Since I am addicted to glowing skin, this is my favorite makeup look during the summer!
I tend to buy a lot of makeup to test out on my skin, and I've learned fairly quickly that highlighters are not created equal for brown women. Some of the most hyped highlighters that beauty gurus boast about appear ashy or rather white on brown skin which is not appealing at all. This led me to go on my own personal highlighter project to figure out what glowing products are great for women of color.
YouTube is a great resource for a variety of things including makeup. There are a large number of makeup artists who are highly knowledgeable on the perfect highlighters that will have your melanin shining bright like a diamond, and so I decided to pull recommendations from vloggers Jackie Aina, Cydnee Black, and Irishcel Puello on highlighters that work best for brown skin.
Here are five of their favorite highlighters:
Becca Topaz
- Becca is known for making some of the greatest highlighters in the beauty industry. This is why beauty guru, Jackie Aina, recommended this product to me when I asked about her favorite highlighting items. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed- Tropaz will give you that after-vacay glow that will have heads turning.
ColourPop Parasol
- Beauty blogger, Cydnee Black, raves about ColourPop's parasol highlighter because it does not appear ashy or too white on dark skin. This specific highlighter is only available for purchase in their strobing kits but a good alternative is the KaePop (Highlighter- Glo Up). ColourPop's highlighters are only $8 but are high quality, highly pigmented products that appears as a high-end highlighters. My favorite highlighter from the brand is Avalon because it gives a beautiful, golden highlight.
Anastasia Beverly Hills- Peach Nectar
- Anastasia Beverly Hills recently launched their own set of highlighters and everyone have been raving about them, including beauty guru, Iris! In her latest YouTube video, she recommends peach nectar for brown skin tones. She states that this specific highlighter will give your brown skin a nice flesh of color with a gorgeous glow. Basically, it is a highlighter and blush in one product.
JCat Beauty- Bora Bora Beach
- This beauty item is actually listed as a baked bronzer but hear me out. Cydnee had this on her favorite highlighter list because you receive the most gorgeous golden glow from this product without having to break the bank. This gold bronzer is only $8 which is a fraction of the price of many popular highlighting items.
Becca Cosmetics- Rose Gold
- This is one highlighter that is not spoken about often but Jackie believes that it deserves more recognition and praise. Becca's Rose Gold Shimmering Perfector is a cool-tone pink shimmering powder that will not have your chocolate skin appearing ashy. Plus, this product is a great option for the days when you are not craving a golden glow on your cheek.
No matter if you are wearing a full face of makeup or not, these five highlighters will certainly have you shining bright during the day or night.
And if you need a little tutorial to help you get your strobing game strong, here's a great one from beauty vlogger Missy Lynn.
Are any of these makeup products on your favorite highlighters' list? What is your favorite highlighting product?
Throughout my life, I have suffered through major hardships. When I was nine, my brother was murdered and within a year later, my father passed away due to kidney failure and other health issues. After those two ordeals alone, I was struggling with severe depression in my pre-teens and teenage years. It was extremely difficult for me to find happiness due to me not seeking therapy for the losses I had in my childhood. What put the icing on the cake was losing one of my best friends due to police brutality when I was 16. My friend's death brought in a new perspective to my prolonged sadness—I need to appreciate life.
Life is such a precious gift and I should cherish every moment of my life by living the way I want and having peace, love and happiness. This led me to go on a happiness journey at 18. I was determined to let go of my depression and to find true happiness and fulfillment in life. I broke up with my high school sweetheart because we grew apart and the person I fell in love with was no longer the guy I was dating.
[Tweet "I knew I deserved something more than mediocre love. "]
I went to a university in a small town and I strived to follow my dreams regardless of my family's lack of support. Fast forward to five years later, I am a college graduate, working from home as a freelance fashion and beauty writer, have an amazing boyfriend, and have my family and friends' support. My life has not been this awesome in a long time, yet I still search for problems in my life. I look for issues because I never had long-term happiness, and I'm scared to lose this blissful joy.
I find myself investigating my intimate relationship with my boyfriend as well as friendships in my life from time to time due to my fear of being happy. I would snoop through my boyfriend's phone to read his text messages and to check his call log to find a small reason to pick a fight. When my boyfriend would not answer my call or text, I would over analyze things and imagine the worst. He never gave me a reason not to trust him, yet I questioned things in our relationship quite often.
With my friends, I did not call or text them unless they hit me up first. I avoided the feeling of rejection from my friends by not communication first and it took a toll on my previous friendships. Also, as soon as a friend hurt my feelings once, I withdraw from the relationship slowly without trying to work it out. In the past, I boasted on having a rather strong cut off game when it came to friendships and I am ashamed of that now. I knew that doing these things were wrong, but I continued to act on them. There’s a little voice in my head that tells me that I won’t have this blissful feeling forever, and sometimes I let it overtake me. My fear of being happy has taught me that my struggle with depression may be a life-long battle, but I cannot let it control my life. I am always searching for a solution for this horrid pattern.
I found guidance in a quote that I found while browsing Pinterest on a random day.
[Tweet "There's got to be rain in your life, to appreciate the sunshine"]
This quote defines my current view on happiness. I understand that I will not be happy everyday and that it is normal to not always have a good day. However, I cannot let my sadness last forever due to insecurity and negative thoughts. I am taking my changing perspective on happiness day-by-day. I am proud of myself for admitting my issue and seeking guidance to pursue a better, healthier lifestyle.
I do not know what the future holds for me, but I pray and strive for happiness everyday. My happiness comes before everything and yours should too.
What are you doing to maintain your happiness?
