Wet n Wild MegaGlo Hello Halo Liquid Highlighter…is it a game changer?
All day long I dream of highlight. That’s an exaggeration…but I do love it. Adore it, in fact. Anything that makes my skin look luminous, glowing and multi-dimensional has my heart forever and I will be highlighting up a storm long after the trend dulls down.
But what I love even more than highlight is an affordable highlight. In a world where there are SO many high-end highlights haunting me with their glowy swatches and luminescent finishes, I am always on the hunt for cheaper alternatives because I would go broke if I followed every sheeny makeup craving.
I wasn’t surprised when Wet n Wild came out with their MegaGlo Hello Halo Liquid Highlighter ($5.99). After the rave success of their MegaGlo Highlighting Powders, they did the right thing and made a liquid formula for those of us who find liquids to be more flattering and versatile.
True to nature, I headed to the store to choose my shade and was I impressed? Let’s see…
My experience: I have been using the shade Guilded Glow which is a warm gold-nude shade. When you first dab it onto the skin it seems quite opaque, but once you blend it in it fades to a golden, shimmery sheen while allowing the skin to show through. I use my fingers to dab it over my cheekbones, bridge of the nose, above my brows and on the cupid’s bow. I press any excess product into my lids or brow bone if I’m having a bare eye day. I do keep it away from my forehead, chin, and the area under the eye and beside the nose as glitter doesn’t just belong there for me. (More on the glitter situation further below).
Ingredients: as well as “shimmering pearl pigments”, the MegaGlo Hello Halo Liquid Highlighter contains skin-cherishing ingredients like Murumuru Seed Butter, Vitamin E and Grapeseed oil. While a highlighter isn’t going to be applied in large enough doses to really make a difference to your skin, it’s nice to know that the formula has been created with skincare in mind. The packaging and design: the highlight comes in a small, expensive-feeling glass tube through which you can see the product itself, great for choosing your shade. Inside, you’ll find a HUGE doe foot applicator which is handy for dabbing small amounts of product onto the back of the hand or straight onto the face.
Glitter factor: If you absolutely can’t tolerate any kind of glitter on your face then I would hesitate before buying one of these. They do have tiny, tiny little glitter specks but nothing chunky. In sunlight, you do get a twinkle of glitter but if you keep the application controlled then it’s not an issue, it actually looks really pretty.
Performance: It does tend to cling to very dry patches, but that’s going to happen with most products, it’s just the way our skin works. A good exfoliating session, rich moisturiser, and a primer if you’re into them can fix this. It does have a tendency to lift or disrupt heavy or matte base makeup and doesn’t go so well on top of powder, which makes it best for bare-faced, BB-cream days. I find it to be reasonably long-wearing and fade resistant, even without a primer or setting spray.
Shade range: The shade range is pretty great and caters to most skin tones. There is a pale, silvery one with a purple flip (Halographic), a deep bronze (Go With The Glow), three pinky tones, and two golden ones.
Buildability: The cool thing about these is that they are buildable so you can achieve an intense highlight on certain points of the face if you want it. But they’re subtle enough for a sheen wash of glow.
Application tips: I found that fingers are absolutely the best tool for applying this product. I dab a wee dot onto my hand, pick some up on my fingertip and dab it onto the area I want it. I then let it “dry” ever so slightly before spreading it out and blending until seamless. It’s not the kind of highlight that you can get away with using over the whole face (like MAC Strobe Cream or Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector). I did experiment with using it all over the entire face, mixed with moisturiser or foundation and it was too glittery.
The verdict:
YES! Super affordable, super pretty, easy to use, great colors. Definitely try one if you love liquid products and the faintest hint of glittery sparkle.
(Note: I have a fair skin tone with neutral undertones).
Have you tried these highlighters yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Gin Mabey