My Favorite Budget-Friendly Highlighters

I admit that I have a weakness when it comes to highlighters, and I've been collecting them for a long time...since way before "strobing" became a thing. The first one I bought was The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer, followed by Benefit Watts Up and Becca Opal. At the time, there weren't that many drugstore options, but lately there are a ton of amazing highlighters under $10! So whether you're into palettes, creams, or powders, I've got you covered...here's a round-up of some of my favorites. 

BH Cosmetics Wild and Radiant Palette Review

Recently, BH Cosmetics had a killer sale and I hauled a few products I've been wanting for a while including the Wild & Radiant Palette ($8.50). This is a baked illuminating and bronzing palette that contains four shades that can be used wet or dry to get that fabulous glow. Let's take a closer look...

Looxi Beauty Highlighter Review & Swatches

I recently discovered indie makeup brand Looxi Beauty on Instagram, where I saw a lot of people that I follow posting swatches of their amazing highlighters. And...since I'm a highlighter junkie, I had to see what all the fuss was about! 

I had such a hard time choosing which shades I wanted to try, but I narrowed it down to four. Let's take a closer look and get my take on these, plus see my swatches. 

My Favorite Drugstore Highlighter

I love highlighters and hoard them like crazy, and while there are tons of affordable options from brands like City Color, Colourpop, and L.A. Girl, they're not usually sold in stores and the drugstore brands really haven't jumped on the strobing bandwagon just yet. But what if I told you that you that there's an affordable highlighter that's available pretty much everywhere... at your local Walgreens, Target, CVS, or Walmart? 

I shared this little tip with my Instagram followers last night, and I wasn't sure how it would be received...an eyeshadow as a highlighter? It sounds a little crazy, but the Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal eyeshadow in Barely Branded is the perfect champagne gold shade for highlighting! And you may already have this in your makeup stash. 

It has a beautiful metallic shine but it's not overly glittery or sparkly. It just gives a beautiful sheen to your skin and brings light to the high points of your face. It also lasts all day. 

One tip though...this formula dries really fast, so you have to work quickly or it'll dry all stripey on your cheeks. I like to use my fingers because it warms up the product and I just press it into my skin and blend quickly in a light layer, then build from there if necessary. 

Here are a few articles I found from others that are actually using this product as a highlighter (I had to Google it to make sure I wasn't crazy)! 

This makeup artist uses it on all the models at fashion shows. 

Alle from xoVain recently discovered it at Fashion Week

 If you already have it, try using it as a highlighter the next time you do your makeup. Don't have it? This one is a must-have, even if you're just using it as an eyeshadow, it's gorgeous! 

City Color Highlighting Wand Review & Swatches

City Color Highlighting Wand ($5.99) is a lightweight cream highlighter that comes in three beautiful shades. I grabbed one of them during the City Color Labor Day sale when I ended up hauling a bunch of things I've been wanting to try.

Right now, these are part of the highlighter sale, so they're only $4.19 each. You can also use my code BudgetBeautyBlog for an additional 10% off, which makes them $3.78 each!

City Color Highlighting Wand in Blush Wine

City Color Intense Exposure Highlighting Powder Review & Swatches

Being the highlighter junkie that I am, I couldn't help adding this cute little Intense Exposure Highlighting Powder ($4.99) to my cart during a recent City Color haul. It's under $5 and is totally different than the other shades I currently have in my collection. Let's take a look! 

City Color Intense Exposure Highlighting Powder

Becca + Jaclyn Hill Champagne Glow Sneak Peek

Earlier today I saw a sneak peek on Instagram of a brand new Becca + Jaclyn Hill collaboration called Champagne Glow, and before I could even post this photo of the outside of the palette, Becca Cosmetics posted a photo of the inside, so I have both to show you today! This will be a Sephora exclusive, and will be released on October 27, 2015 for $34. Let's take a look...

Pic: @trendmood1 on Instagram

There are three shades in this palette, two of which are existing shades. The new shade is the first one on the left that looks white, and it's called Pearl. Also included are Champagne Pop in the center and Blushed Copper on the right.

So far the reactions have been mixed from what I'm seeing on Instagram. Darker-skinned girls are saying they can't really use Pearl and fair skinned girls are wondering how they can use Blushed Copper (although many people say you can use it as a blush). Even more people are disappointed that they already have two of the three shades and can't justify getting this palette just for the new Pearl shade. 

As for me, personally, I already have Champagne Pop and I have so many highlighters that I already love, I don't think I'll be picking this one up. I just bought The Balm's Manizer Sisters palette and the Profusion Studio Highlight palette so I think I'm good for a while. What are your thoughts on this one? 

Profusion Studio Highlight Palette Swatches & First Impression

I wandered into Five Below this morning to see what was new in the makeup aisle and at first it looked like the same stuff that's been there for a while. But then I started pushing things aside and looking toward the back of the shelves and there was a bunch of brand new stuff just hiding back there (I posted the other things I found on my Instagram page today in case you're curious). 

The Profusion Studio Highlight palette ($5.99)  was the first thing I pulled out and I was like...what!? You guys know I love my highlighters and while it's easy to find highlight/contour palettes, a full highlighter palette is more of a rare thing, especially at the drugstore! 

