| Review | Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Skin Highlighter

| Review | Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Skin Highlighter 

Gleaming skin is the name of the game for the holiday season and just like many brands, Pat McGrath is bringing on the GLOW! This launch is quite exciting because while we see a  never-ending stream of eyeshadow palette releases from the brand, we rarely see highlighters. With Pat McGrath's luxury reputation all eyes are on her to deliver a high-quality highlighter. Read on to see if she delivers or if this pricy piece of glow is a pass. 

The Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Skin Highlighter retails for $65.00 USD and is available on Pat McGrath. This highlighter is housed in a beautifully opulent and heavy reflective gold compact. This compact is quite thick and the lid twist-off from the bottom revealing a whole highlighter. It is incredibly luxurious and it looks more like a jewelry box than a makeup compact. It is incredibly heavy, like a paperweight, which isn't ideal for travel but it is very luxurious. 

SHADE 

This highlighter comes in only one universal shade, which is meant to suit all skin tones. This shade does suit all skin tones. This highlighter is a rosy champagne shade that has a bronze undertone with a rosy golden shimmer. The rosy champagne base is not as strong as it appears in the swatches because the powder is very translucent. Read about the formula below to learn more about the finish. 

Heavily Swatched and Blended Swatch

Heavily Swatched and Blended Swatch

COMPARISON SWATCHES 

With so many highlighters being released this holiday, I'm sure you're wondering how this one compares. I have swatched this highlighter next to the Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Skin Highlighter, the Natasha Denona I Need A Nude Glow Highlighter, the Natasha Denona Tan Bronze & Glow Palette Glow Impact Powder (full review here), and the Burberry Essentials Glow Palette Medium to Dark Pink Champagne Highlighter (full review here). 

Swatches from left to right: Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Glow Highlighter, Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Skin Highlighter, Natasha Denona I Need A Nude Glow Highlighter, the Natasha Denona Tan Bronze & Glow Palette Glow Impact Powder, and the Essentials Glow Palette Medium to Dark Pink Champagne

Swatches from left to right: Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Glow Highlighter, Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Skin Highlighter, Natasha Denona I Need A Nude Glow Highlighter, the Natasha Denona Tan Bronze & Glow Palette Glow Impact Powder, and the Essentials Glow Palette Medium to Dark Pink Champagne Highlighter

FORMULA

The ever-popular gel-powder formula has been on the rise in the beauty industry and it's no surprise since it delivers a buildable pigment with a flawless finish. This gel-like powder is silky, smooth, and blends into the skin seamlessly. The pearls in this highlighter are ultra-fine and are completely incorporated into the powder with no visible particles of shimmer. The silky smooth and creamy texture blends into the skin almost like a cream highlighter. The shimmer in this highlighter isn't only incredibly fine, but the shimmer is almost-translucent, which is so unique! It just disappears into the skin and becomes an undetectable part of the skin. It won't emphasize texture or pores on the skin.

 

Since the powder has this translucent finish, if you apply it lightly, you will get a very natural and sheer glow. You can just keep building this highlighter until you get your optimal glow. If you're lazy like me, you can actually pack the powder onto your brush and apply it but you'll never get a streak! The powder just melts into the skin and blends out so easily. This formula is more about the translucent shimmer finish and not the rosy champagne base because the base color doesn't really show.

This extremely lightweight formula is so skin-like that it just lasts on the skin. You get the longevity of a powder formula with the finish of a cream formula. You can easily wear this highlighter for beyond 8 hours, depending on your skin type. Even if it fades, you the benefit of that translucent finish, which means it fades so naturally, you won't be able to tell. It will just become part of your complexion and still leave you with a  subtle glow. 

THE LOOK 

I applied this highlighter heavily to the cheeks here but you can't really tell because it just blends into the skin so seamlessly. There's clearly a glow at the top of my cheekbones but while strong, it still looks incredibly natural. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

The more I consider and talk about this formula, the more I realize how incredibly unique it is. The translucent finish of the powder truly sets it apart from other powder highlighters! This is probably the most undetectable powder highlighters I have used yet, it can still deliver some serious glow if built up! I think the shade is surprisingly universal because the finish of this highlighter is so sheer and translucent. This highlighter will really work for a wide range of skin tones. 

There are so many different ways to play with this highlighter and I love the versatility of this formula. The way it melts into the complexion like a cream but it has the longevity of powder is so special and unique to this formula. I would love to see this highlighter become a permanent addition to the brand or for the brand to come out with more highlighters with this exact formula! I can't recommend this highlighter enough! It has such a beautiful formula and it is such a joy to wear! This unique formula is so incredibly impressive and different from any powder formula I have tried! 

Shop Pat McGrath Labs: