5 Highlighter Hacks to Master the Dewy Skin Look

There are a lot of different ways to highlight. Sure, you can pack glow on your cheekbones and down your nose, but using highlighter in a totally different way (i.e all over your face or mixed in with your foundation) actually might become your next new go-to. Ahead, find five tips and tricks to use highlighter in unusual ways that will have your mind blown and your skin glowing.

Mix it Up

Next time you want a dewy, sparkly finish, try mixing your liquid highlighter with foundation before application. We love the NYX Professional Makeup Away We Glow Liquid Boosters for this — try combining a few drops with your daily foundation, like the Lancôme Teint Idole 24 Hour Foundation for a cool, holographic finish.

Face Oil FTW

Adding an oil into your highlight is another great way to get a ton of dimension. Try mixing in a lightweight oil (the Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate and Glow Oil is perfect for this) with a powdery highlighter to achieve the look. Pro tip: Use a sponge or blending sponge (cue the L’Oréal Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Sponge) to dab it out as you please.

Add a Clear Gloss

Clear gloss is another great trick for making your highlight last for ages. Try tapping a clear gloss over a powder highlighter like the Maybelline Face Studio Masterchrome. The YSL Eye Gloss Smudger is our absolute go-to for this, and we guarantee it will become yours, too.

Highlight Over Other Products

We get it — highlighting in the usual places (cheekbones, cupid’s bow, down the nose) is pretty much bible. But adding highlight over other products, like blush, will actually increase your overall glow. Brush on a powdery highlight overtop a rosy flush for the look — we really dig the Lancôme Dual Finish Illuminating Powder and the Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette for this.

Replace Your Contour With Highlight

Contouring just got a whole new definition with this highlighter hack. Try highlighting places you would normally contour (down your decolletage, on your jawbone) instead. Grab a glassy highlighter like the Mehron Highlight-Pro 3 Color Palette Warm, and softly contour out the deepest shade with a fluffy brush — we love the Lancôme Cheek & Contour Brush #25 — for the most dewy, flawless appearance (ever).

Photo: Chaunte Vaughn 

Makeup: Justine Sweetman 

Hair: Johnny Rackleff