Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators, my review

2015 really was the year of the highlighter for me. So many of them caught my eye last year, including the Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators.

I didn’t just discover highlighters last year, they were already part of my face makeup routine before then but weren’t a daily item. However, as this is a big makeup trend right now and I’m such a sheep for this kind of stuff, it was so hard to resist all the beauties released in 2015 (well, I didn’t really tried, to be honest :P)

If I had to give an award for the most beautiful form of pressed highlighter powder, it would probably be for these Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators! They are absolutely gorgeous, some real gems. And I just couldn’t resist them. (I’m not sure it’s really the best reason to buy a product, but when something is that pretty, it’s necessarily useful, right? I think you can call it eye candy!)

I also heard of these Illuminators on absolutely every makeup YouTube channels I follow. They were basically everywhere. The brand has obviously done a great job massively sending them to every YouTuber/ beauty blogger possible.

I know the great quality of Anastasia Beverly Hills products (I am an absolute fan of their eyebrows products and their eyeshadows), so when I came accross the brand in my local Sephora in Mall Of The Emirates, it was a no-brainer decision. I had to have them!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators, presentation:

What the brands says about them:

Like a filter for your complexion, this brush-on highlighter contains a mosaic of brightening powders that impart a lit-from-within glow. The mirrored compact makes on-the-go touchups easy and fail-safe.

Yeah, the fact that they speak about touchups should have been a red flag for me…

The Illuminators are highlighters. This product is used to bring radiance to the complexion and catch the light on some certains areas of the face in order to give youth and glow to the skin.

I love to apply this type of product on the top of my cheekbones, in the inner corner of my eyes and also on my cupid bow (my upper lip). You can also apply a little bit on the center of the face ( forehead, along the bridge of the nose and the center of the chin) but with my oily skin that shines a lot naturally, it’s not the best idea! wink ).

The Illuminators are available in 4 shades:
– Starlight, a white golden colour for fair skin tones,
– So Hollywood,  a true gold for light to medium complexions,
– Peach Nectar, a golden apricot for medium to darker skin tones,
– Riviera, a rose gold for dark skin tones.

So, I chose the 2 shades that match my skin tone: Starlight and So Hollywood.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators, my test and thoughts:

– Packaging: it’s a compact with mirror, super pretty and also practical. The shape of the pressed powder is very “art deco” inspired (think The Great Gatsby) and absolutely stunning, it’s almost too good to use! Thankfully, the shape doesn’t fade too quickly, you can enjoy it for a fair amount of time.

– Texture and Finish: the texture of the powder is quite ‘stiff’, if I can say so, so not as creamy as some other highlighters like the Becca ones for example… As a consequence, they’re not the easiest to blend. Their metallic finish is super pretty though, very bright but without any glitter.

– Color Range: pretty well done, because every skin color can find a match. I chose the two lighter colors, Starlight (white gold) and So Hollywood (gold) but the other two can also work for me, probably more as blushes or blush toppers, why not?

– Application: I use the makeup brush of the Anastasia brand: the A23, to apply them, which is perfect for this use (duh ;) ). But any precise and not too dense makeup brush can do the trick. Even a fan brush if you want a lighter application. As I said earlier, I don’t find the texture as blendable as the other highlighters I own. I feel that if I blend the product, I lose a lot of intensity and I had to reapply a lot of product to achieve the result that I want…

– Pigmentation: the two shades have good pigmentation. Starlight is very intense and is very visible on my skin, probably because it is lighter. So Hollywood blends more in my skin tone. So usually, I use Starlight for my night makeup looks or for the days I want this ‘full glam’ dramatic effect. So Hollywood is more natural, even if it is super luminous (I think my definition of  a “natural” makeup may have evolved a little since I live in Dubai ah aha ha wink ).

– Lasting Power: and here is the big flaw. I found that the lasting power of these 2 products is very disappointing. If I apply them in a normal amount, they completely disappear after 2 or 3 hours. If I apply more on my skin, they last a bit more (4-5 hours) but the effect is not as pretty on the skin (it adds some texture on the skin and it emphasizes my irregular skin). Compared to the other highlighters I own and that I can apply in normal quantity, the lasting power difference is quite obvious… And for me, with regards to highlighters in general (the same thing goes for blushes), well I want them to last all day, I shouldn’t have to do some touch-ups after just a few hours. uneasy

– Value For Money: it’s a good price ($28), especially when you compare to other high-end highlighters (Becca, Laura Mercier etc, they’re usually around $40). But clearly, paying for something which doesn’t last on the skin is always too much…

– Availability: the Illuminators are available online, on Anastasia Beverly Hills website (which delivers worldwide) or on other websites like Cult Beauty. And if you live in Dubai, you can also find them in your local Sephora!

Finally, here are the swatches:

And on me:

In summary:

[wprs-pros][wprs-cons]

I am quite disappointed with this product because even it’s a very desirable object (it’s sooooo pretty!), but it’s not really useful if the quality doesn’t follow…

The Illuminators are available online, on Anastasia Beverly Hills website (which delivers worldwide) for $28.

And you, did you buy one (or more) of these Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators ? What are your thoughts?

Photo credit: bonnie-garner.com