Pro Tips for a Flattering Highlighter Placement

Education

Highlighter has become a staple in many makeup bags and for good reason. While bronzer adds warmth to the face and blush adds color, highlighter provides a beautiful lit-from-within glow and adds dimension to the face by drawing attention to areas you want to pop such as the cheekbones, brow bone and the inner corner of the eyes. And, they come in various different formulas and textures (think creams, powders and liquids) and shades (champagne, pearl and bronze). In addition to the right tools and technique, a flawless highlighter application also requires proper placement to achieve the desired effect.

Below, Dominique Lerma, a MODA Brush executive makeup artist, walks us through a winning combination of highlighter, bronzer and blush and shares her favorite and most creative ways to achieve both a subtle glow or a shimmer-inducing effect.

5 Places To Apply Highlighter For A Glowing Complexion

Inner corner of the eyes

Lerma loves a pop of highlight in the inner corner of the eyes hugging the inner tear duct. “This will give the appearance of a wide awake and ethereal look,” she says. Use a small smudger brush for this placement, she says, which is the perfect shape to create a “V” shape for the inner-eye corner.

Brow bone

To bring more radiance to the eye area, Lerma suggests applying highlighter on the brow bone using the same smudger brush.

Cupid’s bow

The lip area also deserves a little glow, hence why the cupid’s bow is another popular highlighter placement. “This creates the illusion of pulling the lip upward, which will naturally have the lip appear larger,” Lerma says.

“The trick for highlighter is to apply it on the high points of your face that would naturally reflect light.”

Collarbone

“I absolutely love a highlighter moment on the décolleté and collarbone, especially when wearing garments that showcase these delicate areas,” Lerma says. “It helps the skin photograph as youthful and hydrated, and it also ties the makeup look together.”

For a red carpet-worthy look, Lerma suggests using a bronzy highlighter that’s also hydrating, which will create a sunkissed glow. Apply the highlighter with a stippling brush to give it a light, barely-there finish.

Bridge of the nose

Applying highlighter to the bridge of the nose helps bring the dewy look together, Lerma says. But if you don’t want to draw attention to your nose, you can skip this highlighter placement. If you do want to add some dimension to the area, Lerma advises abiding by the “less is more rule.” Here’s how: Apply a small amount of cream highlighter using a stippling brush, and then use your ring finger to warm it up and help it blend into the skin.

Bonus: Factoring in blush and bronzer

Mastering the perfect highlighter placement also requires understanding blush and bronzer placement. Lerma says blush placement can be very personal and depends on the person’s face shape and desired effect (i.e., rounding out the face or elongating the cheekbones). But generally, blush should be applied to the apples of the cheeks for a subtle flush of color. To apply blush, Lerma asks her clients to smile and then gently sweeps the product on the apples of the cheek using a fluffy, tapered brush. If there’s excess product on the brush, she’ll then swipe it on the forehead and the bridge of the nose to bring it all together.

Bronzer adds warmth to the face. For the best placement, Lerma recommends applying it strategically on the outskirts of the face using a round tapered brush, which deposits the product with precision. “I apply bronzer with a sweeping motion in the shape of the number three on the outskirts of the face,” she says. Then chisel the cheekbones and finish by curving the bronzer onto the jawline.