There’s been so many high end brands coming out with liquid illuminating drops for a good while now…ICONIC London* and Cover FX* being the most popular and talked about. At £34 a pop they’re not cheap, but as with lots of this type of product you don’t need to use a lot and a bottle would typically last ages!
My issue with them? Pretty as they are (and I do use liquid illuminators sometimes in my pro kit)…I just prefer a powder highlight myself and am always pretty reluctant to invest in a higher end illuminating drops…I just wouldn’t get the use out of them! As well as the OG if you like high end liquid illuminator brands,there’s been loads of other more affordable/ drugstore and mid range brands coming out with their own alternatives recently too. A lot of the ones I’ve tried (and there’s been loads!) have just been too glittery and nowhere near the radiant – blinding glow of the more spendy ones…Until now!
Affordable high street/ drugstore favourite BarryM have just launched their own liquid highlighter offering in the shape of the Liquid Chrome Highlighter Drops. Available in 5 shades, there’s one for every skin tone AND for a mere £6.99!
SHADES:
• Liquid Fortune – rich gold bronze
• Beam Me Up – champagne gold
• At First Light – cool toned pink bronze
• Moon Potion – white base with a soft blue duo chrome
• Precious Pearl – white base with a soft pink duo chrome
The BarryM Liquid Chrome Highlighter Drops come in a frosted glass bottle with a dropper style dispenser which would make them super similar looking to the higher end versions. They’re formulated with a high level of pearl pigment to intensely reflect light without glitter. They can be used alone (over or under makeup) for an ‘intensely radiant highlighting effect’ or added to your foundation for an all over lit from within glow. They work really well as a primer for powder highlighter too if you want to intensify it and glow all out!
My favourite shade and the one that works best with my skin tone is Beam Me Up. It gives a gorgeous glow without adding too much extra colour. I’ve found the best way to apply them is to put a few drops on the back of your hand or palette and work from there. It’s a pretty fast drying formula and the first few times I tried it I’d dropped it directly on to my cheekbone…it had almost dried by the time I went to blend a few seconds later! So yeah, working that way and making sure to use the tiniest bit (a little goes a long way and you can always build it up/ add more if you want, it builds really well!) and instead of a brush, a beauty sponge (I nearly always use the Beauty Blender Pro Sponge*, it’s a bit firmer, so gives more control and a more seamless blend) is definitely the way to go with these.
These do have a slight scent, I’m not mad at it though it’s really subtle and doesn’t linger/ isn’t noticeable once it’s on. Just something to keep in mind if you’re sensitive to smells. It does give a beautiful glow without being glittery and I really like how natural it looks using a little and pretty blinding after building it up…it’s a versatile glow mood dependant and it’s great to have the choice either way. Like I said before, I do generally prefer a powder highlight. It’s just what I tend to use the most but it’s kind of nice to have a liquid option and the great thing is with this is that it doesn’t cost a lot if you don’t end up using it a tonne. Perfect for those of you with a drier skin (which I don’t have) too as the drops don’t settle/ cling on to any dry patches, which some powder highlighters might.
The BarryM Liquid Chrome Highlighter Drops are cruelty free, vegan and worth a go in my opinion…suitable for any skin type/ tone and a great price for a really good highlight!
Get them at asos or barrym.com which both ship Internationally too!
Lyd x
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I’m now based in Cork, Ireland. Although I do still take select bookings for North Wales/ Cheshire and Dublin (get in touch for more info) and am available to travel country wide…I’m mainly taking makeup bookings for Cork City and surrounding areas.
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