The Best Highlighter Palettes for an Easy, Effortless Glow

Highlighter is your go-to radiance multitasker, so it’s little wonder that it’s constantly popping up on red carpets and celebrity makeup artists’ must-have lists. Just a dab of highlighter on your brow bone can make your eyes look bigger, while a swipe across your cheekbones gives any makeup look a swoon-worthy glow. 

And with so many great highlighter options, it can be hard to pick just one. Thankfully, investing in a highlighter palette means you don't have to. The best highlighter palettes have a range of colors and shades for every skin tone and season, so you can get a bronzed blush or a silver shimmer with just one product. 

Below, we've listed our picks for the best highlighter palettes that work on a variety of skin tones, from fair skin to darker skin and every shade in between, that you can reach for whenever it's glow time.

1. Buxom Cosmetics Divine Goddess Luminizing Highlighter Palette

This luminizing glow kit offers a trio of gel-to-powder highlighters that flatters all skin tones and all undertones to sculpt and enhance your natural beauty. The palette features three universal shades for getting a natural glow: Venus (an iridescent champagne), Luna (a soft golden peach), and Athena (a glowy bronze). 

To apply the gel highlighters, simply use your fingers or a small makeup sponge (like Morphe's Highlight + Contour Beauty Sponge Duo) and swipe the intensely-pigmented shades on your cheekbones, brow bones, and the tip of your nose after contouring.

2. Huda Beauty 3D Highlighter Palette in Pink Sands

HUDA BEAUTY’s 3D Highlighter Palette in Pink Sands offers a range of colors that are gorgeous on light to medium skin with pink undertones. The palette also flatters all skin types with its combo of two textures: one creamy melted strobe and three pressed powder highlighters. 

Capri is great on the high points of your face, like your cheekbones and brow bones, and apply Ibiza after applying bronzer to give the apples of your cheeks a healthy rose-gold flush. Get your glow on by mixing and matching all the shades and textures—and with how blendable this luminizer palette is, you'll never have to worry about streaking or caking.

3. MAC Cosmetics Hyper Real Glow Palette

MAC COSMETICS’ Hyper Real Glow Palette offers three beautiful shades of gold luminizer that are especially stunning on dark to deep skin with warm undertones. Get It Glowin’ is a fleshy peach with a soft gold undertone, Gold Coasting is a pure champagne gold, and Rosy Cheer is a deeper rose gold bronze. These creamy powder highlighters give a next-level highlight for the perfect natural glow. 

Use these luminizers as shimmery bronzers after contouring, or wear them with just concealer and a few swipes of mascara for a natural, sun-kissed glow.

4. Pür Cosmetics Quick Pro Highlight Palette

Looking for a full-strobe luminizer that’s as good for the body as it is for the face? PÜR COSMETICS’ Quick Pro Highlight Palette is gorgeous on all skin colors and undertones, as it contains six shades that are perfectly blendable and buildable. Pick from Twilight (light pink frost), Sultry (warm light gold), Sunset (peach with gold shimmer), Starbright (champagne), Frostbitten (white gold), or Gold Rush (yellow gold) to create your perfect glow. Try using a fan brush like Luxie Beauty's LUXIE 560 Medium Fan Brush to apply your highlighter to the high points of your face, including the center of your forehead, top of your cheeks, brow bone, Cupid's bow, and the bridge of your nose.

5. Bellápierre Cosmetics Glowing Palette

BELLÁPIERRE COSMETICS’ Glowing Palette meets the beauty needs of all skin colors, undertones, and social occasions. The six illuminator options are Moonshine (light silvery pink), Stellar (icy pink), Glimmer (honey champagne), Beam (yellow gold), Amorous (deep rose), and Gilt (warm bronze). Formulated with a blend of natural ingredients, the highlighters practically melt into the skin when you layer them. Whether you’re going for a natural, ethereal, or bombshell makeup look, sweep your chosen colors on and wow the world.