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Best highlighters in Australia

We read hundreds of customer reviews to find the six best highlighters available online.

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Ericka Pingol
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The best highlighters in Australia

How did we pick this list?

We picked highlighters based on actual customer reviews and ratings on Amazon for this list. For every category, we carefully chose parameters based on our research and determined products with the highest review score within parameters.

Read more detail on our methodology below.

Best overall highlighter: Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Buildable – goes from subtle to intense

Cons

  • Too metallic for some
  • Flimsy packaging

Price (RRP): $14.16
Amazon pricing: From $9.70

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Adore Beauty
Buy at Chemist Warehouse

Why we chose it

Our pick for the best overall highlighter is Maybelline's Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter, which has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars from over 6,000 Amazon reviews.

The Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter is a lustrous powder with a rich tone. It has metallic pearls to create a reflective chrome sheen for an intense highlight that brings out the best of your features. It comes in two shades: molten gold and molten rose gold.

The Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter is a crowd favourite, boasting intense shine to accentuate the cheekbones and other areas where it is applied. Customers praised the product for being good value for money, adding that its quality and performance are comparable to higher-end highlighters. It is also easy to blend and melts on the skin for a more seamless glow. Despite being advertised as ultra-reflective, it can also be used for a more subtle highlight. However, some customers found it too metallic for their liking. The packaging is also quite flimsy, according to others.

Best drugstore highlighter: wet n' wild Megaglo Liquid Highlighter

Pros

  • Gives a natural glow to the skin
  • Easy to blend

Cons

  • Not long-lasting
  • Dries quickly according to some customers

Price (RRP): $10.30
Amazon pricing: Check site for current pricing

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Catch
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

For the best drugstore highlighter, we recommend the wet n' wild Megaglo Liquid Highlighter. It has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars from over a thousand Amazon customer reviews.

This Wet n' Wild liquid highlighter contains shimmering pearl pigments that deliver a buildable, multi-shimmer glow. According to the company, it is formulated with murumuru seed butter, grapeseed oil and vitamin E to help smoothen the skin's texture. The highlighter comes in four shades as well.

Many customers loved the doe foot applicator of this highlighter. They said it helps them apply just the right amount of product to their skin. The product provides a natural glow that can be easily intensified as well. It has a thin texture that is easy to blend and doesn't accentuate texture. However, it's not long-lasting. The highlighter also dries quickly, according to reviews.

Best highlighter palette: Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit

Pros

  • You get up to six shades in the palette
  • Easy to blend and buildable

Cons

  • More expensive than other highlighters
  • Too shimmery according to some customers

Price (RRP): $69.25
Amazon pricing: From $67.50

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Adore Beauty
Buy at Sephora

Why we chose it

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit is our choice for the best highlighter palette available online. On Amazon, it has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from more than 900 reviews.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit contains a wide range of powder highlighters to suit your every look. It features a lightweight, refined formula with a metallic-lustre finish. The Glow Kit can be used to highlight the eyes, face and body. It comes in three shades: Sun Dipped; Sugar, which contains four shades; and Moon Child, which includes six shades.

This highlighting palette is quite versatile – it can be used as an eyeshadow, a face illuminator and a body shimmer. Many reviews said the powder is finely milled and doesn't settle on fine lines. People with dry skin also appreciated that it doesn't cling to their dry patches. It is also buildable and easy to blend. The palette is more expensive than other highlighters in the market, but you get up to six shades with it. However, because it has a metallic-lustre finish, some customers found it too shimmery for their liking.

Best cream highlighter: RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

Pros

  • Gives a lit-from-within glow
  • Long-lasting

Cons

  • Sticky according to customers
  • Can be too subtle for others

Price (RRP): $58.00
Amazon pricing: From $72.98

Buy at Amazon

Why we chose it

For the best cream highlighter, we selected the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, which has a rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars from over 200 Amazon reviews.

Inspired by backstage makeup, the RMS Living Luminizer gives the skin a light-reflective, dewy glow for a fresh yet subtle highlight that is lit from within. Formulated with organic coconut oil and castor seed oils, the consistency is creamy and easy to blend. It also doesn't contain grease or glitter.

According to customers, this is the ultimate no-makeup highlighter. It gives a subtle glow to the skin that doesn't settle on textured spots. The highlighter has no colour to it and has a smooth texture. Many reviews also found it long-lasting. However, despite the non-greasy claim, some customers found it too sticky. Also, if you're looking for a cream highlighter that provides an intense glow, this may not work for you.

Best powder highlighter: theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter

Pros

  • Smooth and bendable
  • Suitable for oily skin

Cons

  • The pan comes off the base easily
  • Tends to accentuate dry patches

Price (RRP): $18.50
Amazon pricing: From $29.95

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Adore Beauty
Buy at Catch

Why we chose it

Our choice for the best powder highlighter is theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter. It has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars from more than 3,000 customer reviews on Amazon.

This all-in-one powder highlighter can be used as an eyeshadow, body shimmer and face highlighter. It gives a subtle, diffused glow that looks natural and dewy. The product also features a finely milled powder that is long-lasting, which is perfect for oily skin.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter creates a subtle champagne pop that looks dewy and seamless. Customers loved the creamy powder texture that blends smoothly to the skin – even when using the fingers. People with oily skin also loved that it stays put all day. The compact contains a whopping eight grams of product, which can last you for months. However, the tin tends to come off the base easily. People with dry skin also didn't like that it clings to patches.

Best liquid highlighter: L'Oréal Paris Makeup True Match Lumi Glotion

Pros

  • Can be used as a dewy primer
  • Good value for money

Cons

  • Not for oily skin
  • Has an overpowering scent

Price (RRP): $26.50
Amazon pricing: From $62.01

Buy at Amazon
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

For the best liquid highlighter, we chose the L'Oréal Paris Makeup True Match Lumi Glotion. It has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 3,000 Amazon reviews.

The Lumi Glotion has a highlighting formula that delivers an illuminating colour tint for a healthier, brighter complexion. It also hydrates the skin, leaving a fresh and natural glow all over. According to the company, it is infused with glycerine and shea butter in a lightweight formula. It can be used as a primer, a moisturiser or a highlighter as well.

Customers loved this multi-tasking glotion. People with dry skin enjoyed using it as a primer to give their skin an extra boost of hydration and dewiness before makeup application. It also provides a natural glow when used as a highlighter. Reviews raved about the price point, adding that it is comparable to more expensive multi-tasking highlighters. This product contains hydrating ingredients that give off a dewy glow, which may be too greasy if you have oily skin. Some customers also didn't like that it has a strong scent that lingers for a couple of minutes.

Amazon prices last updated on 30 July, 2021 at 11:03 pm

Methodology

33
Brands considered
65
Products compared
6
Best products chosen
  • We compared highlighters from over 30 brands and more than 60 products.
  • We then assessed hundreds of customer reviews and ratings from Amazon (as of March 2021).
  • The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.

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