just right before i departed to US, there was quite an uproar regarding charlotte tilbury dupe, both for its blush/highlighter and their liquid contour wand. brands like tarte, milani and flower beauty came out with similar products and everyone wanted to try it first. thus making them sold out everywhere. there was not enough reviews yet so i was hesitated whether to blindly buy it to try it myself or just wait and see. however, i knew that i have to replace my old highlighter stick because it's been in my collection for around 5 years. it's way past its expiration date. honestly, since i've been using makeup regularly, i've found out my preference. i won't buy a powder highlighter because usually it will show my texture, especially now that i'm getting older. and i won't buy another cream stick highlighter because it will take forever to finish. i don't like blinding highlighter and don't like dewy balm highlighter as well. i like something that's still show up on my skin and looks natural. i was particularly interested in flower beauty because i've had good experience with their products. i don't need high end highlighter and the reviews on their liquid highlighter so far was good, so i decided to just look for it. i was lucky when i spotted them on CVS. i quickly snatched the opal and tried it instantly.
anyway, talking about flower beauty, just after they released the highlighter, they released the liquid contour as well. which is eerily similar to the famous CT contour wand and most people said that it's a dupe. however, unlike the highlighter, the liquid contour doesn't have good reviews. some people are on the fence about this product because it dries down quickly, too quickly even. and it might look patchy. so yeah, i decided not buying that one even though i spotted one when i bought the highlighter.
this is the description on their website: get a fresh, healthy-looking glow with spotlight liquid highlighter makeup. infused with moisturizing ingredients to keep skin hydrated, this revolutionary formula effortlessly blends the finest pearls into skin, leaving a dewy, luminous finish. features a unique, soft cushion applicator to precisely dispense product directly onto skin.
- radiant, pearlescent glow. dewy, radiant finish.
- infused with moisturizing goji berries and cranberry seeds.
- optical soft focus effect
- cruelty free, vegan, gluten-free
key ingredients: goji berries, cranberry seed oil, sunflower seed oil, jojoba seed oil, vitamin c
the packaging: there's no box or backing or whatsoever. there's only the tube and they sealed the area around the cap with plastic sealing. there's description at the back of the tube. the body of the tube is color coded according to the shade. glowy beige for the opal, pink and bronze for the other two. there's the name of the shade at the back, but there's no difference in the font size so it's a bit hard to read it. there's a white plastic cap to cover the sponge tip. just like CT, they also use a sponge tip to dispense the product. i don't know about CT, but for flower beauty, you can twist the body near the sponge tip and there's an on/off marker. the product can only come out of the sponge tip if you twist it to 'on'. anyway, the highlighter is 14 ml. i don't know how much it is as this is my first liquid highlighter. i just hope that i can finish this one. a little update: since the highlighter can ooze onto the sides of the sponge as well, it stains the inside of the cap and makes it messy. really messy. i have to wipe it once in a while so it won't mess my fingers.
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| the tube |
the color: as i've mentioned before, there are three shades to choose from. opal which is a white gold highlight. gleam is a rose gold highlight. and gilded is a bronze highlight. mine is opal which is a white gold highlight. on me, it looks champagne gold, and i guess it's made for fair to light skin tone, so it's suitable for me.
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| description at the back |
the product: as i've said before, this is a liquid highlight. once i squeeze the tube, the liquid highlight will come oozing from the sponge and i dot it on my face directly. since it's liquid, it's easy to spread around before it dries down. i don't know about the contour, but the highlight doesn't dry down too quickly. i have enough time to blend it before it dries down. but again, i only use it one area at a time to avoid the problem, so it might be fast drying for you if you dot it all over first then blend it. however, as time goes by, since every time i squirt it out, there will be some that i can't use, it stains the sponge thus stains the inner part of the cap. then, after awhile, there's nothing that can come out of the top part, so it all comes out from the sides. thus making a mess even more.
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| the sponge tip. at the bottom, there's the on/off direction but it's all messy now, sorry |
the result: this gives glowy finish without any glittery spark. it's similar to my previous highlight stick, in my opinion. once it dries down, it doesn't budge, but it still transfers to my mask or my finger if i poke it. if you put it directly on your face, and doesn't blend too much, it will give blinding highlight. but if you put some on your hand and then dab it on your face, it will give subtle highlight.
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| left: how it looks like on my hand right: how it looks like on my face |
this highlighter is just what i hoped for. easy to use and the result if just what i hope for. not too blinding. not glittery, but still gives some glow. anyway, flower beauty isn't available here, so it won't be easy to get. you have to order it from a preorder system. even though there are only 3 shades, i hope there's something for you. but if you have fair to light skin tone, opal will be good for you. price wise, if you're paying in the same currency, of course it will be affordable. but since i'm paying in other currency, it's not so affordable anymore. i believe local brands have more less expensive option. but again, if you're curious, this one worths the money. i'm happy with my purchase and plan to use it until i can finish it or until it's expired.
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