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.
I've posted full reviews on a lot of these already (I'll link to them in this post if you'd like to know more about any particular shade) but some of them I really haven't talked about yet.
I decided to swatch them all side by side so that you could see how they look next to each other, but since my arms weren't quite long enough to fit them all, I broke them up into pink-toned shades and warmer golden shades.
First, I'll talk about the pink-toned shades I have:
L'oreal's True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminators ($12.99 at drugstores) (see my review here) are probably the frostiest shades I own and the ones I wear the least. I'm not really a fan of these, sadly.
Wet N' Wild's Fergie Centerstage To Reflect Shimmer Palette in Rose Champagne Glow ($5.99 at Target) is also a frostier shade but it's subtle enough that it gives a nice glow without looking too crazy...I wear it a lot!
Makeup Revolution's I Heart Makeup Goddess of Love ($7.48 at Makeuprevolutionstore.com) (see my review here) is a beautiful rose gold shade that comes in a little heart-shaped container that reminds me of Too Faced's Sweetheart blushes...so cute!
The Balm's Cindy-Lou Manizer ($24 at Kohls) (see my review here) is such a pretty peachy pink shade, I can actually get away with using it as a subtle blush because I have such fair skin.
Laura Geller's Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Ballerina ($26 at Ulta) (see my review here) is new to my collection but is already one of my favorites! It's similar to Cindy-Lou but is more of a candlelit/rose gold than a peachy pink.
Next, the golden shades:
Julep Glow Highlighting Powder ($28 at Julep.com) is a product I received in my monthly Julep Maven box and it's probably the most subtle highlighter I own. It doesn't have a lot of shimmer, so I can be a little more heavy-handed with it.
The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer ($24 at Kohls) is one of my favorites, in addition to being a cult-classic. It's the perfect golden champagne shimmer!
Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in Tiki ($10 at Walmart) is a recent discovery for me and was a surprise because although it's too light to be a bronzer...it's actually a really close Mary-Lou Manizer dupe! (See my comparison post here).
Becca & Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop ($38 at Sephora) is the most expensive luminizer I own and while it's soo pretty, I don't love it more than most of the others I have. I think it's a little bit too warm for my cool-toned fair skin, so I kind of regret spending the money on it because I don't reach for it too often. I'm sure there are other Becca shades that would suit me better.
Wet N Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection To Reflect Shimmer Palette in Hollywood Boulevard ($5.99 at Drugstore.com) is a beautiful golden shade that has bronze and pink swirled into it that create a color that's similar to Champagne Pop but it's more gold than peachy. Another one of my favorites!
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal ($38 at Sephora) is still a golden champagne shade, but is cooler than the Wet N Wild Hollywood Blvd or Champagne Pop. I got this mini version for free with a $25 purchase at Sephora and it's pretty, but possibly a little too dark for my fair skin.
So overall, what are my favorites? On the high-end, Mary Lou-Manizer is my go-to, with Laura Geller's Baked Gelato coming in a close second. As far as the drugstore versions go, Hard Candy's Tiki is such a close dupe of Mary-Lou, how could I not love it? But I'm also crazy about the Wet N Wild Fergie To Reflect highlighters...they're just gorgeous and under $6!
What are your favorite luminizers? I'd love to hear about them (and if they're ones I don't have, you're probably going to tempt me to go out and buy them!).