Profusion can definitely be hit or miss but I decided to try this based on my fantastic experience with their Blush Boutique kit earlier this week (see that post here). I couldn't wait to get this home and play with it a little bit, so here are my first impressions...

L.A. Girl Velvet Contour Sticks Review & Swatches

L.A. Girl Velvet Contour Sticks ($5 each at Lagirlcosmetics.com) are a brand new product designed to make contouring easy with twist-up stick packaging and a velvety cream formula that comes in highlight, blush and bronzer shades. I've come to expect great things from L.A. Girl so I didn't hesitate to grab 8 out of the 16 shades to try. Funny enough, despite these being called "contour sticks" I didn't pick up any of the bronze shades because I'm not all that into contouring (gasp!). But I did grab all three highlights (because I love me some highlighters) and five shades of blush. So let's take a look! 

City Color Cosmetics Spotlight Highlight Review & Swatches

City Color Spotlight Highlight ($4.99 at CityColorCosmetics.com) is a creamy, lightweight formula that gives you a dewy highlight with a pearly finish. Read on for my review and swatches, plus comparison swatches of other cream highlighters I own.

I've been on a big City Color kick lately because it seems like every single thing I've gotten from them has been great! They're already one of my favorite drugstore brands due to their high quality and super-reasonable price points...I just wish they were sold in stores (besides a random find at Five Below).  I ended up buying a lot of products during their Labor Day sale, when they had 25% off, and now that their free shipping minimum has been lowered to $25, it makes me feel a little better about ordering online. It used to be hard to get to that $50 mark most of the time because their products are so inexpensive. 

One of the products I got in my huge Labor Day haul is the Spotlight Highlight ($4.99). You guys know I'm all about the highlight these days so how could I really resist this cute little pot at under $5? 

My Luminizer Collection + Favorites

It's safe to say I'm addicted to luminizers...I have them in powder form, stick form, creams, you name it! I'm not really a fan of contouring (it seems to look good on everyone but me) but when it comes to popping a little highlight on the ol' cheekbones, brow bones and cupid's bow, I'm there! I love how it lights up my face and gives it a lift- it's like youth in a compact. I typically reach for my powder formulas but I also love using my stick versions on the go or when I'm in a hurry. 

I figured that instead of a review, maybe I'd go in a different direction today and give you a peek inside my personal collection and tell you what my favorites are, both high-end and drugstore. This is just powder luminizers...I'll save the creams and sticks for another post. 

The Balm Cosmetics The Manizer Sisters Palette Review & Swatches

When I first heard that The Balm was releasing a palette of their "Manizer" luminizers at Kohls a few weeks ago, I couldn't have been more excited! Mary-Lou Manizer is my favorite highlighter of all time and I use Cindy-Lou often as an illuminating blush. I also use both of them as eyeshadows from time to time...I love to use them by themselves with a little black liquid liner and mascara for a simple, everyday look. I haven't gotten around to purchasing Betty-Lou, mainly because it's too dark for me to use as a highlighter and too shimmery to wear all over as a bronzer. But I'm so glad I have it now because it'll make a great eyeshadow as well! I know a lot of you guys were wondering about the size of this new palette, so I just wanted to do a quick overview and comparison so you can see how it compares to the originals. Let's take a look! 

The Manizer Sisters- $28 at Kohls.com

The Balm The Manizer Sisters is Now Available at Kohls!

The Balm has just released a brand new palette called The Manizer Sisters ($28) featuring all three of their cult classic luminizers- Mary-Lou Manizer, Cindy-Lou Manizer, and Betty-Lou Manizer! I shared a sneak peek of this palette on my Instagram page last week but had no idea it would be available for sale so soon! 

Mary-Lou Manizer is arguably my favorite powder highlighter ever, so I'm freaking out right now over this palette. Not only are these highlighters, but they can also be used as shadows or dusted lightly all over the face for a gorgeous glow. I own the full sized Mary-Lou and Cindy-Lou but to have them in a travel-friendly palette would be amazing, plus I'll get to try Betty-Lou, which I haven't gotten the chance to buy yet.

Will you be picking up The Manizer Sisters? Right now it seems to be available only at Kohls.com (I did a store pickup search and didn't come up with any that have this in stock right now). I will definitely be purchasing today before these completely sell out! Look for a review very soon...

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator Review & Swatches

I've been wanting to try the Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminators ($26 at Ulta) for a while now, especially after seeing countless other bloggers going gaga over the Gilded Honey shade. A few weeks ago, I caught a Laura Geller presentation on QVC and when they got to the Baked Gelato Illuminators, I saw that they had a second shade called Ballerina, which is a beautiful rose gold shade. Laura mentioned that it was really pretty on lighter skin tones while Gilded Honey flattered darker skin tones best (although they're both meant to flatter any skin tone). She applied it to a model with similar coloring to mine and it looked so beautiful, I decided to be a rebel and try Ballerina (even though everyone keeps telling me that Gilded Honey is where it's at!). I purchased it at an Ulta store during a recent haul, but I noticed later that it's only $2 more on the QVC site and includes the brush Laura used during the show (so that's a better deal if you're interested in the brush). Let's take a closer look!

