Review | The Face Shop High Lighter Beam

I believe that everyone has heard of Benefit's High Beam before. My friend swears by it and how good it is. However, before I went ahead and took the plunge, I did a bit of research and found out that The Face Shop has a dupe that's pretty similar to High Beam but just at a fraction of the price. Imagine my delight to know it!

The next time I was in Korea, I headed to The Face Shop and literally hunted this bottle down and shoved it into my basket.

When I first started using this, I threw the box away without thinking so no pictures of the box! You can google it if you're really interested in how it looks like!

According to The Face Shop's website, the High Lighter Beam is a pink pearl liquid highlighter creating a luminous and sculpted face. 

Translucent Pearl Powder and Silicon Oil

• Absorbs and reflects the light, creating radiant and clear complexion. 
• Creates smooth finish and good adherence.

A mixture of Fluid, Gum, and Elastomer

• Smoothen pores and skin bumps

Moisturising liquid type highligher

• Gives pearly effects and dewy glow from within

The applicator reminds me of the wand in nail polish bottles. I personally like it because I'm so used to using nail polishes that this wand applicator isn't anything new to me. However, I know that some people may find this applicator really unhygienic because you basically apply the product directly onto your face then dip the applicator back into the bottle. 

I can see how this may result in a problem when the product starts to run out because I believe the applicator does not reach the bottom of the bottle.  

The bottle itself is a small and made out of glass (pretty much the same as Benefit's High Beam) and I really like it! Feels really fancy and expensive. The weight does not bother me much. 

The formula though, is oh my word, super amazing. A little bit goes a long way so don't go overboard with the dabbing! If you put too much, it does leave an unnaturally white sheen on the face. How I usually use this product is to dab 3 spots on each of my cheek bones, then blend it out. It leaves such a nice sheen that highlights my face naturally, nothing too harsh!

That being said, I realised that when you apply this highlighter onto areas of the face where you have powder, it tends to cake up. It doesn't sit very well on top of powder and it does have the tendency to sink into any pores you apply it on. This is why I usually only apply it on my cheek bones - I don't usually apply powder on my cheeks - and not on my nose bridge.

There's a really pleasant smell to it as well. It disappears as soon as you blend the product out on your face. Scented products, in general, do not bother me.

Overall:

PROS:

• Smells great
• Blends like a dream
• Highlights really naturally
• A little goes a long way
• Really affordable (especially when compared to Benefit's High Beam)
• Applicator is easy to use 
• Lasts a really long time

CONS:

• Unhygienic applicator (for some)
• Cakey when applied on top of powder/large pores

I really like this product to be honest. I love how similar it is to Benefit's High Beam yet it costs only a fraction of the price. Korean brands are really stepping up their game when it comes to dupes. 

There's nothing much I really dislike about this product except for the fact that I don't like how it sits on areas that I apply powder. This prevents me from highlighting most areas of my face (nose bridge, chin, middle of my forehead...) Besides this, I think that this product is definitely worth getting.

I don't actually know if you can see the highlighter on my cheeks but I applied it on my cheek bones!