Our Top 7 Highlighter Brushes for a Gorgeous Glow

Updated:

1 Feb 2023

Iantha Yu is an experienced beauty editor with over ten years of experience in the publishing industry. Her words can be found on Marie Claire, Beauty Crew, Women's Health, Virgin Voyeur, SHOP Til You Drop, Broadsheet, and more.

Longing to mimic healthy-looking skin that absolutely glows like it’s lit from within? The key is a shimmering powder or cream.

Apply the product strategically with a special highlighter brush along the high points of your face so they catch the light.

Now, applying highlighter may seem tricky. But as with anything makeup, it comes down to using the right tools.

Many highlighter brushes do a great job of dusting your face with just the right amount of sparkle.

You can use a classic pointed highlighter brush, an angled highlighter brush, a fan highlighter brush, or a brow bone highlighter brush. The world is your oyster.

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Here are the best highlighter brushes that we can’t get enough of...

If you’re looking for a fan highlight brush

One of the best highlighter brushes for applying a glittering cream or powder to your face is a fan highlight brush. Yep, it looks exactly as the name suggests. Don’t underestimate the sparsity of the bristles in a fan highlight brush. This tool works a treat in lightly dusting shimmer along your cheekbones and down your nose. A fan brush brings luminosity to the area without depositing too much product in a single sweep. The Make Up For Ever Powder Fan Brush in Large 134 is one of our favourites to use.

Another favourite is the fan brush found in the Real Techniques Sculpting Set. Both are made from synthetic fibres, which are vegan yet feel super-comfortable against your skin.

If you’re looking for a pointed highlighter brush

A pointed highlighter brush is one of the more efficient ways to apply highlighter to your cheekbones. When you look at a pointed highlighter brush, the bristles are gathered and cut to form a tapered shape. Something like the Nude by Nature Finishing Brush 05 will do a top job of quickly picking up some powder from a compact. Just don’t forget to tap off any excess powder before you start applying it to your face. Oh, and let’s not forget that this brush is also vegan as it’s made from synthetic fibres.

If you’re looking for a pointed highlighter brush with a slightly smaller head of bristles, then try the elf Highlighter Brush. This one is also made from synthetic hairs and therefore a vegan and cruelty-free brush.

If you’re looking for an angled highlighter brush

Similar to a pointed highlighter brush is the angled highlighter brush. The latter features a full head of soft bristles that look like a dome—but one side of the brush features longer bristles. This brush shape is also known as a contour and highlight brush, as it can be used to apply contouring creams or powders to areas such as the hollows of your cheeks. The benefit of using an angled highlighter brush is that it works with the curves of your face, especially the cheekbones. The Nude by Nature Angled Blush Brush 06 is a top choice if you’re on the hunt for an angled highlighter brush. This one’s made with synthetic bristles that are vegan and cruelty-free yet don’t compromise on softness or performance.

If you're looking for an angled highlighter brush with a slightly more diffused effect, then try the Spectrum A05 Precision Contouring Brush. Gentle on sensitive skin, this synthetic brush is also vegan and cruelty-free.

If you’re looking for an inner corner highlight brush

We’re calling it now: the Crown Brush Pro Blending Fluff Brush is one of the best brushes for inner corner highlight effects. This brush looks like a pointed highlighter brush in that it features a dome-shaped head of soft bristles. You can easily dab a cream or powder highlighter on the inner corners of your eyes to instantly make them appear brighter and more awake.

Now that you’ve levelled up in your knowledge of different highlighter brushes and the best highlighter brushes to purchase, there’s just one more thing we need to cover. That’s the importance of *washing* your highlighter brush.

It’s so important to keep your highlighter brush clean because over time, the bristles can collect debris and dirt, forming the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

To prevent that from happening, wash your brush once a week with a makeup brush cleaner. Jane Iredale Botanical Brush Cleaner is loaded with Witch Hazel to prevent the spread of bad germs. Napoleon Perdis Instant Clean Brush Cleaner is extra-gentle but disinfects all those little hairs effectively.

SHOP ALL HIGHLIGHTER BRUSHES

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Want more of the best makeup brushes? Check out the guides below...

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