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Best 5 Cruelty Free Liquid Highlighters - 2020

Posted on October 11 2020

I really love makeup items of all kinds! One makeup item can cheer me up when I'm down. make me calm when I'm nervous, and always, always, makes me feel a bit (or a lot?) more pretty. 

Highlighters are the products which are the closest to my heart. They are definitely taking the first spot. The mesmerising glow will upgrade any look, and take it to the next level, and I just can't get enough of it!

There are 2 kinds of highlighters:

We have the dry ones, such as the compact highlighters, and the loose highlighters, which are coming in a sparkly powdery formula, and we have the wet highlighter. Under the "Wet Highlighters" category we have the stick highlighters, and my personal most favourite type - the liquid highlighters - on which we will be focusing today.


I feel that liquid highlighters are the ones that will give the most beautiful glow, they can look very shiny, but still the most natural. When applying a good liquid highlighter it can seem as if the glow is coming out of the skin, and it can gives the skin the most beautiful dewy and healthy appearance. 

I also feel that unlike dry highlighters,  the liquid version can flatter most skin types, from young and oily to dry and mature.


Out of all the liquid highlighters I've tried, I picked the most beautiful ones, which I use the most, and get overwhelmed by their beauty every single time I apply them to my skin. They are all cruelty free, which is very important to me when buying and adding new makeup items to my collection.


The best Liquid Highlighters - Top 5 

Best liquid highlighter for professional use - makeup review

Best Liquid Highlighters, Number 1:

Cover FX, Custom Enhancer Drops, Moonlight

Cover FX liquid highlighter review

I'm starting this list with the liquid highlighter that attracted me into this beautiful world of liquid glow. 

When I first saw the Custom Enhancer Drops by Cover FX on a YouTube video 3 or 4 years back, I was overwhelmed of how pretty the sight was, and I just couldn't wait to get my hands on this blinding magic in a bottle. 


The first shade I've purchased was "Candle Light", which is a beautiful bronzy highlighter. Unfortunately this shade was a little too dark for me. (I did use it, don't get me wrong). 


The bottle you see in the photo, is actually a mini size of a different shade, called "Moonlight", which is a lighter bronzy shade, with a shift to kinda white, when it's hitting the light. This shade is much better for me, and more flattering to my light-medium skin tone. 


These liquid highlighters are extremely intense. In my opinion they are not the type you will choose for you everyday makeup look, but for the evening, or for any glamorous  event - thses are my winners. They would also be perfect for photoshoots, for they give a gorgeous glow, which looks absolutely stunning in photos.  they also don't have chunks of glitters in them. When applying the highlighter to the skin,  it looks completely like metal, absolutely stunning. 


The only downside for the Cover FX liquid highlighters, is that they tend to dry in the bottle just few months after opening it. The liquid turns into this gel like formula, and the shimmer becomes more visible. 


Cover FX Liquid Highlighter in Moonlight

Best Liquid Highlighters, Number 2:

Iconic London, Illuminator, Original

Iconic London Liquid Illuminator review

Another blinding highlighter, and a perfect dupe to the Custom Enhancer Drops,  is the Iconic London Illuminator, which also comes in few deferent beautiful shades. I have the "Original" shade in my collection, which also has this bronzy - nude color with a shift to almost white once the light hits.

This one too, has a super intense metallic finish, you only need one little drop to highlight the high points of your entire face. 

This is a true magic in a bottle, I just can't get enough of it! 

Unlike the Cover FX liquid highlighters, this one lasts much longer without seeing a change in the formula. 


It is truly an amazing product. If you are the type of a person who is living for concentrated and really blinding highlighters, you have to give this one a chance. 


Iconic London liquid highlighter review

Best Liquid Highlighters, Number 3: ABH, Liquid Glow, Perla

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Glow in Perla

ABH Liquid glow is a beautiful highlighter, which unlike the previous two, will give you more of a soft-glam finish, which I also love so much. 

Its nice formula is very easy to work with, and it blends beautifully with the foundation underneath, giving the skin the illusion of a "glow from within".


I also feel that out of the 5 products that I show here, this one has the most comfortable packaging - it comes in a pressable tube' which is very sterile as well. 


The shade I have is "Perla", which has a yellowish-champagne color. 

I absolutely adore this highlighter, and I think it is perfect for an everyday soft makeup look, where you want to achieve a natural looking glow and a healthy skin appearance. 


ABH Liquid Glow Highlighter in Perla

Best Liquid Highlighters, Number 4:

theBalm, Mary Due Manizer

theBalm Mary Dew Manizer

Another beautiful, and very affordable option is the Mary Dew Manizer liquid highlighter by theBalm. 


We all remember and loved the Mary Lou Manizer highlighter back in the day. I even think this was the first intense highlighter to become a true YouTube super star. I don't know if theBalm managed to recreate its success, but I guess it was inevitable that they came up with its liquid version. And it's beautiful. 

The Mary Dew Manizer has the exact light-yellow shade of its big sister, and a very impressive intensity.


I feel that with this highlighter you need to work quickly, because it tends to dry down faster than the other liquid highlighters I've tried. This is also why I personally prefer to apply it with a dumped sponge. It gives beautiful shine to the skin, could be very intense, but can also look very elegant and natural when blended properly. 


If yellow-toned highlighters are your thing, or if you were once in love with the Mary Lou Manizer, give it a go, you might fall in love with this one too. 


Mary Dew Manizer by theBalm - review

Best Liquid Highlighters, Number 5:

Charlotte Tilbury, Beauty Light Wand, Hollywood Spotlight

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand Review

I'm going to wrap this up with my favourite one of all. For me, The Beauty Light wand by Charlotte Tilbury is the liquid highlighter which gives the most beautiful natural glow to the skin. 

>For me, a really good liquid highlighter is one where you absolutely can't see any bits of shimmer in it, but it is still very metallic and glowy. 

I feel that out of all of these highlighters, this one can give the most natural "glowing from within" effect, which makes the skin look so healthy and youthful. 

If you like a more intense glowy finish, you can definitely build this one up. 


The Beauty Light Wand is also very easy to bled, and will be super easy to work with - even for people who are clueless in applying highlighters. 

You can also blend a little bit of it with your foundation, to give the entire skin that beautiful health dewy finish. 

Another advantage of this one is that it will work with any skin types, and it is especially wonderful for mature skin. 


The only thing that I don't like... I'm sorry: The only thing that I HATE about this highlighter is its spongy applicator, which is the most messy and unsterile  applicator to work with. After the first usage, the sponge gets full of product, and that makes the whole package super dirty. Every single time that I open the package, my hands get highlighter all over them. Really annoying. Sometimes originality doesn't necessarily work for your favour... I would totally skip this stupid packaging and keep just the tube. 


Beauty Light Wand by Charlotte Tilbury applicator

But despite its awful packaging- the product itself is so good, that I'm sure I will keep purchasing it over and over again. 

The Beauty Light Wand comes in various shades, and the one that I use is "Hollywood Spotlight", which is a very light peachy- pink champagne shade.

 

These were my top 5 liquid highlighters. I'm leaving you with their swatches - take a look and tell me which one you like the most! 

Best Liquid Highlighters 2020 - makeup review - swatches
From left to right: Cover FX, Iconic London, ABH, theBalm, Charlotte Tilbury

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