Replace my discontinued face illuminator makeup

August 31, 2012 3:45 PM

Looking for a facial highlighter/blush to replace my discontinued favourite.

I had the 'peach light' illuminator stick listed here.

The Revlon stick had a creamy texture with tiny granules of sparkly stuff, and a subtle pink tint. It was possible to smear a little on the apples of the cheeks and build it up gradually e.g. it didn't leave a harsh pink stripe on the face, because it wasn't overly pigmented.

The general effect was a highlighted 'glow', which gave the illusion of my skin being much smoother and brighter than it actually is.

A lot of the replacements I've tried are either too dark, too sparkly or too bronze. I'm particularly interested in knowing if anyone's found a stick-form illuminator that works well with pale, pink-toned skin.

posted by pink_gorilla to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 answers total)

Have you tried the Nars multiples? They are the first stick-form highlighter/blushes that come to mind - I don't have a shade recommendation, but Sephora or a Nars counter will have testers.
posted by insectosaurus at 4:01 PM on August 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

I use Tarte's cheek stain in Tipsy for a similar effect. You can see my coloring in my profile to get an idea of whether mine matches yours.
posted by immlass at 4:17 PM on August 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

It's not a stick, but I really, really like Benefit's High Beam highlighter -- it's very pink and sparkly, and it works really well on my pale, pink/cool toned skin (MAC NW-15). It's not too sparkly that it has visible glitter, just sheer and pink. It blends really well.
posted by lysimache at 4:26 PM on August 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

Eponysterical!

I like Clinique's ... Basic blush. Whatever it's called, it's the Platonic ideal of blush.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 4:42 PM on August 31, 2012

A very, very similar product to Benefit High Beam is Boots No 7 High Lights Illuminating Lotion. Again, not a stick, but it gives a nice subtle shimmer, and it is slightly pink-toned. In the US you can get this at Target or at drugstore.com; I assume in the UK it's available at Boots.
posted by redfishbluefish at 4:49 PM on August 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

I second Boots No 7 High Lights Illuminating Lotion. Really great especially for paler people.
posted by nanook at 5:13 PM on August 31, 2012

This? For a dollar you could try all the colors. I have the peach, it was perfect during the summer!
posted by JacksonandFinch at 6:19 PM on August 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

The Benetint High Beam stuff is wonderful. Expensive, but a little goes a long way. I got a sample size on ebay and it lasted a very long time.
posted by selfmedicating at 9:59 PM on August 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

I love High Beam, but if you're looking for a combo blush-highlight like you described, that's not your product. It is slightly pink but only in that it blends nicely with pink-undertoned people (they also have others, like Moon Beam, with other undertones). If you put High Beam all over your cheeks you'd look a bit odd and frosty... it's intended for under the brow bone, near the tear duct, and tops of cheek bones. Just highlighter.

I use that and BeneTint in PosieTint on almost a daily basis, but if I want something more glow-y I use NARS Orgasm. A great peachy color with itty bitty golden glitter. It's a bit spendy, but a little goes a long way and it really is great stuff. They also claim it's universally flattering, and I haven't seen evidence of the contrary. There's no doubt a cheaper dupe of it out there, but I haven't tried any to recommend.
posted by jorlyfish at 8:43 AM on September 1, 2012