Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face Highlighter Review

After getting knee-deep into swatches of the Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face Liquid Highlighter ($32), we couldn’t resist the glow! Here’s the low-down of this stunning summer must-have. 

Anything glossy, dewy, and glowing instantly grabs my attention and I can’t imagine that ever ceasing. While at Mecca the other day (the Australasian version of Sephora, pretty much!), I slathered all three shades of the Kevyn Aucoin highlighter all over the backs of my hands and gazed as I walked around the store. When I got outside I checked it in the natural sunlight…“Look HOW SHINY!” I demanded at my boyfriend, shoving my hands in his face, (he politely tried to feign interest).

What is it?

The Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face Liquid Highlighter is a lightweight, gel-like liquid highlighter designed for face and body. It feels almost serum-like and it has a super smooth texture. It’s not like a cream or lotion, nor is it like a mousse or whipped product…it’s kind of like a gel fused with an oil. Either way, it feels great as long as you don’t mind a slightly tacky, sticky feel.

The packaging is simple and functional. A transparent tube so you can see the shade and the fill level, and a leak-free pump.

How many shades are there and is it inclusive?

Currently, there are three shades: Crystal Clear (clear with pinky-blue reflect), Prism Rose (warm, gold-spiked pink) and Spectrum Bronze (warm, gold bronze). They are inclusive because they don’t have a pigmented color base. Some highlighters have a strong base color which you can see when the light changes or the face is turned. The shimmer disappears and the base shade is left behind.

The Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow is pure gleam with the color existing only in the shimmer. In other words, you can slather the bronze shade all over your face and it’s not going to alter your tone, it will just warm up the skin and create dimension by way of shine and glow.

How do I use it and is it versatile?

It’s super versatile! You can use it all over the face as a glow-enhancer before your foundation (I’ve seen Allana Davison do this! She chats about it in this video at 8:40).

You can dab it onto the high points as a highlighter, after your foundation, and you can slather it onto the body such as the shins or collarbones. Because it’s designed for a glow and not a “blinding” highlight, it’s very forgiving so you can do what you like with it.

Is it worth it?

It depends what you’re looking for, what your budget is and what your daily beauty routine consists of. Personally, this is totally worth it for me because I love glowy skin without chunkiness, color casting or too much foil. It would double as a base and a highlighter. I would see it as a skin prep product as much as a makeup product, which is always desirable.

However, for someone who prefers a more matte finish and likes a blinding highlight, this would be completely off the mark. They would be better off with a more concentrated liquid highlight such as the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops ($42) to dab over their base.

Next time you’re at Sephora, give it a try and let us know what you think!