MVHP: The Most Valuable Highlighter Palette

It’s confession time: I like highlighters, but I don’t L O V E highlighters like every overly effusive beauty guru on YouTube. That is until I tried the MAC Hyper Real Glow palette in Flash + Awe. It’s the first formula that has made me completely, truly, madly deeply fall in love with highlighting. I finally understand the appeal of applying so much highlighter that you could be mistaken for your own light source or visible from the International Space Station.

Okay, I’m being a little dramatic. The last glowy product that I felt this passionate about was MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle, but the Mineral Skinfinish texture is completely different. Hyper Real Glow leaves my skin looking wet and although it’s easy to go in heavy-handed – of which I’ve been guilty of countless times – it can also pack a punch without looking cakey or textured on the skin.

MAC sent over both palettes, Flash + Awe, which is more pink toned, and Get It Glowin‘, which is more golden. Immediately I gravitated towards Flash + Awe because it looked like the perfect companion to my pale skin and my instincts were correct. Get It Glowin’ would be perfect for medium and deeper skin tones, which is why this review focuses strictly on Flash + Awe.

The first shade in the palette, also named Flash + Awe, is nearly white with a golden quality, although it doesn’t seem to deposit any color on my fair skin, just sheen. Rosy Glow, the second shade, reminds me of my favorite CoverGirl blush (Snow Plum) but with a more refined powder texture.  The subtle pink sheen is barely noticeable, but it works with cool-toned looks and blushes seamlessly. Light of the Party, the last shade, was the one I was most wary of, but the golden glow isn’t too warm for my fair skin (MAC NC20, NARS Alaska). It’s especially nice with a bit of bronzer.

You might have noticed that the shade Light of the Party in my palette has been repressed because I knocked it off the table where it had been precariously stacked on top of five other palettes. While I wouldn’t call this formula fragile, I’m now too paranoid about breaking it again to travel with it. It’s not Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector fragile, but consider yourself warned.

In addition to wearing shades from this palette in the first image (which I took on my Samsung Note 5), I’ve included photos from three separate days & looks (taken with my Canon T3i DSLR) so that you could see how it sits on the skin. For $39.50, these palettes are an incredible value and very versatile. If you’ve got the room for another highlighter, I highly recommend checking the Hyper Real Glow palettes out.