It was day two, at Expowest, when I was passed one of Pacifica’s mutli-use highlighters. I’m a total highlighter newbie, which means I I had no idea how to use it.

Blush.

Turns out, the goal of a highlighter is to boost your natural glow—specifically, it “highlights” the places that the sun would naturally kiss the most. Think cheekbones, brow bones, lip bow and maybe just a touch on the nose. 

Basically, you apply your foundation, add a few friendly dots of highlighter. Then, you follow up with a concealer.

Highlighters come in three different textures:  liquid, cream and powder. The benefit of a liquid highlighter lies in its versatility.

I’ve been using the “Dance Like This” shade from Pacifica. It is mostly a warm, bronze color. Although I should mention that lot of Pacifica fans swear by the “Crystal Moon” shade as the ideal option for your first foray into highlighting.

I wear subtle-minimalist makeup on the weekdays. So, I stuck to using just a few gentle swipes of this stuff directly under by brow bone. Overall, I think the highlighting looks really lovely. The “lifted brow” look gives my face a more well-rested vibe. Which is nice, since I’m 7 months into new mommy-hood.

I have fairly dry skin, so the Pacifica’s highlighter lasts really well. Although, I’m sure if I had more oily skin (or just lived in an area that’s more humid) I’d want to add some highlighter powder over the top to keep it in place.

When hubby and I went out for date night last week, I thought it would be fun dress up and do a dewy-glam look. So, I channeled my inner Gigi, and got a bit bolder with the strobing.

First, I applied my tinted moisturizer/sunscreen. Then I did dots of concealer on my eyelids as a primer. Next came my matte eyeshadow. I topped off the whole look with some short lines of Pacifica highlighter on my cheekbones, brow bone, above the eyebrow, and on my cupid’s brow. Then I blended away. I grabbed my liquid concealer and paint an elongated triangle under my eyes. Followed by more blending. A quick mascara and a liptint later, and I’m out the door. 

It turned out to be one of my favorite “makeup” nights in the past 3 months.

What I love about Pacifica’s Rainbow Crystal Highlighter:

It works especially well on bare (or lightly moisturized) skin. It is perfectly subtle. It feels breathable on skin and makes a great alternative to eyeshadow.

Some Good-To-Knows Before You Buy:

Be prepared for a chemical-scent when you first apply the highlighter. Also, the highlighter can be a bit stubborn when it comes to blending. 

I appreciate that Pacifica is 100% Vegan and Cruelty-free. It’s also formulated without: animal testing, animal ingredients, parabens, phthalates, silicone, mineral oil and petroleum.

Do you love highlighting or strobing? What natural products do you suggest to get that skin-glowing, radiant look? My sister and I would love to read all about it.

XOXO,

Lemon

Good for You - The COSDNA ingredient analysis reviewed this concealer’s ingredients at a 4. Twelve of the sixteen ingredients were listed as a very safe “1”. Pacifica’s products are formulated FD and C color free, Petroleum-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, Sulfate-free, butylparaben-free, formaldehyde-free, nonylphenol ethoxylate free, propylparaben-free and sodium lauryl sulfate-free. I love that this highlighter has jojoba oil (to control sebum production) and damascus rose seed oil (for extra antioxidants). There are two ingredients to be mindful of in this highlighter: Isostearyl Isostearate can cause acne and also be a skin irritant. Parfum (natural) is usually a catch-all term that can hide added ingredients/toxins. Since this highlighter does have a strong non-natural scent, I’d be a bit weary about using it daily.

Good for Others - Pacifica’s products are manufactured here in America, and they source any non-USA ingredients from Fair Trade suppliers made in safe working conditions. On a local level, Pacifica supports women's shelters in their community and they have a neat "buy one, give one" model with some of their products.    

Good For Earth - Pacifica partnered with Preserve to create a lovely proactive recycling program—and it’s pretty easy to use. Just empty/rinse out your products, then use Pacifica’s pre-paid shipping label (downloadable here) and ship your containers to Preserve. Preserve will upcycle Pacifica’s products into toothbrushes and razors.  Pacifica’s boxes are also made from 100% recycled, post-consumer material and they purchase carbon credits. Pacifica is also 100% vegan and cruelty-free. Pacifica also Pacifica donates a portion of proceeds to local clean water projects.

C&C Overall - If you are a highlighter-newbie (like me) then this is a great subtle option for your first venture into the world of strobing. It’s also nice that Pacifica’s made it a multi-use product. So, if you find out that the strobing isn’t your jazz, you can always use it as a liquid eyeshadow (or liquid eyeshadow primer) instead. Before you buy there are three things to know: When you first apply the highlighter its has a fairly strong paint-chemically scent. Also, depending on the moisturizer I used, occasionally I felt like the highlighter didn’t blend very well. Third, if you have oily skin, you might need to help set this liquid highlighter with a powder.