10 Highlighter Makeup Trends in 2022

by Coco Lee March 30, 2022

Adding a highlighter is the best way to rock a totally glowing skin on any summer, spring, or winter day/night! A little bit of a highlighter can make an incredible difference when applied correctly. The best highlighter makeup trends suggest that the product goes a long way to lift and brighten the overall appearance giving it a dewy, lit-up look from within. It’s certainly the easiest way to give your skin the year-round luminous glow to make the face look brighter. The cheekbone, center of the forehead, bridge of the nose, chin, and cupid’s bow, light up instantly with a reflective glow.

Highlighter Trends to Follow in 2022

Natural glow finish
Highlight to slim the nose
Strobe instead of contouring
Gloss it up with highlighters
Flatter those eyes
Go pink all the way
Light up the center
Rock the metallic sheen
Heat up with a fierce holographic hue
Glow it up all over

These highlighter makeup for summer hacks will elevate your makeup game effortlessly, and leave you beaming!

1. Natural glow finish

Highlighters aren’t one-size-fits-all. They come in a variety of formulas ranging from powders, liquids to creams in a range of shades. Sure, you don’t want your face to reflect like a disco ball or a neon sign with the wrong highlighter all over it! What you need to pick is a formula and shade that flatters your natural skin color and tone.

Follow the general rule of thumb and pick a highlighter shade for this summer (and always!) that’s 2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone for the perfect natural finish.

Warm skin undertones go well with gold and bronze highlighter shades;
While silver and pearly white hues tend to look more flattering on cool undertones;
Folks with skin undertones somewhere in the middle can rock most shades since they look flawless against such skin tones;

It’s the best way to pair it up with your natural-looking blush and contour for creating that bright, high-impact glow.

2. Highlight to slim the nose

When it comes to playing with highlighters for that lit-from-within-glow, it’s the swipe on the right place that gives the touch of luminosity. Applying to where the light hits naturally on your face gives your face a lifted visage with a youthful glow. One of the most flattering highlighter makeup trends is to use it on the nose to give it the illusion of a slimmer look. Pair it with the right contour shade and sculpt out a slimmer-looking nose by applying a light coat of cream highlighter straight down the bridge of the nose.

Take special care to add some extra shimmer to the tip of the nose. Adding a shimmering intensity of the highlighter to the nose, especially the tip area draws attention to the center of the face, giving it a subtle radiance. All you lovely ladies with warm skin colors, learn how to highlight dark skin tones for best results.

3. Strobe instead of contouring

Well, it’s time that highlighter makeup 2022 trends make way for strobing; so, move over contouring! You’ve always known that contouring is meant to create a slimmer face with sculpted cheekbones and firmly jutting jawlines. Strobing with highlighters lets you accentuate these features without having to use too many shades and colors of different makeup products.

It’s the perfect way to get that no-makeup look when you have little time or energy to contour your face.

Placing a highlighter in the right place over a layer of smooth primered skin will give it a natural-looking radiance.
Apply it above the cheekbones for that lifted look, add it to the inner corners of the eyes, and dab some on the under-eyes.
Brush in some on the center of the eyelids to make them pop and brighten up the face with a flawless finish.

4. Gloss it up with highlighters

If you thought gloss finish was reserved for the lips, then surely you haven’t been following the latest highlighter makeup trends for 2022! There are these lovely liquid highlighters that set in instantly giving the perfect gloss finish with a dewy look.

Dab some luminous liquid highlighter to the apple of your cheeks and see how they emerge gorgeously and naturally sparkling. Play with the sheen on your chin to give your face an enhanced and elongated look. Forget lip fillers and give your lips an instantly fuller look with a touch of highlighter on the curve above the lips or the Cupid’s bow.

Take on these big makeup looks that draw attention to a sculpted face instantly without too much of an effort. Only make sure that you blend the product well to give your face that instant natural glow.

5. Flatter those eyes

Add the shimmer intensity to those lovely eyes of yours this season and see how they talk for you all the time! Give your face the most dramatic expression with a glowing shimmer of your eyes that adds so much depth and warmth to your look. Adding a layer of highlighter around the eyes helps make them look larger giving it a multi-dimensional vibrancy.

