Tag Archives: Chantecaille Sunbeam highlighter

The Best Highlighters Showcased

Posted on by

I’ve been saying for a while now that I really don’t need a huge highlighter collection because what I like usually comes down to having the smallest possible shimmer particles, a non-metallic finish, subtle to medium intensity, and being a color that suits me. Once I find the perfect one, there isn’t much need to purchase additional highlighters. So, I’m testing that theory in 2024. I only brought my top seven highlighters to Germany (and repurchased one additional former favorite in a different shade) in order to see if I will miss having endless options or if I can truly be happy with a smaller collection. I suspect that the only reason I had as many as I did was for the pretty packaging, embossings and debossings, and/or them being limited edition. Unlike other categories of makeup that I tried to do a mini declutter and took photos of everything, I only have a picture of my main highlighter drawer from 2021 as seen below. It really doesn’t look too different from what the 2023 version would look like because I slowed down on the highlighter purchases upon realizing things got out of hand, and I was only reaching for the same few ones while still barely making dents in them.

The first five highlighters I’ll be showing here can’t be ranked. It’s impossible for me to choose which one goes above the others because I love them equally for different reasons.
The honorable mentions are products I loved, but left behind due to luggage weight limits on my flight.

I still enjoy my MAC highlighters, Becca Cosmetics highlighters, and more. However, I had to take into account the age of some of my older powders and how they aren’t fair to be compared to fresher formulas. So, this is my list of the best highlighters I own!

DISCLOSURE: All products in this post were purchased by me with my own money. I am not affiliated with any of these brands and all the links in this specific review are regular non-affiliated ones.

Tom Ford Shade Illuminate Highlighting Duo

As long as they aren’t sparkly and they’re a suitable skin tone match for me, baked gelee highlighters tend to be my favorites because of the wet effect they have on the skin. This is one of my top favorites of that type because of how smooth it looks and its versatility in impact. I’m able to make my highlighter application give light intensity to semi-high intensity with very small refined radiant particles. I reviewed several highlighters from Tom Ford and loved Tanlight specifically so much that I don’t feel the need to purchase anymore from the brand. The ability to tailor my color between the two shades is a great bonus.

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi Glow Highlighter

It’s strange to call something so wonderful a “standard” formula, so perhaps “traditional” is a better way to describe how the highlighter looks on the skin. It’s basically what I picture as the quintessential shimmery powder highlighter. The third stripe is my perfect shade for a toned down highlight, but if I want to amp it up, I add a little of the first stripe. This produces a low emphasis on texture, excluding the second stripe that has larger size shimmer particles in it. The way it looks and performs fits the criteria of everything I want in a powder highlighter, so in my eyes it’s pretty much perfect. The only aspects keeping it down is the second stripe’s difference in shimmer particle size and difficulty picking up product from the highlighters on the left and right sides of the pan. The full review with more photos and details can be found HERE.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter (form I kept was the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Blush & Glow Glide Palette in Tan-Deep)

The photo above shows the newest version of the highlighter that I decided to bring with me. In my review, the highlighter in the duo was pretty much identical to my Glow Glide shade in Sunset Glow. I decided to bring this one instead of the full-size I had been using, pictured below (in the compact I switched it to from its original packaging), because it’s smaller and has the bonus of having a blush with it as well. I could carry two products for the same size as one.

I mentioned in the Glow Glide review, in the same post as Dream Light, that this formula is officially my favorite of all of the brand’s highlighters. It gives the wet look I love and applies smooth like liquid because of its hybrid formula. It even feels a little damp, but it’s still a powder. It can emphasize texture if it’s too far from matching one’s skin tone, as I discovered when trying different shades in the line.
There’s something about the way it reflects in the light that I love. As for the duo, I’m calling the highlighter in there the Glow Glide formula, but it hasn’t been officially stated by the brand from what I can see, so I’ll link my original review for the duo specifically HERE too. So, in my eyes, the overall Glow Glide formula and not the duo specifically, is what I consider one of the best highlighter formulas out there.

r.e.m. beauty Interstellar Highlighter Topper

I bought Miss Saturn first, thinking Miss Mars was too dark for me based on official website photos. I can sometimes pull off dark champagne shades of highlighters, so I liked this highlighter enough to be willing to try and see if I could get a better color match. It turns out that Miss Mars is much lighter on the skin than it looks within the compact. So, it’s actually a perfect shade match for me! Because of this, I completely stopped using Miss Saturn and use Miss Mars exclusively.

