So...We’re Highlighting Our Ears Now

What Is the Lobe Strobe?

A lobe strobe is exactly what it sounds like: highlighting your earlobes and other high points of the ear to give them an unexpected flash of shine. Think of it as taking the highlighter you’d normally sweep across your cheekbones and letting your ears get in on the glow.

“You’re adding a touch of luminosity to the earlobe, tragus, or the upper curves of the ear so that when the light hits, you get this really subtle flash of glow,” celebrity makeup artist Melissa Hurkman tells IPSY.

JOUER COSMETICS founder Christina Zilber describes the effect as “[ear] jewelry without the jewelry.” Depending on the product and placement, the look can range from an almost undetectable sheen to full-on metallic ear art.

Why Is the Lobe Strobe Trending Again?

Like so many beauty trends making a comeback right now, the lobe strobe has roots in 2016. Bretman Rock famously highlighted his ears a decade ago, during an era when highlighter wasn’t exactly known for subtlety. Now, the concept is resurfacing with a slightly different feel.

“We’re seeing it reinterpreted in a much more refined way,” says Hurkman, who notes that the lobe strobe revival started gaining attention again this summer. Instead of simply extending your cheek highlighter to your ears, today’s takes range from glossy, barely-there sheen to metallic pigments, rhinestones, and full-on ear art.

And part of the appeal may be just how low-stakes it is. “I think people love the trend because it’s playful, incredibly easy to recreate, and adds a little something extra to an otherwise simple beauty look,” says Zilber.

How to Do the Lobe Strobe Makeup Trend

Start With a Cream or Balm Highlighter

You don’t need much to try the trend at home. “You really only need a great highlighter and a small brush or even your fingertip,” says Hurkman. For the most control, she recommends starting with a cream or balm texture, which makes it easier to concentrate the glow exactly where you want it.

Highlight Where the Light Naturally Hits

Rather than covering your entire ear in shimmer, start by tapping product onto the areas that naturally catch the light, like the earlobe, tragus, and upper curves of the ear. Zilber likes using her fingertips to lightly tap JOUER COSMETICS Powder Highlighter onto these areas for a subtle strobe.

Keep It Sheer or Build Up the Shine

For an understated take, Hurkman recommends CATRICE COSMETICS Glass Like Highlighter Stick, which she says has “that transparent, dewy base with a fine golden shimmer rather than looking like a stripe of heavy highlighter.” Zilber similarly recommends using a tiny amount of JOUER COSMETICS Luminizing Glow Serum for a glossy-looking sheen.

Want your ears to be the main event? Build up your highlighter or experiment with metallic finishes, colorful shimmer, or rhinestones. Hurkman recommends CATRICE COSMETICS More Than Glow Highlighter when you want more impact.

8 Lobe Strobe Makeup Looks We Can’t Stop Thinking About

There are numerous ways to rock ear highlighter, but we wanted to share a handful of takes that really caught our eye.

1. Pedal to the Metal

“Love Island” star Olandria Carthen helped kick off the resurgence with this molten-metallic look from Ngozi Edeme (better known as Painted by Esther). Edeme delivered an ear you could hang in the Louvre with this one.

2. The Bedazzler

More is more, and we love more. This bedazzled look from makeup artist Reetta Korhonen will get you all the attention. And if your ear is your favorite body part, this a great way to show it off.

3. Dripping in Gold

Musician Manon proves that gold is her color with this ear art, also from Painted by Esther. Why add a little highlight when you can apply it to your entire ear?

4. Iridescent Sheen

BLACKPINK member Jennie also joined in on the fun with an iridescent strobe on her ear at the Met Gala. If your hair is going to be up, you might as well make sure your ears look good.

5. Unicorn Vibes

Why put just one highlighter color on your lobes when you can make it mystical with a few swipes of pastel perfection? Case in point: this look from makeup artist Loni Baur.

6. The Light in the Dark

Light up the night with help from this multicolor look that will have you glowing through anything.

7. Green With Envy

Hurkman “used rhinestones to lobe strobe Sydney Harper for a green Swarovski crystal ear.” Needless to say, we’re envious of how stunning Harper’s ear looks.

8. Throw It Back

Embrace 2016 completely with this throwback look. Go bold with bright eyes and lips, big brows, and highlighter everywhere you can fit it.

Is the Lobe Strobe Actually Wearable?

As dramatic as some of the looks on our feeds may be, you don’t need to coat your entire ear in metallic pigment to get in on the trend. A little strategic sheen can make just as much of an impact.

“Beauty trends are at their best when they don’t take themselves too seriously, and this is such a fun example of that,” says Zilber. “A touch of glow is such an easy little detail that can completely elevate a look.”

Hurkman agrees that the trick is making the trend work for you. “The lobe strobe doesn’t have to mean glittering ears,” she says. “It can simply mean paying attention to those final little details that make a makeup look feel complete. A tiny amount of luminosity in an unexpected place can make the skin, jewelry, and entire look feel more elevated.”

And really, isn’t that what a good beauty trend should be? A little weird, incredibly fun, and easy enough to try before your next night out. Catch us highlighting our ears accordingly.