Review: Illamasqua 'Aurora' Gleam Highlighter

Greetings from the Dark Side~

Remember the Illamasqua Generation Q collection? It seems like so long ago! I've still have continued to use and test the products I bought from that collection, one of those products being the famous Gleam cream highlighter in 'Aurora'.

Something that I love about Illamasqua is that their collections are not limited edition and they will have the entire collections on their website for a long time. So if you are interested in this highlighter, you can still purchase it.

                                                                     Product Information                                                          

Product:	Gleam Cream Highlight in the shade 'Aurora'
Brand:	Illamasqua
Price:	$26 (Sephora.com) or  £18.00 (Illamasqua.com)
Color:	A light champagne with a yellow-gold undertone.
Texture/Finish:	Creamy, almost a whipped-mousse type of texture. The cream highlitghter is a little chunky so just make sure to blend the product into the skin really well. It has a frosty finish that reflects light.
Pigmentation:	The color isn't super pigmented (which is good because you don't want a really obvious color on your cheekbones), but you don't have to pack this on to have a great highlighting effect.
Application:	I find it easier to apply this with my fingers, but you can also apply this with a brush or sponge. If you apply this with a brush, make sure that the product doesn't cake up or else it is going to look really weird on your skin.
Wear (comfort):	This wears very comfortably on my skin. It is not sticky, dry, or anything like that.
Wear (time):	3-4 hours
Dupes? Similar products?:	Pumpkin & Poppy 'Lady of Light' cream highlighter.

                                                                               Review                                                                       

     I have shared my thoughts on this highlighter in the past, and my opinion really has not changed much. I really like the color and the effect of this highlighter. The light champagne-gold looks amazing on the cheekbones, and it gives the skin a wonderfully whimsical illumination. It is not the most natural looking highlighter, but it blends well into the skin and it doesn't look fake. 

     What  I do not like about this is the texture and the wear. This does not last at all on my skin. In 3-4 hours (at most), it has already disappeared from my skin. It is also turns my cheek area a bit shiny and oily (and I have dry cheeks!), so I don't recommend this for people with really oily skin. The  texture is very mousse-like, a bit chunky and crumbly. That might sound weird, and that is because it is weird. The highlighter is a cream, but it is just not as smooth as you would think a cream should be like.

     I hate to compare products too much, but I really must. Look at the two pictures below. The first is the Aurora highlighter and the second is the Pumpkin & Poppy Lady of Light highlighter. Pay attention to the texture of both products.

I have used the P&P highlighter much more, but you can see that it has a very smooth surface, while the Illamasqua one looks totally insane. This is because the texture of the P&P highglighter is so much better. It is smoother than Aurora, but not as creamy as Aurora. Because of the different texture, the P&P highglighter applies much easier on the skin and it has a much longer wear time (about 6-7 hours on my skin). The P&P highlighter is vegan, hand-made, and costs $9.75, much cheaper than Aurora. 

                                                                              Swatches                                                                     

                                                                              Verdict                                                                      

     Although I absolutely love Illamasqua products, I don't particulary love this highlighter. It is pretty good, but it has some major faults. Keep in mind that products work differently for every single person and this is just my experience with this product. I also just so happened to find a cheaper product that not only works better for me, but that is also cheaper and inspired by the great world created by J.R.R. Tolkien :)

Would I repurchase?: No. Not unless they changed the formula.

Rating: 7/10