My latest makeup purchase is the Bodyshop’s Radiant Highlighter.

Now i’ve got a real thing about dewy complexions, mainly because I don’t feel that I have one and therefore am mildly obsessed with achieving that youthful radiant glow that all models, actresses, celebrities and other polished individuals seem to have.

I already own Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick in Bronze, which I sometimes break out and use along the tops of my cheeks in the evenings. But in daylight it can be a bit much, although i’m very tempted by their “Beige” as it apparently creates a soft ‘candlelight glow’ on the face (sigh). Sorry, I digress slightly.

But what i’ve been lacking is a cooler toned liquid version that would work well with my liquid foundation and cream blusher and would inject a natural radiance into my everyday makeup look.

After watching a video about highlighting by celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, I was intrigued to see that the Bodyshop product was one she recommended for fairer complexions. So I decided I had to have it (Because I take everything that woman says as gospel).

This is what The Bodyshop say about their Radiant Highlighter:

A fabulously blendable make-up enhancer that brightens the appearance of the skin to provide a healthy-looking radiant complexion that feels silky smooth to the touch.

After searching in all the shops to no avail, I was forced to purchase it online and eagerly awaited it’s arrival. Two weeks later (grr), it arrived and it looked very perdy indeed!

This morning whilst I was getting ready, I decided it was time to try this out with my everyday makeup.

I dispensed a teeny amount onto my hand and at first was rather alarmed by the ‘sparkly’ look of the pink toned liquid. But once I dabbed (not rubbed) it in, it gave off a very pleasant and subtle ‘sheen’.

Now, it seems that the more expensive highlighters of the world boast fine particles that are made up of a subtle combination of colours to work with natural skin (which is also made up of reds, blues, greens etc). The cheaper highlighters of this world seem to contain larger particles of just one or two colours and therefore often look ‘sparkly’ – not great on anyone over the age of 9!

So, after looking really closely at the Bodyshop’s version in the light, I was surprised to see that despite an overall tone of silvery pink, there were particles of quite a few different colours present, which is why I think it creates such a successful ‘sheen’ effect on the skin – a welcome surprise for a brand I would not consider high-end.

Convinced I was not going to look like Tinkerbell, I tackled my face. I decided not to mix it with my foundation as some reviewers have done (i’m just not that brave yet) and instead just applied it to the tops of my cheek bones, the bridge of my nose, dotted along my cupids bow, dabbing the remains on the centre of my forehead and chin.

My ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos taken in natural daylight didn’t really show off the ‘glow’ very well, but you may just be able to see the difference (mainly on my cheek):

I decided to take some further shots away from the window, standing by the bedroom ceiling light to see if the highlighter was more visible:

You can see it is much more obvious here and gives off a pretty sheen that would look fantastic in the evening light of parties and dinner dates.

So, this is quite a subtle product and in one way, this is what I had hoped for – that it would ‘catch the light’ rather than leave an all over sparkly fairy dust effect.

The colour, which I’ve already mentioned, really would suit all fair skin tones and although i’m not super fair myself at the moment, I think it looks natural on me.

I’m happy that I can wear it during the day without it looking ‘too much’ and that it required such a tiny amount of product to achieve this effect. At £12 for 25ml, it’s not cheap, so I’m hopeful it will not need replacing for a while.

I’ve also heard good things about Boots No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter and now i’ve started on the road to radiant skin, I may just have to pick up the No7 version for a bit of product comparison..all in the name of research of course!

Now, please feel free to fuel my new found ‘radiance’ obsession by offering a few recommendations of your own.