e.l.f Baked Highlighter

I recall wanting to throw this highlighter away after the first few attempts at picking it up with my fan brush / tapered brush and small flat top kabuki brush!!!  After a good 2 years it's still one of my favourite affordable highlighters.

Even though it's the cheapest in my collection it gives a gorgeous glow that personally will rival the ones that cost me an arm and a leg. I bought it from ELF's website during their annual 50% off sale which would have been equivalent to $NZD3.00.

It comes in a small round plastic compact with a clear lid and normally I would shun this type of packaging but I actually like it. I've always wanted a highlighter that doesn't take up so much space in my makeup bag and this fits the bill. 

The small size gives the impression that it's more manageable to pan but don't be fooled - there's a lot of product and even after 2 years it almost looks untouched. When swatched on the back of my hand, Blush Gems is reminiscent of MAC Soft & Gentle but I would pick this one any day. On my skintone it's a peachy pink based rose gold champagne with shimmer and a lovely sheen.

When using it for the first time I recommend swatching it with your finger so you can see what you're dealing with. I didn't do that instead I picked up the product with a brush and applied it to my face not knowing it's a subtle highlighter that you need to build up. So as you can imagine I was not impressed when I could only see a light dusting of shimmer.

When I build it up it almost looks like a frosty pink champagne and I love that it lasts all day with only slight fading. I would definitely recommend this to anyone starting their "highlight" journey!

Everyone raves about these highlighters, and I'd seen multiple references to the fact that the shade Blush Gems is a dupe for MAC's Soft & Gentle highlighter. I'd never invest in Soft & Gentle as it's quite a bronzey highlight, which is a bit too dark for my fair skin, but I was keen to pick up this cheap dupe for the occasional time that I'd be fake tanned and want to play with a bronzed highlight.

The packaging looks rather cheap, as expected for the price, but it feels pretty sturdy. The swirled baked golden powder looked pretty in the pan, but when I swatched it, it felt super hard and gritty, barely any product came off on to my finger. No matter how much I swatched it, or which brush I used, barely anything other than a few bits of glitter would be picked up.

I do wonder whether I got a bad batch, or perhaps an old powder, as most reviews talk about how silky the powder is. I've since seen someone recommend scraping off the top layer if it's hard and gritty, which I didn't even think of (doh!), and I've already gotten rid of this product, so I will never know! But based on my experience, I can't recommend this highlighter.

I love Elfs baked products , their super pigmented and it has a great glow to it, recommend it to anyone that's looking for that extra glow

I'm really new to the highlighting scene. So far in collection I have one highlighter and now I have two. This is my first powder highlighter. I would like to keep trying different highlighters to find out how they look on my skin. I received this as a gift from a fellow beauty review member. I've heard so much about elf. I notice there is highs and lows within their products.

The name of this baked highlighter that I got is called Moonlight Pearls. The packaging comes in a black plastic casing with a see through window. On the lid of this is the Elf labelling. The texture of this is like a pressed powder. The colour of it is a creamy white with shimmer throughout it. It's not scented at all.

When I apply it , it spreads across my nose , forehead and upper cheek bones well. I have to use it with a light hand as this can look over done with too much product. Overall I find it looks natural on my skin. It can last me about two hours and then I need to apply more product. I definitely would buy this product. I have enjoyed using it too.

This product is amazing and affordable, I have it in moonlight pearl and love it. I rave about it to my friends and now they bought it and all love it too. I apply it with my finger as it gets the most pigmentation, then blend it out with the real techniques miracle sponge. I love this combo as it leaves your skin looking highlighted as well as dewy. I always receive compliments on how glowy my face looks when I wear this :)

I am currently having a little love affair with all things illuminating !  .

I had seen this and thought for such a great price why not give it a whirl and I choose the shade Pink Diamonds.

This came in a plastic compact with a snap top lid, quite a reasonable sized product to I thought especially for the very low price.

The Elf highlighter has a beautiful velvety silky texture that makes it really easy to swipe your brush along – I applied this using a contour brush and it was fantastic when you swiped over it you didn’t end up with powder flying everywhere .

It is an extremely pigmented formulation so you don’t need to use a lot at all to get a beautiful highlight it applies and blends into the skin really well without appearing chalky or unnatural on your face and leaves a nice sheer pretty highlight without being too shimmery or sparkly.

I think the pink diamonds was perfect for my skin tone and would recommend for other lighter skintones.

This lasted my usual work day without rubbing off or becoming patchy or anything.

I will definitely be trying the other shades in this and that price its hard not to !

So after I do my normal makeup routine I just put this on a light puffed brush and just light brush over my cheeks and nose. It gives the best glow oh my gosh! I did not even know it had sunflowers in it and it hydrated your skin even better! It lasts all night and you can wear to any occasion coz it just makes your skin glowy and pretty. I just love it 4/5

I love this highlighter! Its so illuminous and shimmery without being sparkly! I was surprised that I would get such a nice result from something that cost so little. I apply with an ELF stipple brush and I get a lovely sheer finish. I have to be careful though not to apply to heavily and blending is a must because it is quite pigmented. I initially used a highlighter brush for application but this gave a much more heavy look than I required. I don't usually wear a highlighter because I worry that it will enhance fine lines and wrinkles but with a lighter brush, I get a lovely, fresh result. Thumbs Up E.L.F!

I LOVE THIS HIGHLIGHTER! It is so pigmented and gives such a gorgeous glow to the skin, such a great product for the price! I use it more for the inner corners of my eyes and it just makes my eyes look so bright and awake! Words can not describe how much I love this highlighter!

This is a great, cheap drugstore highlighter, perfect for beginners, people trying out highlighter or just to try something new in general. The colours are gorgeous and glowing, they aren't chunky and glittery which is great, they give off a nice sheen to the face. Although the pigmentation and texture isn't as great as some, it's still nothing to complain about :) it's good for beginners as it takes a while to build up onto your brush and then onto your face, so you don't have to worry about putting too much on in one go. Average, plastic packaging but easy and small to just chuck in your bag when you're travelling/ on the go I definitely recommend giving these a go :)