A highlighter should generally be about two shades lighter than your natural skin tone. The specific shade that looks best will depend on your complexion.
Choosing the Right Highlighter Shade
The ideal lightness of a highlighter depends heavily on your skin tone. Here’s a breakdown:
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Fair Skin: Opt for highlighters with cool, pink undertones. Good options include lilac, pearl, and silver. These shades complement fair skin without appearing too stark.
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Olive to Medium Skin: Warm shades such as peach, gold, and champagne tend to be very flattering. These colors add a natural radiance and warmth to the complexion.
Why Shade Lightness Matters
Selecting a highlighter that is appropriately light enhances your features naturally:
- Natural Glow: A subtle difference in shade provides a lit-from-within glow rather than an artificial, overly dramatic effect.
- Avoidance of Ashiness: Choosing a shade too light can make your skin appear ashy or washed out, especially on deeper skin tones.
- Complementing Undertones: Matching the highlighter’s undertones to your skin’s undertones creates a harmonious and seamless finish.
In summary, aim for a highlighter that is approximately two shades lighter than your skin and complements your undertones for the most natural and flattering glow.