9 Highlighting Techniques That Took Over Instagram in 2017

Once upon a time, highlighting was strictly done as a complement to contouring. People would use a lighter shade — usually with a hint of shimmer to it — in conjunction with a darker shade to sculpt their faces like a Kardashian. Soon thereafter, highlighting became its own thing and spawned strobing, which let illuminating products stand on their own to make skin instantly look brighter than any skin-care product could.

Now, the amount of ways you could deck your cheekbones out in shiny stuff is endless. Beauty brands are launching highlighters on seemingly a daily basis in a plethora of shades, textures, and finishes. It's simultaneously overwhelming and exhilarating, even for the most eager aficionados. Most highlighters have one goal in common, however — to make your skin appear about as radiant as the sun.

1. Flare

A makeup artist who goes by @thestudyofmakeup and only @thestudyofmakeup racked up almost 62,000 Instagram followers in 2017 based on a highlighter technique that looks just like a lens flare. She spritzes a dense eye shadow brush with setting spray before coating it with pearly white powder highlighter. Then, she packs the pigment onto the highest points of her face. When the highlighter is this concentrated, she told Allure it reflects light better. Finally, she tops each cheekbone off with Swarovski crystals. This addition helps create that undeniably blinding flare in photos.

2. Glazed Doughnut

Krispy Kreme's "Hot Now" light does have a desirable glow to it, but makeup artists have been looking to the brand's actual confections for inspiration. Makeup artists like Nikena have been coating their cheekbones in highlighter to make them look just like glazed doughnuts. (Yup, hair colors weren't the only trends that took cues from food.) You can check out a list of highlighters that will give you that glossy, carb-free glow here.

3. Neon Strobing

Neutral-hued highlighters are fun and all, but you could also turn your face into a laser tag birthday party — in the best way possible. Makeup artist Dezzy Lopez, an 18-year-old from North Carolina better known as @dezzzymua on Instagram, showed us how to strobe with neon highlighters. He sweeps neon highlighters from Lime Crime and Chaos Makeup onto the high points of his face and collarbones to make his skin glow more like a Lite Brite than the sun.

4. Glass Skin

This year, the phrase "glass skin" was everywhere, and K-pop stars have become the poster children for it. BTS, a seven-member boy band from Seoul, made their American debut on award show red carpets, and people collectively drooled over their crystal clear skin. In addition to the thorough skin-care routines they revealed to Allure, their makeup artists amp up their pore-free faces with the ever-so-subtle shine of highlighter.

And BTS isn't the only group with glass-like skin. A member of EXO named Chanyeol also went viral for his glow while in London for the Tommy Hilfiger fall 2017 show. Fans were convinced he broke into a compact of Fenty Beauty's Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Trophy Wife before filming the quick clip for W Korea.

5. Trophy Wife

Speaking of Trophy Wife, the gilded highlighter in and of itself has spawned a new technique, and it can be spotted from a mile away. Makeup artists have been sweeping this Fenty Beauty fave on every single high point possible, including brow bones and the tip of the nose, so it looks like they basically washed their faces with it. When you have such an unparalleled metallic shade in your beauty arsenal, how could you not want to bathe in it?

One makeup artist even replicated the look with a $1 alternative from a dollar store.

6. Purple

Purple was the first unexpected highlighter color to make its way to cheeks. If you take color correcting into account, it cancels out the sallowness of dull, tired skin. The unicorn-inspired hue steadily picked up steam throughout the year but reached its height when Rihanna tried out the trend for herself. You can find some of our favorite ones here, but my favorite is the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Prismatic Amethyst.

7. Wet

You don't have to hop on a stationary bike at SoulCycle to get that post-workout glisten. Dewy highlighters are the secret to getting a natural-looking glow without breaking a sweat. You can find the go-to's from a few pro makeup artists here. Nam Vo, in particular, prefers Marc Jacobs Beauty's Dew Drops to create that wet effect.

This technique is particularly effective for selfies. A teen who goes by @milkeu_tea on Instagram broke down all her steps to capturing a prime glowy snapshot, and it involved creating a dewy base with a BB cream like BareMinerals's Complexion Rescue and blending Maybelline's Master Strobing Stick onto cheekbones.

8. Holographic

In addition to highlighters in nearly every variation of ROYGBIV, color-changing formulas exist, too. If you pick one with a clear, opalescent base like NYX's Away We Glow Liquid Highlighter in Liquid Prism, the holographic highlighter will secretly transform your skin into a rainbow. Everyone will find out the truth when the light hits the high points of your face at an angle. You can also turn yourself into an alien by using a highlighter with a pastel purple or peach base, like Milk Makeup's Holographic Sticks. No matter which one you choose, you're sure to have a multi-dimensional glow.

9. Galaxy Sunset

Highlighter queen @thestudyofmakeup went viral for a second time in 2017 with another highlighter technique she dubbed "galaxy sunset." Honestly, I couldn't come up with a better name even if I tried. The spot-on moniker refers to the technicolor effect she created on her face with bold eye shadows and a paste she concocted with pearly loose powder highlighter and setting spray.

Make your world glow in 2018 with these stories:

Now, see what happened when we tried out a secretly rainbow highlighter:

Follow Devon Abelman on Twitter and Instagram.