Matte Radiance: Laura Mercier Baked Powder in Highlight 01

Before I launch straight into 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' over this highlighter, I have to (yet again!) thank Gummy for introducing it to me - or more specifically, including it in her Holiday giveaway prize that I was incredibly lucky to receive. There's something very special about beauty packages to me, and being given a couple products to try handpicked by a fellow junkie is just beyond exciting. Gummy, I loved everything about that package, from the card and wrapping, through the prizes, to the little extras you've thrown in!!!

I know, enough of waxing lyrical about Gummy's generosity - but if you wanted to participate in her future giveaways, better go and subscribe now - just sayin'. You may remember that around the same time last year I said that I never used highlighters, and didn't see the point of acquiring any for my stash. Well, this Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact in Highlight 01 ($38 for 0.26 oz) may be the game changer for me.

You see, as a person blessed (hmm...) with a combination, formerly oily skin type, I don't need much help in the radiance department. I don't know if it's a natural property of my skin or the skincare I'm using, but my face looks glowy without me even trying; like my skin can be dehydrated and flaky, but it will still look shiny (anyone else has observed that with their skin? No? Just me?). However, with the cold season, a generally lessened oil production in my skin, and some more mattifying foundations I've been trialling, I've found that I should probably revisit my stance towards highlighters.

Laura Mercier's Matte Radiance comes in a very sturdy and slightly bulky packaging with a mirror; it's a domed baked powder though, and you get a lot of it, so I understand the need for a bigger compact. The powder itself doesn't look too marbelized in the pan, it has more of a uniform appearance, with a soft sheen to the surface. The texture is very soft and kicks up a bit of powder, but goes on smooth and creamy on the skin.

Here's why I think you need it, even if you generally dislike highlighters. First of all, it does give a natural, but visibly glowy look to the skin. I know people laugh at the name 'Matte Radiance', but I get it: it's radiant but not shimmery, and in a different way than the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. If you've tried Luminous Light and are thinking 'Pffft, who needs that? It does absolutely nothing', but also swatched something like theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer or BECCA's Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfectors and thought them way, way too much, Laura Mercier Highlight 01 is going to be exactly the sort of highlighter you've been looking for. It's definitely there and does an amazing job at bringing a youthful glow and definition to the cheeks, but it doesn't need to be strictly controlled for fear of looking like a drag queen in the daytime (nothing wrong with that, if that's what floats your boat). It's more... refined, you know? #whynotbesubtle

Secondly, if you're fair-skinned like me and find the bulk of popular highlighters simply too dark for your complexion, Matte Radiance in Highlight 01 is your friend. It's a slightly more champagne/ peachy version of my NW10/15 skin, so it blends in perfectly - see how dark and warm that Hourglass Luminous Light and Benefit Watt's Up are next to it? And yet, it works on darker and warmer Gummy as well, but if you're even darker (or are looking for a glowy bronzer), there are three more shades in this range.

L-R: Laura Mercier Matte Radiance in Highlight 01, Benefit Watt's Up, Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyeshadow in Unforgettable Oriole (see, more shimmery finish), Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light

I've been wearing it the past couple of days non stop and I'm really loving it. I find it very easy to blend, long lasting and complimentary for a variety of blush shades - I'm not wearing any blush in the face shot by the way, just a little bit of contour powder. I don't think it's too much, even with a more dewy foundation; I've really built it up for the photo, but you can also wear a very sheer layer. It also doesn't emphasize pores too bad - I know that when you look close up at the picture that's focused exactly on the highlighed area, you can see some texture there, but in real life it's not discernible to a naked eye.

All in all, while I don't see myself hoarding multiple highlighters in the near future, I do think there's a place for a refined glowy cheekbone in my make-up routine, and it's been fun to experiment with highlighting my features. Tell me, are you strictly against or all for highlighting? What's your current favorite highlighter?