11 Best Liquid Highlighters for An Effortless Glow 2024

There are many ways to achieve glowy skin, but nothing makes it as effortless and seamless as liquid highlighters. Sure, powdery formulas have long been a cult-favorite (Becca Champagne Pop, we’re looking at you), but there’s no denying that liquid makeup products offer something different. These shimmery options can be just as pigmented and blinding as their powdery counterparts, all while being extremely easy to build and blend with the rest of your complexion essentials. The best part? There’s plenty of options now now that they’re making a comeback for 2024 makeup trends, especially if you like a more natural side.

Best liquid highlighters, at a glanceBest Liquid Highlighter Overall: Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer, $25Best Pigmented Liquid Highlighter: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand, $42Best Lightweight Liquid Highlighter: Saie Glowy Super Gel, $16Best Affordable Liquid Highlighter: NYX Professional Makeup Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator, $10Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

I converted to team liquid highlighter not so long ago, but once I did—I never looked back. I’m all for reducing the amount of time that it takes for me to get ready, especially on office days when I only have less than 15 minutes to do my usual everyday look. And nothing cuts down my makeup routine better than opting for liquid and creamy formulas.

Out of all products I’ve tried, I found that liquid highlighters are the most versatile. They’re one of those multi-task makeup products that you can use in every way possible to get your most dewy, “glazed”-looking skin yet. Personally, I love mixing a few drops in my foundation for an all-over glowy finish, dabbing a bit on the high points of my cheeks and even popping a bit on top of my eyelids for a glossy look.

Some darker shades can even be used as bronzing drops, while others can work as body highlighters (hi, REFY Body Glow)—ideal for when you want to channel your inner bronze goddess. Long story short, there’s no limit as to how you can apply a liquid highlighter. Simply experiment and find out your favorite way to glow.

The best liquid highlightersTo help you narrow down your pick, we’ve put together a handy guide of the very best liquid highlighters for the days when you want to look just a tad more radiant. From affordable finds to premium buys, trending ones and the all-time classics that stood the test of time, plus a few newer releases that have just landed on the Glamour beauty desk, these are the ones worth trying. So read up and get glowing.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Best Liquid Highlighter Overall: Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer

Why we love it: This liquid highlighter from Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty is dewy, lightweight, long-lasting and designed to work for all skin tones and skin types. The best part is that its formulation contains a botanical blend of white waterlily, gardenia and lotus, which helps to nourish and soothe the skin with each application. In her Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer review, Glamour contributor Lauren Dana says it’s extremely long lasting: “I left it on for well over eight hours, during which I went to brunch with my husband, worked up a sweat on the treadmill, took a nap—hey, it was the weekend—before going out again later in the afternoon.”