Spanning the soft tones to the most daring shades of highlighters, you have so much to choose from when it comes to highlighting your eyes. Swipe in some highlighter on the brow bones and blend it well, dab on some onto the inner corner of the eyes for that bright look. Finally, graze a coat of highlighter to the center of the eyelids adding a flattering twinkle to those ever expressive eyes. Show off a faultless intricate makeup look with this simple highlighting hack by blending it well on the bright canvas of the eyelids.

6. Go pink all the way

Colors with warm shades add instant depth to any face giving it a radiant flush any time of the day! The latest highlighter makeup trends go big on pink tones replacing those white and nude shades. Go for that naturally relaxed and romantic vibe with pink-toned highlighters in roll-on or cream form. Use a light formula that will give your face a sparkling luminosity without drying it up or making it look oily.

Apply some over the cheekbone for that flushed look, do up the eyelids, and apply some to the chin for that effortless natural glamorous look. Those of you with a proud dark tone, you can choose to mix and match pink with golden highlight using them on the eyelids and the cheekbones respectively.

7. Light up the center

You need not go wild with highlighters to electrify your looks any day! The trick is to apply the shimmer on the right spots that will bring them onto the center stage without too much effort. Your cheeks have always stolen all your attention and hogged the limelight with colors and highlighters. But there are more surprising ways to get the best out of these little shimmer packs.

Wear a lovely shade of the highlighter as per your skin undertone right down the middle of your face. Sweep a subtle shade over the center of the forehead taking it down through the nose to the Cupid’s bow, and finally onto the chin. This will add an instant glow to your face drawing all attention to the center of the face giving it a more vivid and balanced look.

8. Rock the metallic sheen

In the mood to go bold, and look beautiful? Dab in some metallic highlighter to heat up the looks with an electrifying glam quotient! There are those gorgeous powdery highlighter formulas that you might just want to try out this season as part of the best highlighter makeup trends. Pick a pink, pearl, or champagne shade for light or fair skin. Go for peach, cream, or beige for medium skin colors. Opt for gold or bronze highlighter if you have dark skin.

Image Credit: glaminati

Get the high-voltage look with an intense glittery sheen on your face with one of those powdery formulae. Let the metallic pearls in the product create rich hues in heated tones of reflective chrome sheen. Brush them on target areas such as cheekbones, brow bones, bridge of the nose, and the chin. Blend in for that seamless metallic glow using a master brush. Also, checkout the complete guide to makeup brushes that covers types of brushes and how to use them.

9. Go bold with holographic hue

Meet the cool holographic highlighting trend that is doing its round in those private parties with their mesmerizing sheen. These iridescent colors pose as a single color at the first instant but flash different colors with different light angles. Sparkle, color, and glitter, make your next party hotter with some of these prismatic eye-catching highlighters.

Image Credit: makeup and teylicosmetics

Wearing holographic highlighters does not mean that you have to don a bizarre Instagram-pic-look! Give your face a lightweight finish with monochromatic holographic highlighters with an iridescent glow to the center of the lips and corner of the eyes. Choose to limit them to the cheekbones or just the tip of the nose. Blend in some on the eyelids and bring alive a colorful face giving it a magical glow.

10. Glow it up all over

Make the highlighter a part of your everyday makeup routine. Give your face an overall glow for that natural bright finish. A popular highlighter makeup for summer trend is to mix the highlighter product with your daily foundation and dab it all over, blending it to a perfect finish.

Image Credit: thetrendspotter

Watch out for any extra product on the brush, tap it, and then apply to the select areas. Applying too much highlighter can result in a shiny and sweaty look that you surely want to avoid all times, especially during summer! The right way to do it is to blend, blend, and blend using a uniquely shaped highlighter brush. Just dust in the product all over including your collar bones for that effortless sun-kissed glow all over!

Image Credit: thetrendspotter and ipsy

Wrapping up

Your highlighter can be as versatile as you want it to be so long you pick the right shade as per your makeup mood! Keep up with the latest makeup trends 2022 as you go bold from the alluringly natural looks. Make the highlighter a part of your everyday makeup as you go subtly strobing your face. Heighten the glam quotient with powerful shimmer and shine in the right place or play the daring darling with metallic or holographic hues. You can never go wrong so long you use the right product, and blend it away for the most natural-looking glow!