I have zero interest in the r.e.m. brand because their products’ packaging just doesn’t appeal to me, which is probably why I hadn’t reviewed this product until now, despite it being considered one of my top three highlighters at one point in my collection, and owning it for over a year! It’s now in my top five though, with me still being unable to label it at a specific rank among the five.

I gave Miss Mars the nickname, “The Highlighter Fixer,” because of its semi-sheer base. This is the perfect “topper” to fill gaps from highlighters with shimmer particles that are too spread out without increasing the intensity by adding it on top. The scatter effect is one I don’t mind on the eyes, but despise on my cheeks, so this product has been fantastic for me to get use out of some of the other highlighters in my collection that would otherwise have been tossed out, but I wanted to keep at least for the packaging.
It also helps to lighten the look of some of the darker highlighters if I apply it on top too, or slightly deepen ones that are too light. Technically, most highlighters can do that, but this one does it without altering the intensity level.

When used alone, this highlighter’s radiance is subtle, giving a glow from within from its micro size shimmer particles. I like the fact that it’s not very reflective because I don’t have to worry about it looking harsh in certain lighting situations.


The texture is a little drier than the others and doesn’t stick quite as well to the skin if the base products underneath aren’t dewy to help it along, but the difference is it lasting eight hours versus twelve or more. It’s still long enough lasting for my needs.
There are some uncommon colors in the range, so I cannot speak for all of them in being useful or pretty. My recommendation is for the more traditional skin tone colors from the brand.

Pat McGrath Skin Fetish: Ultra Glow Highlighter (Divine Rose)

Everything I raved about regarding the Tom Ford highlighter applies to this, but there’s more shimmer particles in this one. This shade isn’t perfect for me because it’s golden-pink. It’s very pretty, but not 100% flattering on my warm undertone because of the pink pearly element, but it looks a little more natural if I pair it with a neutral or slightly cool-toned blush. If I’m a few shades darker, as can happen during summer, this is at times too light. Currently, it works.

I’ve referenced this highlighter many times, but I don’t believe I ever officially reviewed it, so I’ll include a photo below of it on the top of my cheekbones, inner corner of my eyes, and under the brow arch. When the apartment is nearly finished being worked on, I’ll try to create a better lighting setup.

The Ultra Glow formula is my absolute favorite from Pat Mcgrath, and I’ve been waiting…impatiently…for the brand to release another shade in this formula that’s sparkle-free (unlike the Bridgerton ones), but it hasn’t happened yet.

The way people rave about the Anastasia Beverly Hills x Amrezy highlighter as if it’s the best ever made is the way I feel about this highlighter, but I wish it was in my perfect shade. I still tend to use it quite often regardless. And in terms of baked gelee formulas, this one and the Tom Ford are my top favorites within that category.

Chantecaille Sunbeam Cheek and Eye Shade

This is another gel powder formula, but it’s a little more on the shimmery side than the others and with slightly larger particles of shimmer, but it’s still smooth looking on the face and a buildable formula. The shade is the deepest that I use and doesn’t work as well during certain times of the year, but in those times I have to be more careful about the placement on the face and I make sure to apply lightly. The original review is HERE.

Gxve Beauty Check My Glow Multi-dimensional Illuminating Talc-Free Highlighter

This is one of the two newest highlighters added to my collection and most recently reviewed. This formula reminds me the most of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors, but less powdery and slightly more reflective. I love that I can tailor the shade depending on which colors I mix, and I have an easier time accessing each block than the Multi Glow from Charlotte Tilbury. This is yet another smooth looking and reflective highlighter that starts at medium intensity unless a very airy/wispy brush is used. Because it’s so new, I’m cautious about ranking it, but this has the potential to become one of my most loved.

