I Take Back What I Said About Highlighters. Sort Of.

I’m generally not a fan of skin highlighters (e.g. glimmery creams and powders that claim to boost radiance). And just last Friday I posted that anyone 50+ should consider steering clear of them. But I’ve decided to amend that statement.

I’ve been playing around with Algenist REVEAL Luminizing Drops in Pearl (a soft, silvery cream). I’ve tapped the drops over the tops of my cheekbones, onto my browbone, in the inner corners of my eyes and in the center of my bottom lip. And I admit it: My skin looks better. Not disco-shimmer radiant (something I don’t aspire to anyway), but subtly smoother and glowier.

So why is this product different from other highlighters? I’ve found that, although most complexion highlighters are marketed as radiance-restoring, many are also fine-line-enhancing, as the shimmer sinks into creases and makes them more obvious. And in bright daylight, you’re not fooling anyone. The glimmer looks less like luminescence and more like a layer of metallic makeup.

But Alegenist’s Luminizing Drops go on like a thin serum, disappearing and then casting a subtle, soft-focus effect over your skin (we can thank tiny optical diffusing particles for this). There is also a color-correcting complex that evens out tone, helping diminish darkness or spots. And, most importantly for me, there is no discernable shimmer, so your skin looks glowy but not glimmery.

The Drops also come in Champagne (a soft gold) and Rose (pale pink, shown above). I gravitated toward Pearl primarily because my skin is fair, and the color appeared the most subtle in the bottle. But I believe the three shades are pretty universal, as none really reads silver, gold or pink on the skin, and the soft-focus effect can be gained from any of them. So it’s mostly about personal preference, though I’m told Champagne is the best-selling shade and the most popular among makeup artists.

One final tip: Now that I’m comfortable with the subtlety of these drops, I’ve started adding a dollop of Pearl to my Elta MD Clear SPF 46, then applying it to my whole face so I can look like I had a good night's sleep.

Now if only the drops made me feel well-rested too.