URBAN DECAY Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter

[Purchased]

Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighters (0.23 oz.) individually retail for $26 USD ($32 CAD) and is available in 3 permanent shades. They are said to be "a super-soft, long-wearing, blendable powder highlighter for strobing."

* Aura is described as a iridescent light pink. [P]

* Fireball is described as a peach w/ pink shift. [P]

* Sin is described as a champagne. [P]

"Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighter is finely-milled to perfection for a lightweight (yet luxurious) result with an ultrasoft, creamy texture. It goes on sheer and blends in easily so that you can apply just a little or a lot. The wearable formula applies seamlessly, no matter how much you build it, and it has shades that are suitable for any skintone. It creates a radiant, strobed effect that lasts all day—and never leaves just a powdery dusting of shimmer. Infused with light-diffusing pigments, it enhances and perfects the skin."

The packaging is a metallic silver compact with a transparent window in the shape of the brands logo which is intended to show the color of blush—it's very similar to the Afterglow Blushes. They feature a magnetic closure and the sticker is color coded depending on the shade.

Aura is a light, white pink with cool undertones and a frosted, luminous finish. The texture was soft, smooth and blended out incredibly easily without emphasizing pores or imperfections, even when applying a heavier amount. It had semi-sheer but buildable pigmentation and left a nice, noticeable sheen on the skin. Aura wore well for +8.5 hours before fading. (5/5)

* MAC Pearl Blossom (LE) was darker, warmer, more pink. Laura Mercier Devotion was warmer, more metallic.

Fireball is a medium, muted peach with pink and copper shift, warm undertones and a luminous, pearl finish. The texture was again soft, smooth and easy to blend out on the skin. On most skin tones, this highlighter will certainly come off as more of a blush or blush topper, especially since the luminous sheen wasn't as strong as the other two shades. The pigmentation was also more sheer, but remained buildable to a degree. Fireball lasted +8.5 hours before fading. (5/5)

* Urban Decay OC (LE) was darker. Anastasia Beverly Hills Hard Candy was darker, slightly warmer.

Sin is a light, beige gold with warm undertones and a frosted, luminous finish. The texture was very soft, smooth, finely-milled and easy to blend. The color payoff and sheen was much stronger than the other shades which unfortunately did cause it to lightly enhance the look of pores if too much product was applied—a lighter hand or a fluffier brush will certainly help with application. Sin wore well for +8.5 hours before fading. (5/5)

* Becca Moonstone was less metallic. NYX Ritualistic was darker, less metallic, golden. Too Faced Warm Glow was darker, less metallic.

Overall, the Afterglow Powder Highlighters do exactly as they claim—they have a soft texture that is easy to work with, incredibly blendable on the skin and have semi-sheer yet buildable color payoff that lasts a full eight hours! Similar to the Afterglow Blushes, the softer consistency can cause loose product to be kicked up in the pan, but it never looked powdery or heavy on the skin.

These highlighters are much more forgiving during application, you don't necessarily need a lighter hand or a fluffier brush—it's hard to go overboard and apply too much product that would normally enhance unwanted skin textures. Whether you're in the market for a new highlighter or you're simply interested in checking these ones out, I certainly recommend trying them!

Available now from Sephora & Sephora Canada