New Rimmel Good To Glow Highlighters Spotted at Walmart

Today at Walmart I spotted the new Rimmel London Good To Glow Highlighters ($4.28 at Walmart.com). These have been out for a while in Europe, but this is the first time I'm seeing them here in the US! 

There are three shades but my Walmart only had two of them stocked, 01 Notting Hill Glow, a white-ish pink and 03 Soho Glow, a bronze-gold (it's in the wrong spot in the display). The third shade, 02 Piccadilly Glow looks like a peachy champagne and is the one I really wanted out of the three. 

It's a liquid highlighter that can be used on top of makeup on areas you want to highlight or mixed in with foundation for an all-over glow. I swatched these on my hand today and they have a subtle vanilla-like scent that (at least to my nose) smells exactly like Christian Dior's Hypnotic Poison! Just a more toned-down version. I'll be posting a review and swatches of these soon, so stay tuned. I'm hoping to get the third shade before I do!

Coming Soon: Benefit Shy Beam

Benefit posted another sneak peek on their Instagram tonight! Last night, I posted about their new Air Patrol BB Eyelid Primer that's coming out for Fall 2015, and now the newest product in their upcoming lineup is a matte highlighter called Shy Beam. I haven't seen too many matte highlighters but from what I can see from the swatch below, it definitely highlights! 

The good news is, you don't have to wait for it to be released (Benefit didn't say if it'll launch in September with the Fall line or at a different time) because there's a deluxe sample inside this Operation Pore-Proof kit from Sephora ($34).

Benefit Operation: Pore-proof $34 at Sephora

So what do you think, are you excited to try Shy Beam? Have you used a matte highlighter in the past?

*UPDATE* I was at Sephora today and they had testers of the Operation:Pore-Proof kit so I was able to swatch Shy Beam for you guys!
It's definitely a matte light pink...sort of like a liquid version of their High Brow pencil.

Is Hard Candy's Tiki Bronzer a Mary-Lou Manizer Dupe?

The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer ($24 at Kohls) is my favorite powder highlighter...the color is so on-point, the shimmer is very fine with no chunks of glitter, and the soft buttery texture makes it really easy to blend. I think a lot of you feel the same way about it because over the years, finding a Mary-Lou Manizer dupe is something I've gotten many requests for. Whenever I review a new highlighter, I pull out Mary-Lou and see if it's a dupe, but so far I haven't found anything that comes close to the color...until now! 

It came from the most unlikely place too...a bronzer. Hard Candy's So Baked bronzer ($10 at Walmart) comes in four shades and the lightest one, Tiki is more golden than bronze. I assume it's meant to be a bronzer for fair skin tones but it's way too shimmery for all over bronzer use. That got me thinking about using it as a highlighter and when I compared it to Mary-Lou, well...see for yourself! 

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer ($24) vs. Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in Tiki ($10)

Disney's Dare To Dream Pocahontas Luminizer Review & Swatches

The Disney Dare to Dream collection arrived at Walgreens stores recently, and I was lucky enough to spot them at my local store. Similar to the ELF princess collections that have shown up previously, this collection features Pocahontas, Mulan, and Ariel. Each princess has their own beauty book filled with eyeshadows, lip products, blush, etc. but then they each have separate products as well. 

Pocahontas has a bronzer and luminizers, while Ariel has eyeshadow quads and Mulan has lip glosses. I didn't realize at first, but these are actually made by Markwins, which owns Wet N Wild, Physicians Formula and Bonne Bell so I figured the quality should be pretty good! I purchased a bunch of different items but I wanted to start with one of my favorites...the Pocahontas Retractable Luminizers ($3 each)! Let's take a look...

Disney Dare To Dream Pocahontas Retractable Luminizers

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator Review & Swatches

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator ($12.99 at drugstores and Ulta.com) is brand new for Summer/Fall 2015. It comes in three shades: Golden (to flatter warm skintones), Ice (to flatter cool skintones), and Rose which is neutral and flatters both warm and cool skintones. I recently posted about the powder version of these and I felt that they were too glittery for my taste...let's see if these are any better!  

L'oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminators
 in Ice and Rose.

Brand New L'Oreal Products for Summer 2015

L'oreal has some exciting new releases for Summer 2015, and a lot of you have reported spotting these in stores, such as CVS and Target. I haven't seen them yet, but it seems like my area is always the last to get everything! Included in the Summer lineup are two new True Match Lumi products... Liquid and Powder Illuminators, plus Colour Riche La Matte and La Laque Lip Pens. So without further ado, let's check 'em out! (Photo credits: Lorealparisusa.com)

First up are the Colour Riche Le Matte Lip Pen ($9.99). Right away, these remind me of the new Maybelline ColorBlur Velvet Matte lip pencils, just without the smudger on the end. But since Maybelline is owned by L'oreal, that's no big surprise...they have a tendency to copy each other. These come in 5 shades so far.

100 Matte For Me, 102 She's So Matte, 104 Game, Set & Matte
106 Made For Matte, and 108 Matte-r of Fact.