Contouring, strobing, chroming, I honestly can’t keep up with the different terminology when it comes to makeup. It seems like I wake up each day to a new technique and try as I might to keep up with these new and crazy methods, I just can’t. So I stay with my same routine. Day in, and day out. But the one thing that does change is the products that I use.

If there’s one makeup product that I can’t live without, it’s my highlighter. I’ve got high but wide cheekbones that can often catch the light at unflattering angles. To slim down my facial structure, I rely on highlighter to catch the light at just the right angle.

Depending on what finish I’m going for, I reach for different products. Here are the top 3 that I continously find myself picking up on a weekly basis.

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Golden Glow

Adding a touch of colour back into my skin in the winter is definitely a priority. I don’t end up spending as much time as I’d like outdoors, which results in a paler skintone and not as much of a nice flush as I would have in the summer. One of the key highlighters that I routinely use to give myself a slight flush with some twinkle is the Elizabeth Arden Sunset Bronze Prismatic Highlighter.

The shimmer comes off quite concentrated, so I like to blend out the product with a buffing brush after applying it. My typical application routine is to draw a line going upwards from my cheekbones to my temples and then retracing the line going back downwards.

I then take my brush and buff out the product to spread it out across my cheekbones to evenly distribute the shimmer and colour. Even though the highlighter applies quite pigmented, its shimmer is so finely milled that it spreads out well to create a slight sheen as opposed to making you look like a disco ball.

With one swipe, you can already tell exactly where I applied the highlighter onto my hand – so it’s important to blend it out evenly. Think about how much shimmer is deposited when I swipe it back once more.

After brushing it out a bit, you can see that there’s still a slight deposit of bronze, but that the shimmer is less pronounced and more of a shine. Perfect for chilly winter days when you’re looking to add some colour back into your cheeks!

High Shine

When I’m looking for less of a glow and more of a shine, I find myself reaching for Benefit’s Watt’s Up. When applied, this highlighter leaves less of a golden tone and creates a nice champagne shimmer. The lighter colour creates a brighter reflection, helping to contour without the necessity of a bronzer.

I’ve found that the lightness in colour of this highlighter causes it to be easily picked up by the brush and lost, so I prefer blending it out with my ring finger. This not only helps to evenly deposit the highlighter, but ensures that the product doesn’t disappear by being soaked up by the brush’s bristles.

Dewy Finish

On other days, I prefer a dewier finish. These are days when I don’t want to apply too much makeup, but want a nice moist look. It sounds gross, but trust me it creates a beautiful overall glow.

Most people don’t apply their highlighter until after they’ve finish with their foundation, but the reverse application of this highlighter helps to create an even base glow.

This highlighter is meant to be applied first and evenly spread out across your face. It comes out a little bit thick so I like to warm it up on the back of my hand with my fingers before applying it to my skin. Direct application tends to be a little streaky and highlights a little bit more than I prefer.

Because of the refractory pigments found in this product, it creates a beautiful even shimmer that makes your skin look like it’s glowing from within. I’ve found that this highlighter works amazingly well on days when I haven’t had enough sleep and my skin looks a little bit dull. Yes, it happens to everyone! But with the right highlighter, you can easily disguise those sleepless nights.