Honorable Mentions:

Hatice Schmidt Labs Highlighter and Nabla Skin Glazing Luminous Pressed Powder

I listed both products in this category because they’re so incredibly similar, but I didn’t bring mine from Nabla because their best shades for me are too light or too dark. I didn’t bring the one from Hatice Schmidt Labs because I planned to get the darkest shade while in Germany. Both of these I reviewed and discussed previously. For some reason, the brand has Medium and skipped Tan to go straight to Deep. Deep turned out to be not much darker than Medium (which probably explains the lack of need for Tan). The base color is medium-deep, but it’s not opaque, so the pearly colored shimmer/pigment lightens the color overall. The way it looks on the skin reminds me of Chantecaille’s highlighter, but much more reflective and intense in direct light. But because of that sheerer base, it can be subtle if using the right tools. It also tends to look subtle in many lighting situations in Germany because it’s so dark here! I’m used to the Florida brightness and sunshine. The Deep highlighter shade doesn’t pop on me unless light hits my cheek perfectly. This can be a benefit or downside depending on someone’s preferences.

Melt Cosmetics Digital Dust Highlighter

It might specifically be the Genesis shade from Melt in this formula that I love because I bought Nova just before this trip and it was just “nice,” but not special upon first impression. Plus, I rarely reached for the Digital Dust Duos again either several months after I reviewed them since they weren’t the perfect shades for me. It’s a little less refined than the other highlighters I’ve discussed already, but still pretty smooth. It has a great wet effect. It’s very reflective in the light and Genesis is an even more flattering tone than PML’s Divine Rose because it leans even more gold than pink on me. I left it behind because there are just so many others already that are like this and I wanted a small amount in my first wave of products I brought over. However, it’s definitely coming in the second wave.

Guerlain Meteorites Light Revealing Pearls Of Powder

The original one I purchased (having removed the stars) gave the ultimate subtle glow. I’ve been looking for a good replacement since 2015 or 2016. In that length of time, I’ve purchased three others in the hopes I could replicate the experience. The first was the pressed trio, but the issues were the shades and pearliness (pearls on my skin tone tend to have an ashy effect), another set of meteorites I don’t believe I ever reviewed (and later sold) that had red-bronze balls too deep and too red toned to suit me, and most recently a gold powder-gel one that is a bit light for me and just looks alright on the skin.

I stopped using my original meteorites after five years because of fear of using makeup so old, but I’m tempted to bring it over anyway and start using it again and give up trying to find a replacement. Then again, it might even be too subtle for my tastes nowadays.
Just before I left, I tried out Melt’s new glaze powder which had a similar effect based on my first impression. It’s possible that one is the best replacement I’ll be able to get, even if it’s not from Guerlain themselves.

This is quite random, but speaking of Guerlain, I skipped getting anything from their Glittery Tiger themed holiday launch (the palette specifically). However, I bought a sweater for the season that reminded me of a mashup of those ideas and made me feel like I wasn’t missing out in some strange way. Plus, thanks to Black Friday sales, it cost the same as a single lipstick case!

Colourpop Super Shock Highlighters

One of the best features of the Super Shocks is the ability to get a cream-like wet looking effect on the face without it actually being dewy on the skin. Some of the Super Shocks can be more glittery than shimmery. My preference are the ones with the smallest of shimmer particles. I loved Parasol at first, but my tastes started changing and I wanted something a little deeper. Others I attempted to purchase since then were not the perfect shades. The best one came from the Avatar collaboration collection. I considered bringing that one specifically, but the formula requires a dense brush and works best with synthetic bristles. I’m still on my fude kick, so it will come later. This gives me a chance to use my top eight for most of 2024 before I reintroduce the honorable mentions to my updated collection.

That’s everything for today’s post! I hope it has been helpful. Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤

Luxury Makeup Reviews

Posted on by

I’m a little surprised by how many luxury products have tempted me this year. Then again, brands have been expanding their ranges, so I have products available to me now that I didn’t before.

Today’s post will be centered around some of the most exciting luxury makeup items that are newly part of my collection.

Dior Rosy Glow Blush in 012 Rosewood and 020 Mahogany

Dior reformulated their Backstage blushes, if they can even still be considered part of the “Backstage” line, since they removed that part of the official product name. I’ve seen photos on Instagram showing that the older formulation of Pink and Coral are darker than the new ones. I didn’t realize the old Coral could possibly work for me until it was already removed from every website. I even clicked lists I found online that supposedly had the older ones, but the links redirected to either the main page or to the new ones instead. So, the only way I could get the original coral was via third party sources. Since it’s not from an authorized retailer, there’s no way to know if it’s authentic, but I suspect it is compared to photos I’ve seen on Temptalia’s blog, for example. However, I’m only showing swatches and what it looks like demonstrated on my cheeks instead of factoring it into my official review. Today’s focus is on Rosewood and Mahogany that I purchased from Sephora and Selfridges respectively.

