Beauty: the best new highlighters

It would be bold to declare the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand (£29) the best highlighter I have ever used, but, well, I think it may be the best highlighter I’ve ever used – and I daresay I’ve tried several hundred others.

This new launch is my favourite, because it fixes every problem I’ve ever had with the rest. It has a cream-gel texture that’s thin enough to spread sparingly and evenly over cheekbones, forehead, browbones and chin without clogging, dragging and caking, but isn’t so fluid as to run riot over the entire face. Consequently, it glides over foundation, rather than merging with it to become cloudy and grey. It has exactly the right amount of gleam for my taste – glowy like a pearl, not spangly like a rhinestone.

Most importantly, though, it’s a cinch to apply: just twist the cap to release a tiny amount of champagne-coloured product – the pigment is clear, so it works on dark skins and light, and the flow is reassuringly slow, so there’s no waste (my gripe with many liquid highlighters, which mostly end up on a tissue in the bin) – then dab or stroke wherever you’d like a little light-reflecting gleam. It blends perfectly with fingertips before setting (the staying power is good, though unexceptional), meaning one needn’t carry brushes or sponges, only reach for the tube if an evening invitation presents itself.

Perfection comes at a price – £29 – but I have a solid runner-up: Sleek Makeup’s Cleopatra’s Kiss Highlighting Palette is terrific value (£9.99), containing four shades (from champagne to bronze) in two textures: baked powder and solid cream. The sparkle-ometer is turned up higher here, but the pigment is dense and luxurious, keeping the overall effect more candle glow than disco ball. The packaging is pleasingly posh, too (though, inevitably, the free brush is as useful as a wax fireguard. You’ll need to invest in a small, domed brush for the powders).

Finally, I adore Sensai’s new Supreme Illuminator (£40), a Bentley among highlighters, and possibly only for those who take their beauty more seriously than their budget. The silken texture of this gilt beige cream is glorious, and solid enough to give a novice full control over where it goes. Just dab with your middle finger wherever the light would naturally hit, over all other makeup. Then tap outwards to diffuse.

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