These Highlight Sticks Will Make Your Skin Glow

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A few short years ago, the Instagram makeup look was largely composed of bold brows drawn on using the Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade, shimmery pink and brown eye looks from their Modern Renaissance palette, and bold, bright highlighter (via Fashionista).

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While most people have traded in dark brows for a softer soap brow look since then, highlighter remains an integral part of many makeup looks. While it's by no means a contemporary product, highlighter was originally lauded for its ability to create a glow from within that is seen easily on camera. As it was historically used for creating a glow in Hollywood films during the 20th century, it makes sense that it came back into style during the Instagram age (via Refinery 29).

Now, rather than using glittery powder highlighters, makeup users typically opt for something with a softer glow, typically a liquid highlighter. The switch is in line with the love for natural makeup, now marketed as clean girl beauty. However, stick highlighters can offer radiance without the messy application of a liquid product.

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Read ahead to see the best highlighter sticks on the market.

The best drugstore highlighter sticks

The e.l.f. Cosmetics Daily Dew Stick offers a natural glow without being excessively glittery. The product comes in four shades, two for fair to light skin tones, one for medium to dark, and a universal shade. The highlighter stick also has moisturizing ingredients, such as shea and cocoa butter and castor oil.

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The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Illuminator Stick is formulated with hyaluronic acid and is oil-free, making the skin radiant without looking greasy. The highlighter comes in two shades, rose gold and sandstone, and applies easily to the skin. It has a creamy texture and reviewers praise it for the healthy glow it gives their skin.

The Maybelline Facestudio Master Strobing Stick uses micro-fine pearls rather than glitter to create a lit-from-within look. The highlighter comes in a creamy, smooth formula, blending out easily on the skin. It comes in two hydrating shades and is suitable for sensitive skin.

The best designer and niche highlighter sticks

Glossier's Haloscope has been heralded as giving the perfect natural glow to the face. The "halo" in the name comes from the outer part of the highlighter, which is formulated with crystal extracts. The inner core is oil-based and has moisturizers that contain vitamins, giving a hydrating and dewy finish. Haloscope comes in three shades and provides a subtle, sun-kissed glow.

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Ever since Fenty Beauty came on the market, it's been wowing the makeup industry with its extensive shade range and great formulas. Its Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick comes in a whopping eight shades, great for a variety of skin tones. The highlighter is lightweight and buildable, coming in a cream-to-powder formula, with a slightly shimmery finish for an inner glow.

The Merit Day Glow Highlighting Balm delivers an all-natural gleam without glitter. The creamy, balm formula provides the skin with a dewy finish. The highlighter comes in three shades and is formulated with squalane, olive oil, and vitamin E, locking in moisture and illuminating the skin. The vegan highlighter is buildable and easy to blend.

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