Rosewood is not only my favorite shade of the 4 additions to the range, it’s one of my favorite colors in my whole collection. I love how it looks on me! It’s not glowy due to shimmer. It just has a healthy sheen to it. It’s long lasting on my cheeks. In fact, I have to scrub vigorously at the end of the night because it nearly stains my skin. This might also be due to how much I have to use because Rosewood is such a subtle shade on me. I have to build it up a lot, but because it’s so blendable, it doesn’t take long to do it. My preference is using a goat hair brush with it because the powder is firmly pressed and that hair type picks it up easier.

I watched a fair amount of videos on these blushes, and a few people said these were patchy. However, the only one I’ve visibly seen on camera look patchy on others is the same one I have the issue with: Mahogany. There’s a separation between the Red 27 dye and the deeply rich brown color. My squirrel hair brushes can’t pick up the blush well enough, nor my silver fox, but I can use my squirrel/goat mix ones with this. However, even when I do try to patiently use a squirrel brush and blend as sheer of a layer as possible while attempting to build it up, I will eventually start to get more brown than reddish-pink. The random build up of brown in places does not look good on my cheeks. The photos I selected below are the best looking ones of Mahogany on my skin. It’s a balance of showing it as sheer as possible for the color to still get captured by my camera.

There are some videos on YouTube showing how Mahogany looks applied as a normal blush, for example this one by Beauty and the Frizz, or this one by Julie P. And an example of using it with some foundation patted over the top is by The Hooded Lid.

I’ve applied this over a powder-set base, an unset base, tried brushes with different hair types and synthetic fibers, and various brush shapes, but none of the changes made a difference. It still looks patchy on me and the tone of brown just doesn’t look flattering on my cheeks, potentially due to my undertone.
The way that I can continue to use this, and really like it, is as a sculpting blush. I apply it to areas I would normally bronze, making sure to apply it lightly, before adding Rosewood to the main cheek area. I’ve really enjoyed this combination!

My love of Rosewood makes me even more tempted to try Cherry and Berry. I feel certain Berry would perform on me the way Mahogany does, plus I’m super picky about berry blushes. Cherry is gorgeous, but it reminds me of a brighter version of Rosewood from what I’ve seen on other people, and I have several vibrant shades like it in my collection such as Pat Mcgrath’s Electric Bloom, Colourpop x Hello Kitty Aloha Honey, Nars Exhibit A, MAC’s Loudspeaker or Frankly Scarlet, Patrick Ta’s She’s Vibrant, etc. Most of these I barely use, so it doesn’t make sense to buy it, even if I think the color is a beautiful one.

Based on my experience, I recommend them. However, it comes with the warning that there may be a press or formulation issue based on the inconsistencies being reported about patchiness regardless of the shade, and only for some people but not others.

Gucci Luminous Matte Blush De Beauté in 09 Intense Plum

I’ve had mixed feelings about these blushes for a while now, as I mentioned in my review of the Armani Luminous Silk Glow Blushes and my comparison of those to these. So many people rave about them, but I feel no joy when I put them on. The closest I get to liking the color is with Warm Berry, but that shade is exceptionally pigmented. I have to be really light-handed or it looks overdone fast. Intense Plum also has a lot of pigment, but I take a small amount and really work it into my cheeks to make it look a little more natural. I still prefer the tone of Warm Berry, but the depth of the shade makes it harder to look as sheer as Intense Plum can.

I went back and forth deciding if Bright Coral would show up on me and whether it was worth the risk to buy. It’s very faint, and more visible in person, but I’m never satisfied using it alone unless I mix it with one or both of the other shades. In fact, I tend to apply this on top of the others to help tone them down. I’ll need to do a declutter eventually, and I haven’t decided if I’ll be keeping this one or potentially even removing two of them from my collection.

The formula is silky to the touch and goes on the skin smoothly with a soft satin sheen. It’s super quick to blend onto the cheeks if you like a bold look, but because of the pigmentation level of the deeper shades in the range, I have to be careful how much product I pick up and I do need to blend it out a bit. So, to get it as sheer looking on my cheeks as I want, it takes a little longer in my specific case. But the formula itself is quite blendable and long lasting on the skin. For some reason though, I’m just not as impressed with the end result on my cheeks as I feel I should be considering the price. I’m far more interested in keeping that beautiful packaging, which looks much cuter in person than the online photos. I take back every bad thing I’ve said about it being a clip art star pattern. It’s more luxurious than I expected.

