June 24, 2021 9:11 AM EDT
I’ve been using a homemade powdered highlighter lately and it’s been so fun to experiment with. It’s really easy to make and the ingredients are inexpensive.It’s mainly sugar and rose petals, but you could also add fruit or anything else you have on hand. I always use a highlighter in my contour area, where I want my cheekbones to pop, for example. Sometimes I just use a tiny bit of the stuff on my forehead, maybe a swirl or two. Then I always apply a matte topcoat to smooth everything down.
This handy guide from Allure explains how you can use natural ingredients like rose petals, aloe vera gel, and even kale to create the same effects you get from those expensive powders.
I used to use a lush powdered sunshine brush to apply my powder to smooth over the areas I wanted to highlight, which was dangerous. Yes, you could use a finger to apply it, but that results in developing a bad habit of putting too much power in those areas, making your skin more prone to breakouts. I think a brush makes things a lot easier to control and reduces flake and sweating.
I’ve never liked the idea of expensive buildup, especially in my face. When I worked in a salon, I remember being told not to put too much product on because it can make your skin dry out and it may be irritating your sensitive skin if you put too much product on.
When you use a small amount of a highlighter, you don’t put a ton of product there. You should not put too much product because it could dehydrate your skin if you put it all on.
Normal highlighters from most places tend to be approximately 0.07 to 0.16 grams, meaning 0.1 to 0.3 grams is average. For the beginner, 0.