Wednesday, 6 September 2017

e.l.f Baked Highlighter (Moonlight Pearls) Review, Swatches

e.l.f Baked Highlighter Moonlight Pearls

Ever since the strobing trend in makeup started gaining popularity, the beauty world has been overwhelmed with new makeup highlighters launching every now and then. While a greater number of the high shine and quality highlighters belong to the family of high-end brands like Bobbie Brown, Becca, Mac, Hourglass etc.., there's is one highlighter that, although is no way near to all these brands in terms of the price tag, it can still give a tough competition to the big brands in giving that perfect glow or highlight.

You'd have already guessed by the title now, it's the highly popular e.l.f baked highlighter in the shade moonlight pearls!

E.l.f cosmetics is a very popular U.S drugstore makeup brand and while it's still not officially available in India, there are some websites and Instagram pages that sell authentic international makeup products. I got this highlighter from a website named beautdor.com. The product came in proper packaging, with it being carefully bubble wrapped (Price: Rs.650/-). I stumbled upon this website through one of (ankita) corallista's video in which she used Anastasia modern renaissance palette brought from beautdor.com. And while browsing this website, my eyes got stuck on this beautiful highlighter and so I decided to give it try.

What e.l.f says about the highlighter

Create a radiant glow with this illuminating powder that highlights the skin with a sheer wash of shimmering color. Infused with Vitamin E, Jojoba, Sunflower, Almond and Grape to help nourish and hydrate the skin. Long lasting color can be worn wet for a vibrant effect or dry sheer pigmentation.

Even though the brand doesn't mention in its description but there is a lot of talk about the fact that the top layer of this highlighter needs to be scraped off or removed in order to get its real pigment out. And after trying it, I can say, that yes, it's true. Before scraping off the top layer, the texture feels a little chalky and there's barely any pigment. You'll need to layer it a number of times for the highlight to actually show up on your face. But once you scrape off the top layer (I'd suggest scraping it with something a bit sharp), the highlighter reveals its true potential. Highly pigmented, smooth and lightweight are the first few words that popped into my mind when I swatched it after scraping off the top layer. It is just so so pigmented underneath its top layer, I was very much surprised.

e.l.f baked highlighter in the shade moonlight pearls is a mix of silver and golden champagne hues. It's more dominated by ultra fine, pearly white, reflective shimmer particles, which give a nice, almost metallic, luminous sheen to the skin. The shimmer doesn't feel too glittery or chunky. The texture is very smooth and lightweight. It has a baked, powder formula and can be applied both wet and dry. It blends easily and is quite buildable too. The highlighter doesn't make my skin appear dry and powdery. My skin tone is between fair and medium and this highlighter looks quite flattering on my complexion. It's not too warm or too cool. On deeper skin tones it'll appear intense instead of natural, 'apricot glow' would be a perfect match for deeper skin tones instead of the shade 'moonlight pearls'.

Whether you're heading out for a glam evening or want just a subtle, natural glow for a day time look, e.l.f baked highlighter has got you covered. A fan brush would do the job of giving that perfect subtle highlight, while a dense highlighter brush would be a more appropriate choice for a dramatic glow. I didn't have either. So, I used my real techniques contour brush and it worked amazingly in giving a dewy, dramatic look to my face. Overall, this is a stunning highlighter! An absolute must have if you don't want to spend too much on high end highlighters. It wears well throughout the day and comes in four different shades. Highly Recommended!

What do you think of this highlighter?

- Aditi