Guerlain Terracotta Luminizer Highlighter Powder in 01 Gold

Considering this comes in only two shades and this is labeled 01, I was a little concerned that it wouldn’t work for me, but it does! This contains, “Gemtone: Adapts to skin’s true tone for a natural finish,” according to the description on Sephora’s website. I have no idea how I could prove or disprove that claim, but I thought I’d mention it for those who aren’t anywhere near my skintone and might worry if this will be too dark or too light.
This highlighter is very subtle and only really pops when applied on a dewier surface. This should be my type of highlighter, and I really expected this to be holy grail status, but I’m just not impressed enough considering the price. I hoped this would be my replacement for the 2015 Guerlain Meteorites I was obsessed with and used periodically for 6+ years until I decided it’s too old and put it in semi-retirement. However, the finish of it being less glowy than my Charlotte Tilbury highlighters while not being any more refined in terms of sparkle or particle size either, led me to not be as excited when I use it. I feel this way especially since it is on the lighter side for me and not a perfect undertone match. It’s good, but not fantastic. Even if this did come in the perfect color for me, there’s no guarantee it would raise my opinion of the formula considering PML’s Divine Rose highlighter is not a perfect match either, but I love how that one looks on me!

The packaging is pretty, but I’m not as excited by it as I expected either. When it comes to luxury makeup, the makeup at its best quality is usually still comparable to products from other brands, but the packaging helps make it worth that higher price. Because I think it’s nice but not amazing on the makeup and packaging fronts, this wasn’t worth buying. It’s strange to say I’m the most disappointed by this product out of the bunch in this review, but it’s because I had the highest of expectations for it only to be let down that it’s not at least as pretty on me as my old meteorites. My one tangible complaint that’s less about preferences is that as subtle as it looks in the beginning, the shine dulls down as the day progresses. So, I try to over-apply hoping it’ll last longer.

I honestly would have returned this if my time limit hadn’t run out. I ordered it during the VIB sale while away overseas and by the time I could actually see it in person, it took too long for me to make up my mind about it. I can at least take comfort in having gotten it on sale. I still think it’s a good product, but for the right person.

Chantecaille Sunbeam Cheek & Eye Shade in Ray

As it currently stands, this is the only product from Chantecaille that I love. The second best is the Blur Powder, which I like, but none of the rest of the Chantecaille products I’ve owned worked out.
I was thrilled that the brand released such a deep highlighter, though they tried very hard to emphasize and market this as an eyeshadow. It looks a lot deeper on others, but when I use this on my eyes, I put it in the typical highlighter spots and not usually all over the lid, the way I have it in the photo below.

Besides the eyes, I’ve also seen those with light skin tones find use for this as a shimmery blush or even as a bronzer.

The shimmer size is small and it’s a gel-powder formula, which I tend to love. Ray is another subtle highlighter that looks more intense on dewy skin. At certain times of the year, this can be a bit dark for me because of that base color, especially if I build it up. However, I’m perfectly happy with how it looks when I use a small amount and buff it in a bit because I also have to watch out for the shimmer particles that are on the lighter side for me. That’s why the combination of both kind of balances out (the deep base with the light shimmer).

It’s a bit ironic that the Guerlain highlighter looks better on me in photos than the Chantecaille highlighter photos, but I promise it’s another story in person.

In the swatch photo, I included the golden stripe from Charlotte Tilbury’s Dream Light Pillow Talk Multi Glow Highlighter (3rd out of the 4 shades), because that’s an example of my perfect “natural” highlighting color in depth and tone. Guerlain’s is gold, whereas Charlotte’s is golden, and Chantecaille’s is reddish bronze with a yellow-champagne shimmer. The shade Ray, when sheered out, looks closer to Charlotte’s than Guerlain’s does, which is why I think the color suits me better than Guerlain’s.

Also, please don’t ask why I continue to buy highlighters if I already have a fantastic formula and my perfect shade via Charlotte Tilbury.

