Stick Highlighters Are the Lazy Girl Secret to Glowing Skin

Pat McGrath Labs introduced me to stick highlighters, and to this day, I believe it still has one of the best formulas on the market. The Skin Fetish: Highlighter + Balm Duo features a clear balm on one end and a colored highlighter on the other. You can wear each side separately, or together, but whichever way you choose, you’ll capture that expensive, editorial glow with which Pat McGrath is synonymous.

A favorite ofMarie Claire’s Beauty Director, Hannah Baxter, and mine is Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Reflect Highlighter Stick. It's basically a shortcut to expensive-looking skin, which tracks, considering the luxury brand and high quality of all the products. There are only two options in the line, but both can work for any skin tone thanks to the transparent bases.

A launch that caught me by surprise is the Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Glassy Balms. Not only did I not expect to absolutely fall in love with these (the glide is next level, even over powders), but the line also has a generous range of shades to choose from.

Glossier’s Future Dew Serum was my first foray into skincare that could truly double as makeup, but I hated how it spread everywhere when I applied it to the back of my hand. So you can imagine my complete joy when the brand released a solid version of the same formula. It has all the glow, with none of the mess.

The Status Stick from Dibs Beauty feels like a shortcut to the glow you get after a good, sunny vacation. All the sticks lean either neutral or warm, making them easy to wear every day and translate across skin tones. It’s a bit more pigmented than the others, so I find that layering up during application works the best.

The Day Glow Highlighting Balm was my first introduction to Merit, and since then, it's become my go-to pick. (As someone who has an embarrassing amount of highlighters, that’s a big deal.) All four of the shades have a pearlescent finish in varying tones that add the most expensive touch of glow to your cheekbones.

Don’t let the color scare you, r.e.m Beauty’s Fembot is one of the most universally flattering, colored stick highlighters on the market. You’ll get more of that iridescent pink shimmer on a clear base rather than a full-on pink of your cheeks, which is what makes it perfectly suitable for all skin tones.

This Westman Atelier highlighter is one of the most elegant options on this list, both in packaging and formula, and I love every single shade in the line. But let's be honest, I expected nothing less from the mind of one of the most sought-after makeup artists of our time, Gucci Westman.

A completely underrated highlighter stick is Kylie Cosmetics’ Dewy Balm Stick. There’s a slight tackiness to this formula, so I like to apply it before any powders, but the colors are so well executed that I really don’t mind reorganizing my glow routine.

LYS Beauty’s Aim High Cream Highlighter Stick is less glassy than the others on this list, but it gives you a similar editorial shine that’s more wearable in daily life. It’s less “glossy” and more “shiny,” with a more pigmented base color, which makes it a bit easier to blend out (and thus more beginner-friendly if you’re new to stick highlighters). Plus, for people with tan to deep skin with neutral undertones like myself, the shade Genuine might be your perfect everyday highlighter.

It’s gone viral on TikTok countless times, but if you’ve yet to try it for yourself, the Chanel Baume Essentiel stick is another formula that just feels chic. It’s lightweight and not sticky on the cheek, and every once in a while, the brand comes out with limited edition versions timed to its seasonally curated launches.