Drugstore Highlighters for Dark Skin Tones Finally Exist

If you walk down the makeup aisle at your local drugstore, you'll notice that pretty much all of the highlighters on the market are a pearly one-size-fits-all, and there definitely aren't specific highlighters for dark skin tones. But that supposed "universal shade" isn't as flattering on dark skin tones as it is on my pale skin. Instead, the pearly highlighters tend to look less lit-from-within, and more ashy and chalky. Boo. NYX, however, has the solution to the drugstore highlighters for dark skin tones dilemma. The NYX Bright Idea Illuminating Sticks come in 12 shades, including two that work well for dark skin tones. Finally, my friends with dark skin tones who want poppin' cheekbones don't have to turn to Sephora and Glossier for more topaz-hued choices.

I got a tip about the highlighters after trolling around on Reddit. (I swear, this is purely for research purposes.) User lion_queen posted on the Makeup Addiction subreddit, saying "Haven't seen this talked about: NYX has some highlighters for dark skin that are some of the first I've seen in the drugstore range!" She attached a screenshot of NYX's recent Instagram post. The picture was a repost from @cocoaswatches, an Instagram account that posts swatches of makeup for underrepresented complexions. I wanted to see what these $8 highlighters were all about, so I tried out two of the shades on some Allure editors. Spoiler alert: They loved them.

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Learn how to contour your cheeks:

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I went around the office to swatch Sandy Glow (a bronze) and Maui Suntan (a caramel) on our editors with darker skin tones. Both shades blended seamlessly into their skin, giving them a super pretty, natural-looking illumination. Sandy Glow looked great on my testers with golden undertones, and Maui Suntan flattered reddish undertones. Here is Amber Venerable, one of our senior photo editors, faithfully arm modeling them:

Hannah Choi/Allure

Sandy Glow is on the left, Maui Suntain is on the right.

After this picture was taken, she asked if she could keep them. Of course, I couldn't say no.

The NYX Bright Idea Illuminating Sticks are available now at your local drugstore and nyxcosmetics.com. Again, they are just $8.

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