The packaging doesn’t exude luxury, but it’s fun! I love the bright neon green. I love that I can spot it immediately in my collection. I like the unique imprint on the powder (although it reminds me a bit of something not-so-pretty) and the small compact size is great. I had points on my account at SpaceNK, plus there was a sale, so I bought this for significantly less than the retail price. Considering all this, plus the color and performance, I’m way happier with this than the Guerlain highlighter. I have to admit though, that the full price would never have been worth it to me. Unless the packaging is plated with gold, $50 is my limit for highlighters.

Tom Ford Highlighter Collection: Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo in Tanlight, Soleil Sheer Highlighting Duo in Reflects Gilt, and Skin Illuminating Powder Duo in Flicker

I purchased Tanlight from Nordstrom when it came out, Reflects Gilt from Beautylish during a sale, and Flicker from Mercari because it had already been discontinued. I saw a video where someone compared the Flicker shades to Tanlight and I didn’t even know it existed prior to that. Unfortunately, Flicker fell out off the plastic mesh/grid, so I smushed the pieces back in. Then it fell back out again and I glued them in. I don’t officially consider it part of this review and only included it for color comparison purposes in case anyone was wondering whether to get Tanlight if they already have Flicker. The top highlighters in both compacts are extremely similar, but Flicker has a stronger yellow tone. I think I like it by itself more than Tanlight’s lighter shade by itself, but the color of both highlighters in the Tanlight compact mixed together creates my perfect highlighter color. The advantage to the Flicker compact is that I could technically use the deeper shade as a glowy bronzer, but it’s so deep and sculpting that I have to be careful not to overdo it when I try to use it that way. Flicker is also so deep that mixing both together forms a color too dark to highlight with.

I’ve noticed no difference in the formula between either of the three products. They’re all very smooth on the skin, all impactful and reflective, all long lasting, and all gel-powder formulas. The new Shade and Illuminate duo compacts have the “TF” initials on the lid, but that’s about the only difference I’ve noticed in the packaging as well.

I don’t know if it’s just because the sparkles are easier to see with the lighter highlighters in the duos, but I could swear the lighter ones all have more shimmer in them than the darker ones.

As I mentioned before, Tanlight mixed is the best for me, followed by Flicker’s top shade, Tanlight’s bottom shade, Tanlight’s top shade, and Reflects Gilt’s bottom shade.
Reflects Gilt is a bit too light for my preference, with the exception of the darker one which I’ve started to use exclusively when I open that compact.

The retail prices of these duos are the same as the individual highlighters from Chantecaille. This would normally never be worth full price (I did get Tanlight at a minor discount), but it’s technically two products in one. This complicates things. Unlike a blush that someone can wear in a multitude of shades and have them all look beautiful, there is only a small range of colors that I feel I can pull off when it comes to highlighters. However, it’s because Tanlight produces perfection and I can tailor how much I use of either one in the event that my face gets lighter or darker throughout the year, that’s what makes this worth it for me. As for Flicker and Reflects Gilt and only really wanting one shade within each duo, the deep discounts that I got them for makes me not have any regrets buying them, although I’m not sure if I’ll keep Reflects Gilt in my collection forever. I don’t really have a purpose for keeping it when Tanlight is just a better fit for me overall. The packaging is quite pretty though, so I almost want to keep it just for that.

Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring 24H Hydrating Radiant Correcting Creamy Concealer in N390 and W420

This is a medium/buildable coverage concealer, instead of the complete full coverage ones that I normally stick to. What drew me to it was the hydrated look and the natural finish that wasn’t too radiant for my preference and wasn’t too creamy. Creamy concealers tend to crease on me beyond what I find an acceptable amount. This grips to my skin quite well and although it’s not as long lasting as my Tarte Shape Tape or KVD Good Apple, if I pair it with the right powder and use the right amount, it can get me through a short day’s wear with me feeling satisfied with how it looks at the end. If a concealer lasts 8 or more hours on me without being significantly faded or flat out gone, it’s a winner in my books.

Because it’s not full-coverage, I can’t wear my actual skintone shade over my dark circles because it shows underneath as a deep grey tinge. So, I have to utilize the under-painting technique in using a shade that’s deep enough to keep my dark circles and areas of skin discoloration from appearing grey when I apply the concealer. Then, to get it to match the rest of my face, I use my regular concealer color around the perimeter and blend them together. Because the combination isn’t a perfect undertone match, it still looks slightly off if I’m trying to have a minimal makeup day and skip foundation, but it looks perfectly natural on days I put foundation on. There are way more neutral shades in this line than warm tones, but I was determined to find a way to make it work for me.

