7 Best Drugstore Highlighters for Serious Glow

The past few years have seen the meteoric rise of the contouring craze, and it seems everywhere you turn there’s a new technique or product aimed at making you appear more chiseled than a Michelangelo sculpture. Luckily, thanks to the ever-changing Instagram beauty world, we’re actually moving more into a “dewy dumpling” and glass skin complexion phase where highlighters are the thing. Here, we rounded up our top picks to help you master the look, and you can find all of these highlighters at your local drugstore. Plus, find out how to use them get your skin glassy and reflective — stat.

First thing’s first, there are a lot of ways to highlight and a lot of products to highlight with.There are powders, creams and sticks, all in an array of shades ranging from pinks to holographics, icy silvers and metallic golds. So, how do you pick the best one for your skin type and tone? Here we gathered three pro tips to help you nail the right formula and shade before adding to your drugstore cart.

Your Skin Type Is Important

If your complexion is oily, you probably want to avoid cream and liquid formulas. They can make skin look sweaty and greasy. Instead, get your radiance from a powder, which also helps absorb excess oil as it gives skin luminosity. On the other hand, if your skin is on the dry side, skip the powder shimmer. Instead, opt for a cream or liquid product, which gives dry skin a fresh, hydrated look. Stick formulas tend to have a creamy finish, so will also work well for those with normal to dry skin.

Your Skin Tone Also Matters

You’ve probably noticed that highlighters come in a lot of different tones: pale champagne pinks, rich golds and coppers. So, how do you choose? If you’re fair, choose an illuminator in a cool, icy tone such as silver or pale pink. If you go too dark or golden, the product will look like bronzer on your skin, not highlighter. If your skin is medium, try peach or rose golds. And if you have deeper skin, choose one that’s deep gold, copper or bronze for major illumination.

And Don’t Forget About Your Skin Texture, Too

Do you wear powder foundation? Then you should stick to a powder highlighter. On the other hand, if you wear liquid or cream foundation, go with a creamy illuminator, too. Since you’ll be layering your highlighter on top of your base, you want the two to be compatible. If they aren’t, the two formulas will be tough to blend.

Now, without further ado — let’s get into our must-haves highlighters from the drugstore.