Best Natural Glow Highlighter 

Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish Divine Glow Highlighter, £47

As you might expect from the matriarch of make-up, Dame Pat McGrath, this is no ordinary pressed highlighter. Thanks to the combination of botanical oils and micro-pearls, it offers a skin-like and soft-focus glow all while still nourishing the skin underneath. Not only does this mean avoiding any of the dreaded cakiness or dryness once synonymous with powders but it also blends seamlessly onto  skin. Tip: keep it handy in your bag for quick glow touch-ups throughout the day.

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Best Liquid Highlighter

Gucci Illuminateur de Beaute Liquid Highlighter, £37

Gucci Beauty doesn’t do anything by halves and these multi-use drops are certainly no exception. Available in a universally flattering golden hue, you can apply this liquid highlighter on bare skin (post-skincare routine), mix it in with your favourite foundation, tinted moisturiser, and primer, or even use it to accentuate parts of the body like the collarbone. While some liquid highlighters can be too pigmented and intense, the ultra-fine luminous pearls reflect the light in all the right places for a finish that’s all glow and no glitter.

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Best Highlighter with Skincare Benefits

YSL Nu Halo Tint Highlighter, £21

If you consider YSL’s Nu Bare Look Tints among your favourite base formulas, chances are you’ll love the brand’s Halo Tint Highlighters too. Offering the same second-skin look and feel, these dewy highlighters are enriched with a host of ingredients to help nourish and protect skin, from hydrating vitamin E to jasmine flower. You can simply blend the formulas into the apple of the cheeks using your fingers for an ultra-glossy, lit-from-within glow and reap the rewards of all those skin benefits.

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Best highlighter for a megawatt glow

Westman Atelier Super Loaded Liquid Highlighter, £53

You may already worship at the altar of Westman Atelier’s much-hyped line-up of highlighters and blushers, but the latest arrival from the MUA-born brand might be the most exciting yet. Not only is the Super Liquid Loaded Highlighter packed with skin-loving ingredients (including vitamin C, antioxidants, and nourishing oils) but, unlike the softer finish of the brand’s Lit Up Highlighter Stick, you can expect a little more drama, pigment, and glow. Dot onto cheekbones for an instant glow-up — a little goes a long way.

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Best Cream-to-Powder Highlighter

CHANEL Poudre Lumiere Highlighter, £46

Trust CHANEL  beauty to devise a hybrid highlighter that offers the best of both worlds. Combining the blendable benefits of a cream formula with the staying power of a powder, CHANEL’s Poudre Lumiére Highlighter adds a subtle and soft radiance. Picture: the kind of finish where cheeks catch the light in all the right places and an aesthetic that mimics that of a holiday glow. Simply sweep onto cheekbones, blend with your brush, and see for yourself.

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Best Highlighter for a Dewy Finish

Vieve Skin Dew XL, £39

Answering the demands of its skin-savvy community, Vieve’s much-loved highlighter has officially been supersized. Featuring all the same ingredients and impossibly glowy finish of its predecessor but in an extra-large iteration, the Vieve Skin Dew XL caters to all your glow needs, whether that be applied to cheeks, cupid’s bow, or all over your body.  “I love Skin Dew as an all-over highlighter used on otherwise bare skin for an instant glow boost just as much as I love using it over make-up to frame the high points of the face and build up a super high gleam," says the make-up artist, Jamie Genevieve, of its versatility.

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Best Pressed Highlighter

Chantecaille Real Glow Pressed Highlighter, £75

There are aesthetically pleasing highlighters and then there’s Chantecaille’s Real Glow Pressed Highlighter. Though lovely to look at, this pressed highlighter is also incredibly hardworking with an ultra-fine textured formula and microparticles of shimmer that deliver just the right amount of glow. The best part is that you get all the benefits of a pressed highlighter formula (easy to blend, long-lasting, lightweight; the list goes on) but not an inch of dryness. Use a fluffy brush and blend onto cheeks, tops of lips, and the bridge of the nose.

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Best for Bronzed Cheeks

Tom Ford Soleil de Feu Highlighter, £68

Tom Ford’s Soleil de Feu collection is the epitome of summer. See sunset-inspired perfumes, glow-getting eye quads, and, yes, the ultimate sunlit radiance from its newly-launched highlighters. Available in two light-reflecting shades, these highlighters double up as a highlighter and bronzer offering a non-creasing, non-flaking finish. Sweep onto cheeks, eyes, and forehead for an instant glow, whether you’re jetting off on holiday or staying homebound.

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Best Highlighter for a Holiday Glow

Iconic London Rollaway Glow, £25

A name synonymous with highlighters, it may not come as any surprise to learn that Iconic London is innovating in the glow department once again. This time in the form of a Rollaway Glow. Its USP? The rollerball allows you to glide the liquid formula onto skin with ease and seamlessness, without the need for any brushes, sponges, or expert MUA skills. Say hello to your new holiday essentials.

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Best Gel-To-Powder Hybrid Highlighter

Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder, £39

If you can’t decide whether to go for a powder or cream highlighter, choose both! Powder highlighters are great for a subtle dust of shimmer, while liquid formulas offer a stronger sheen and tend to last longer on yourskin – combine the two, and you have a powerful, long-lasting glimmer. Make-up artists praise Bobbi Brown’s high-performing Highlighting Powder– and for good reason, the ultra-fine formula glides seamlessly onto your skin and offers an iridescent glow. If you’re aiming for a natural gleam and you're not sure which hue to go for, choose a shade two hues lighter than your skin tone for bright, statement cheekbones, anything goes!

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