Also, I’ve tried mixing this concealer with my other full coverage ones and the formulas just don’t mesh well. It fades faster or creases in a more obvious way. One time I tried using the Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector with it, and that combo works well if Becca is kept away from the lines under my eyes. Lately, I’ve been enjoying using it over top of the Milk Hydro Grip Eye Primer (that I use for concealer and not eyeshadows), because it helps it last a little longer even if I don’t use the Givenchy powder with it.

Initially, one of the bigger issues I had was figuring out the right amount of product to use. This was resolved once I bought that second shade and didn’t have to try and pack on a ton of product to get the coverage I needed. The second issue was that I could not wear this concealer without setting it, and once I set it, I lost all the hydration and radiance it provided. The end result to the look of my under eyes was no different than Tarte’s Shape Tape, but with lower coverage. So, I experimented with different powders and ultimately decided I should use this concealer with the brand’s own powder. Doing this gives it a natural-matte appearance, but at least it doesn’t look as dry as other powders. I’m a lot more pleased with this combination.

As much as I like this concealer, and have gotten used to the idea of needing two shades for most of my favorites anyway, the price and the coverage is why I think I will stick to repurchasing my Tarte and KVD concealers after the Givenchy ones are finished. I can snag my holy grails for 30-50% off at certain times of the year, but with Givenchy, I can get 20% off at the most. Needing to use a special powder with this adds to the full cost of having this concealer, so it’s a good product that is just too expensive for me to continue with. I will enjoy it in the meantime while I’ve got it.

Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Setting and Finishing Powder (Mini) in 5 Popeline Mimosa

As these swatches reveal, shade 5 turned out to be lighter than I anticipated. Givenchy has one version that’s darker, but I didn’t want the dark pink color in there and 6 Flanelle Epicée didn’t come in a mini size. Since the website model that matches me the closest was wearing Popeline Mimosa, I thought it would be a slam dunk, but perhaps 6 would be better for me to be able to use all four colors mixed. Trying all four together with this powder makes my under eyes look too stark white. In any case, I have been making do by putting tape over the holes for the lightest two and partially over most of the orange so that I can have only a slight brightening effect for my under eyes. I use this powder exclusively for the concealer areas since I don’t need to set my whole face, considering my dry skin. For the sake of science, I tried my combination of 1 part brown powder and 1/3 part orange powder all over my face. It seems to have a small blurring effect. I thought I noticed that under my eyes, but it was nice to test it on a larger area and confirm it. The brown powder is also supposed to be the radiant one, so perhaps that’s why it is mattifying, but not dry looking. By “radiant” I assume they mean a tiny colorless sheen because I don’t see any shimmer whatsoever, though it does contain Synthetic Fluorphlogopite (synthetic mica).

Since I’m only using this powder for a small area, and I have others I use with other concealers, the mini is going to last me quite a while.

I never use the puffs that come with my products, but I tried this one out. Part of the problem is that the powder comes out in clumps and when I press the puff into the powder (which I pour into the cap) and try to tap around to mix it, the colors don’t mix evenly. I can see all the spots where the lighter powders touched my face. So, I just prefer to use a brush instead. I pat, swish, and mix them in the cap with the brush before using it. Even just using the brown and orange requires proper blending of the powder together on the brush. A bit of product gets wasted this way since so much comes out from all those holes, plus mixing them up in a way that partly disperses some in the air. At least it takes a bit of time for the average person to go through a powder anyway. I still haven’t used up a single one, even in mini sizes.
I think that’s why I don’t really understand the appeal to having all these colored powders in one container. I don’t know why there isn’t a mechanism for opening and closing each of the sieves without me needing to put tape over them myself, unless this is something only in the full size jars? I don’t know why someone would need two color correcting options (Popeline Mimosa seems more like three). Shade 5 is listed as suiting those with “medium to deep skintones,” so when I use up all of the brown color, I’ll either try to give this to someone with a medium (or perhaps tan) skin tone who can use those lighter shades, or put it on Mercari. I don’t believe I’d repurchase this unless they decide to sell the brown color individually because I do like the finish of the powder and the blurring properties. However, loose powders are already a nuisance without factoring in being able to use 1/4 of the product in this container. I only really need this until I finish using the Givenchy concealers.

We’ve reached the end of this review!

Thank you for reading! I hope this has been helpful!

-Lili ❤