, knees, and toes. It’s a slippery slope, people. Slippery slope.

Highlighting, also known as strobing, is a far more easy and natural-looking way to make your face look more chiseled and glowing. Now THAT I can get on board with.

It doesn’t stop there, though. Ohhhh no. Now you’ve got to find the highlighter that’s perfect for you. This, ladies, gents, and everyone on the gender spectrum, is not an easy task.

It’s most flattering if you find one that matches your skin’s undertone. So cool skin tones should get a pink-y highlighter, and warm skin tones should choose a more golden highlighter. Neutral skin tones can technically go pink, gold, or anywhere in between. I’m fairly neutral, and I prefer highlighters that are neutral-toned, meaning they aren’t too pink or gold. This is brutal to find.

After trying liquids, creams, and powders, from department stores, drug stores, and online, I have found my holy grail of highlighters.

Looxi Beauty might not be a name you’re familiar with, even if you’re constantly on the ‘gram. That’s where I found them, though, on Instagram.

 

Not much fanfare or bells and whistles, but I’d seen swatches of their highlighters and thought, for around $7.50 a pop, how could I not give them a try?

This shade is called Ever After and is a gorgeous iridescent shade that has purple undertones. I can’t wait to try Stripped, which has more yellow undertones.

Even though a cool-toned highlighter might not be what I’d normally go for since it’s more iridescent, it actually works really well!

I recently wrote how you can dupe Pat McGrath Labs’ Skin Fetish 003 with Sephora Collection products. I TAKE IT BACK! I think this is a WAY better dupe. Plus, even with shipping, it’s cheaper than even one of the Sephora products.

Lesson for the day? While liquid lipsticks, foundations, and other products as seen on Instagram can often be kind of a roll of the dice, highlighters might be a much safer bet. Looxi Beauty definitely delivers, and as soon as they get more stock of Stripped, I know where my money is going!