Hey, everyone, so…when did highlighters re-emerge so hot on the makeup scene?  Weren’t they really popular back in the late 70s or so? Guess I blinked and missed it.  When I first got into makeup as an early teen around then (much to my Mom’s chagrin I’m sure at times) I remember using blush kits with tiny Barbie-sized brushes that would have a darker contour color, blush and a light highlight color.  How could my not-yet-emerged cheekbones and small-but-kinda-still-chubby baby face have “room” for all that at age 13 or 14?  Fun to play around with, but I’m sure I looked silly or like I was trying too hard with 3 stripes of paint on each side of my face.  Ahhh, the awkward puberty years.

And in cleaning out my makeup drawerS (yes, that’s plural with a big “S”) I found a Stila contouring kit from circa 2008 that’s still in pretty good shape.  Like with many trios or quads, however, there’s always 1 or 2 shades I never use, so while they “look pretty” it’s a waste of money if you don’t use them all.  And unlike the blush kits with the Barbie doll-sized brushes (which won’t work on anyone unless you have a doll-sized face), the more modern Stila trio requires using your own brushes – in fact, great, fabulous brushes are one of THE best investments you can make with your makeup.  Great tools = great results!  [I adore my MAC 169 angled contour brush, although it’s discontinued…this one is a close match.]

So what got me back into highlighters in this decade?  A sample from Sephora!  I got a tiny tube of the Watts Up highlighter cream-to-powder highlighter in one of my admittedly-frequent orders and tried it on one morning before rushing out the door to work.  Oh it’s risky, so risky experimenting with brand new products, especially when it’s still dark and dreary in the mornings (Daylight Savings Time, I’m talkin’ to YOU).  I just dabbed a little on the tops of my cheekbones and rubbed it in to blend.

And when I got to work, I glanced in a mirror and thought WOW – I’ve got a nice extra glow!  This stuff is GREAT!

And it’s even easier to use if you get the full-sized tube as I did a few weeks ago.  It’s SO RARE I end up purchasing a full-sized product after trying a sample, so kudos to Benefit!  I’ll be honest that their packaging is always cute but their product quality is hit or miss in my book.  So consider this one a HIT.  Don’t freak out about the jacked up top of mine in this pic.  I got confused on how to use it at first.  You remove the “light bulb-y” looking top and then twist to get the product up just so.  And there’s a sponge wand on the bottom end for blending.  I find that my fingers combined with the warmth of my skin works great to blend, so there’s no need to use the blender sponge.

And now for a more powdery highlight…Hourglass!  A brand I’d never heard of until I stumbled upon Makeup Geek’s Weekend Glam tutorial.  Marlena ROCKS and while I’m guessing I’m probably 15+ years ahead of her in age and way far out of the demographic she targets, she’s got a real fan here in fivenineteen (XXXOO Marlena)!  I have very fair skin and am always looking for products that give me a good glow without making me look “dirty” like lots of bronzers can.  Or too yellow-y.  Gotta love the pink, ruddy cheeks I was blessed with.

I showed this highlighter to our receptionist at work after I made a lunch hour walk to Sephora to purchase this and his reaction was, “It’s a CUSHION of HEAVEN!!”  So true, don’t you think?  This shade is called Luminous Light.  You can also find it in a beautiful compact trio of 3 smaller shades for about the same price, but after reviewing what people thought online I figured you might as well spend your money on one shade that WORKS, rather than pretty much the same amount on a nice-looking trio where you won’t use one or more of the shades.  Love that!

And pardon my somewhat-chipped mani in the camera reflection, but notice my super cute Kate Spade hologram winky eye-d iPhone case.  Life’s too short to not have super fun accessories!

This highlighter is super easy to sweep up onto your upper cheekbones, temples or wherever else you like with a blush brush. And this shade is so easy I can do it in early morning poor light before going to work and not worrying.   I’ve received a lot of compliments on how great my skin looks, and at almost 48 (gulp), I’ll take it!