ILLUMINATORS: L’Oreal Lumi Magique, NARS Illuminator & Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow
If you have a busy life and sometimes feel and look a bit tired (that’ll be just about everyone then), an illuminator is definitely an essential for your make-up bag!
Illuminators are not the same as highlighters – highlighters tend to have a shimmery or sparkly finish, in order to highlight certain features such as cheekbones etc, while illuminators tend to have a much subtler, more pearlescent finish, and can be used either under your foundation as a primer, or mixed with your foundation, to make it sheerer and more glowing. Here are some illuminating lotions that I’ve been testing recently:
(1) L’Oreal Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer
In my opinion is a basically a high street dupe for an iconic product called Blanc de Chanel by Chanel, which is a light-reflective white lotion very similar to this, and it would be perfect for porcelain skinned girls who want a glow without any orange or tan effect. It could also be used to lighten a foundation you may have that is slightly too dark for you. As it contains oil, the product does tend to separate, so you must shake it well before using, and the bottle only contains a tiny amount of product so it doesn’t last very long!
https://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/loreal-lumi-magique-primer-pure-light-20ml-0067274.html
(2) NARS Illuminator (pictured here in ‘Hot Sand’, now discontinued)
These pretty, pearly lightweight lotions provide a very subtle glow, even in daylight. They reflect light beautifully and make your face beam softly, so it just looks like you have naturally great skin!
https://www.narscosmetics.co.uk/en/orgasm-illuminator/0607845023425.html?cgid=illuminators
(3) Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow
This very expensive primer promises to “convert UV light into skin luminosity for an instant soft focus spotlight effect”. It basically diffuses light through thousands of tiny gold sparkles to make your face look bright and awake. I personally found the finish too golden for my skin tone, but I think this would be great for medium/olive or Asian skin tones:
https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/product/wonderglow
