Beauty rules be damned - highlighter is migrating to under the eyes
If you live by the adage ‘rules are made to be broken’, you’re going to love the trending technique beauty lovers can’t get enough of.
After years of hovering over our cheekbones and brow bones, it seems highlighter is now encroaching on concealer’s territory, being applied directly under the eyes. As with so many beauty trends these days, this one has taken off on social media.
Highlighter under the eyes is having a moment among beauty lovers. Pictured: content creators Ava Shaw and Kayla Marie. TikTok, Instagram/@avashaw.ty, @kaylasilvamakeup
“It sounds crazy, and it kind of is, but ... you have to trust the process,” one content creator, Ava Shaw, told her followers, promising the result looks “angelic” rather than greasy.
Highlighter... under the eyes? What’s the go here?
At this point, you might be thinking: ‘highlighting’ an area of the face that’s usually associated with dark shadows goes against everything we’ve been taught about makeup.
“Highlighter reflects light and brightens the areas where it’s applied. Used under the eyes, it can reflect light to create a more radiant, brighter-looking finish,” Jason Branigan, Armani Beauty Australia’s National Face Designer, tells nine.com.au.
But don’t put down the concealer just yet. Branigan adds that while highlighter can brighten the area, it doesn’t provide coverage.
“I like to apply a touch of concealer over the highlighter to help cover any darkness under the eyes. Keep the concealer to the areas where you need it while taking a ‘less is more’ approach,” he says.
Does it work for everyone?
Makeup artist Ellen Malone, aka @AskEllenBeauty, has seen plenty of beauty trends, but isn’t convinced by this one.
“Under the eyes, you want a colour that’s going to counteract any darkness ... and you want something that’s not going to accentuate texture,” she says.
She says using a shimmery, sparkly highlighter, in particular, under the eyes can create two issues.
“Number one, the colour’s not usually right. If it’s a whitish tone, it can make [your dark circles] look more grey. If it’s shimmery, it can make your wrinkles look worse, if you have any,” she adds.
“So it’s suited to people who don’t have dark circles and just want to create a brightening effect, and who do not have significant texture or wrinkles under the eyes.”
To more effectively brighten the under-eye area, Malone suggests seeking out a peachy or orangey shade – “more towards a peach for a lighter blue circle, and more towards an orange for a deeper blue” – to counteract the darkness.
“Then you can brighten over the top with whatever concealer or foundation you like, and it will end up looking brighter than by using a highlight tone,” she adds.
I’m tempted. How do I do this?
The method is relatively straightforward. Branigan suggests sweeping the product under the eye, starting at the inner corner and moving towards the outer corner.
“Use a fluffy brush or your fingertips to blend it downwards, following the tops of the cheekbones,” the makeup artist adds.
While highlighter comes in a range of formulations, not all are suited to this particular look. If you scroll through TikTok, you’ll notice creators are overwhelmingly using liquid or stick formulations, rather than powders.
Branigan supports this, saying powder can emphasise dryness or creasing under the eye.
“I’d opt for a formula designed to look skin-like and with skincare benefits,” he said.
Liquid highlighters – used here by content creator Mathilda Haroun – work best for the technique, rather than powders. Instagram/@mathildaharoun
He recommends liquid, saying the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Acqua Highlighter is well suited to this technique as it has a skincare-based formula with a “lightweight, watery texture”. It’s been a popular choice among content creators.
“Choose a shade that brightens without looking stark or emphasising texture,” he adds.
While you’ve got your highlighter handy, Branigan says he loves finishing a makeup look with “subtle touches to amplify the glow”, including sweeping it over the high points of the face.
“[You can also] apply it to the collarbones and décolletage for a subtle body glow.”
What other makeup products can I get creative with?
Applying highlighter under the eyes might seem a bit out-there for traditionalists, but remember: there’s no law stating makeup products should be used solely for the purpose written on their packaging.
Malone confirms most can be used wherever we fancy, as long as the colour is aligned to the purpose you have in mind.
“An eyebrow pencil often works really well as a lip contour. Bronzer works really well as eyeshadow. Whatever goes on your lips can generally work as a blush as well,” she says.
“Experiment more with your makeup and be willing to have an open mind.” iStock
There is a caveat: because the skin around the eyes is particularly sensitive, you want to exercise caution.
“I don’t generally recommend putting anything around the eyes that’s not labelled as eye-safe, but other than that, go for gold,” Malone adds.
“If you want to use your eyeliner to do a lip line, you do that. If you want to use your mascara on your eyebrows, you do that.
“While not every hack that you see online is necessarily going to be a pro hack, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it, and you can’t explore and have fun with your makeup and enjoy it.”
“Experiment more with your makeup and be willing to have an open mind, looking at the products you have to see if you can reposition them and use them in a different way, rather than always running out and buying a new thing.”
