Highlighter (cosmetics)

For the writing implement, see Highlighter.

This person is wearing highlighter on their cheekbones and their outer browbone, beneath the eyebrow

Highlighter is a type of cosmetic product that reflects light.^[1] Often used for contouring,^[2] it can be applied to the face or other parts of the body to brighten the skin on a given area, create the perception of depth and angles.^[3] The product can come in a variety of forms, including powder, liquid, cream,^[4] gloss,^[5] solid stick and jelly.^[6] Highlighters are different from illuminators.^[7]

Highlighters became a significant tool among theater and film actors shooting or performing indoors, where natural light was not available to provide definition of facial features like cheekbones, nose, and jawline.^[8] Highlighter also offers the possibility of heightening or diminishing a given feature to suit the character portrayed, as well as aesthetic trends.^[8]

Highlighters are usually in a white or champagne colour, but can be in many other colours as well including blue, pink, and rainbow, to suit certain makeup looks.

MAC Cosmetics Strobing Cream is credited as the first highlighter product to be made available to commercial consumers.^[8]

A long-time tool among makeup artists, highlighter sales saw significant gains among consumers in 2016.^[8] Some industry experts have attributed the growth in sales of highlighters and related products to the rise of social media usage, given the popularity of YouTube makeup tutorials and the proliferation of snapshot self-portraits.^[9]

See also

• Bronzer
• Rouge (cosmetics)

References

1. Oliver, Dana (25 July 2014). "What The Heck Does Highlighter Do Anyway?". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
2. Fasanella, Kaleigh (September 20, 2017). "How To Contour: 5 Steps To Perfecting Contouring". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
3. Schwedel, Heather (24 February 2017). "On the Oscars Red Carpet, Keep an Eye Out for Boob Contouring". Slate. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
4. Martin, Crystal (28 March 2017). "How to Highlight, Now". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
5. Abelman, Devon (March 14, 2018). "Photographic Proof That Face Gloss Is Actually the Perfect Dewy Highlighter". Allure. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
6. Sasso, Samantha (March 1, 2018). "Jelly Highlighters Is The Makeup Trend That's About To Go Viral". Refinery29. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
7. MakeupOcean (2022-11-19). "Use of illuminator in Makeup - Guide from MakeupOcean". makeupocean.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
8. McIntyre, Megan (January 27, 2017). "Why Are We So Obsessed With Highlighting All Of A Sudden?". Refinery29. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
9. Chapman, Ben (2017-04-24). "'Selfie generation' is fuelling a huge rise in cosmetics sales". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-03-26.