Jolie Beauty Second Skin Powder Highlighter review + swatches

[Features press samples - see disclaimer]

The secret is out about my pregnancy, but I'm yet to find that idealised "pregnancy glow"... I've really struggled with exhaustion and nausea this first trimester, and as a result my skin has taken a toll. It's been more dull, more tired, more dry and there's been some inevitable hormonal breakouts too. Between this, and spending the first trimester in lockdown and therefore not getting myself ready as usual as there's nowhere to go and no one to see, I've been feeling a bit down about my appearance. For me I think there's some truth behind "look good, feel better" (looking good of course being totally subjective) and I wanted to get comfortable in my own skin again. So I bought the Caroline Hirons Skincare book, started paying more attention to what I use on my skin, and refreshed some of my cosmetics collection too... including what I use to fake a pregnancy "glow!"

A facial highlighter is something that's really only been made mainstream in the past decade or so - they existed but seemingly weren't a big thing until the Kardashians made contouring fashionable. Yet actually highlighting makes a huge difference to the appearance of skin and can really help complement facial features. I can give or take whether I want to shade under my cheekbones, but rarely will I neglect popping a highlighter on them - it just helps to give the skin's appearance an extra boost (especially if you've used a powder or matte finish foundation.) Yet despite these being a product I love, as somebody with very pale skin I sometimes struggle to find ones pale enough to work with my skin tone. However I was very keen to try the Second Skin Powder Highlighters from Jolie Beauty.

Jolie Beauty are a brand I know I can rely on for high quality, cruelty free and vegan makeup so I was so excited to give these a try and they didn't disappoint! The highlighters arrive boxed in the signature Jolie Beauty holographic cardboard packaging. (It's so lovely I want to keep it to repurpose for craft projects or scrapbooking.) The compact itself is a beautiful rose gold with a mirror inside and a secure click closure. They're generously sized with 13g product inside. I've never had a powder highlighter before that isn't a drugstore product and usually I find that these come shrink wrapped and in flimsy plastic cases which is wasteful. In addition to this, my last plastic highlighter compact broke and no longer closes which has resulted in product damage and waste. These Jolie compacts feel much more sturdy, protective of the product, and as they're also generously sized (my last compact was 8g so they're nearly twice the size) I know that these are a much better choice from an environmental perspective as they're going to last me for a lot longer and be more robust than my drugstore highlighters have been. Additionally, I don't need to use nearly as much product to get the glow that I want from these.

The formula is very finely milled and beautifully buildable. Rather than giving a glittery finish, it creates a smooth, sheer glow that lasts all day. They don't feel powdery or gritty - they simply have a beautiful sheen. They feel smooth to apply and you get lit-from-within results straight away.

I tried two shades: Saintly, a pale gold, and Dreaming, a light, warm champagne. As I have pale, cool toned skin I'd wondered whether the gold tones would work for me - usually I'd be inclined to go for a pale, rosy tone. However, they worked really well with my skin tone and I actually preferred them to the shades I'd usually go for. Some highlighters I've tried can leave almost a pigment on the skin, and I was concerned about having gold cheekbones, but this powder simply has a beautiful sheen in the light without leaving solid colour on the skin. This means that they look really beautiful on without being too "obvious" - although they're very buildable depending on how lit you want to look!

The thing I was most surprised by with these highlighters is that one day recently I got them mixed up in my makeup bag and I wore the darker shade of the two, Dreaming, all day and absolutely loved it. I genuinely thought I'd been using Saintly, the lighter of the two shades, so when I looked in my makeup bag and realised my mistake I was so surprised as I'd expected Dreaming to be a shade that was better for the summer when my skin is (ever so slightly) more sunkissed. I think this says a lot about how glowy the formula is, as I was able to wear a darker shade and still benefit from a lovely highlight.

Mamas, did you get a pregnancy glow or are you faking too? (If so, tell me your secrets!) Will you be trying these highlighters from Jolie Beauty?