We're no strangers to highlighting, and neither is the rest of the internet. (People even flipped when they thought this year's Olympic medal was actually a highlighting palette.) In spite of our best efforts, however, sometimes highlighter can look a little too otherworldly, and at worst, tips a little greasy. But some celebrities — think Jamie Chung, Ashley Graham, Chrissy Teigen, and Beyoncé — always get that glimmer just right.
Makeup artist Brian Dean, who works with Chung, gave us the inside scoop. We already know you can highlight your cheekbones, browbone, bridge of the nose, and any high point along the outer rim of your face. But Dean says a lot of highlighter can look flashy both on and off camera. "A lot of foundations and skin products today are meant to look natural and dewy, so when you're putting highlighter on top it's too much," he says. Dean suggests toning things down by going lighter on the rest of your makeup if you're going to work highlighter into the mix. If you can't cut out the illuminator entirely, try only drawing a very thin line down the bridge of your nose and pressing a small amount on your browbone.
Dean's magic trick: Dab a dot of shimmer between your eyes, right where your nose begins to slope. Voilà. "When you turn, it gives this whole dimension of light...and everything else is naturally dewy," he says. That unexpected flash in an unassuming spot works overtime to give your face flattering depth and luminosity. And that's a look that never feels over-the-top.
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