Ultimate Guide To Highlighting With Allergen Free Eyeshadows For Face And Eyes | Red Apple Lipstick

There is a magical little trick in the makeup world known as highlighting. This simple optical illusion draws attention to the eyes, makes them look brighter and bigger, helps the face appear more lifted, and can give you an overall more youthful look.

Why Highlighting Is So Magical

This guide uses allergen friendly, talc free eyeshadows as highlighters so even sensitive eyes can enjoy that bright, lifted effect. Highlighting is especially helpful on mature or hooded lids, where darkness can make the eyes look more closed or tired.

I used my mother as a model here. She has hooded eyelids, so it is important for her to use lighter shadows on the lid to avoid extra shadowing or darkness. For her look I applied Porcelain all over the lid and even along the lower lash line to cancel out some of the purple tones. Then I tapped Buttercream onto the inner third of her eyelids. Over that I added a soft wash of Iced Mocha across the lid and a touch on the brow bone.

To frame everything, I defined her brows with Yes You Canyon, applied The Lash Project Mascara, and finished her lips with a soft swipe of gloss for a fresh, brightened look.

Three Point Face Highlighting Map

Everyone wants to look refreshed and glowing. One of the easiest ways to get that facial glow is to highlight strategic areas of your face. A simple three point map can brighten your features and even make your face appear slimmer.

Target these three key points with your highlighter:

• Down the center of your nose.
• At the top center of your forehead.
• The area right above your lip, also called the Cupid’s bow.

This pulls the eye into one vertical line down the center of your face, which gives the illusion of a more contoured, sculpted look.

One of the best and easiest ways to get that facial glow is to highlight areas of your face.

What Highlighting Does To Your Face

When applied in the right places, highlighting can make you appear more youthful by creating the illusion of glowing, healthy skin. A well placed highlight emphasizes the areas you want to show off, like cheekbones or Cupid’s bow, and quietly downplays others, such as a wider nose or heaviness around the eyes.

If the highlight is too strong or placed everywhere, it can make the whole face look shiny or washed out. The secret is selective brightness. A light hand and the right shades keep your glow controlled and flattering.

High Points And Hollows Of Your Face

What Are The High Points Of Your Face

The goal of highlighting is to give your face a beautiful, natural glow and to make certain facial features stand out. The high points of your face are the areas that naturally catch the light.

Key high points to emphasize:

• Temples.
• Brow bones.
• Cheekbones and apples of the cheeks.
• Bridge of the nose.
• Jawbone, lightly.
• Cupid’s bow above the top lip.

How To Find The Hollows Of Your Cheeks

Knowing where your cheekbones are makes blush, bronzer, contour, and highlighter placement much easier. If your cheekbones are not very prominent, try this method to locate the hollows of your cheeks.

1. Start at your mouth. Your cheekbones run from the outside corner of your mouth, through the fleshy part of your cheek, up toward your earlobe.
2. Use your fingers or softly suck in your cheeks. Your fingers will find the bottom edge of the cheekbone.
3. Feel for the dip. The slight hollow that forms is the hollow of your cheek.
4. Place your products. Blush goes on the apples of your cheeks, bronzer sits in the hollows, highlighter sits on top of the cheekbones, and any contour shade belongs just underneath the cheekbone for extra definition.

How To Highlight Your Eyes With Eyeshadow

There are two main areas of the eyes you will highlight: the inner corner and the brow bone. These placements instantly make the eyes look more open, rested, and lifted.

Inner corner: Highlighting from the inner corner to about one third of the way across the eyelid makes the eyes look bigger and more awake. A soft shade like Innocence or Pixie Dust works beautifully here.

Brow bone: Adding a highlight to the brow bone gives the eyes a lifted appearance by drawing attention upward. You can use the same shadow you used on the inner corner, or choose a matte shadow that is one or two shades lighter than your natural skin color, such as Clean Slate or Porcelain. Any lighter eyeshadow will help brighten the area where you apply it.

How To Choose A Highlighting Color

1. Day Versus Night

For an everyday or more natural look, reach for a matte eyeshadow that is just a shade or two lighter than your skin color. For daytime that still feels special, you can use a subtle shimmer in the inner corner and keep the brow bone matte. For nights out, weddings, or any time you want extra glow, you can go stronger with a shimmering shadow.

2. Finish

Matte: Matte highlight shades are great on everyone at any age. They give a very natural, softly brightened look on the lids, brow bone, and face.

Shimmer: There are many degrees of shimmer. A soft sheen is flattering for special occasions and glam looks. Stronger shimmer or glitter is best kept to an evening eye, rather than all over the face.

Pearlescent: Pearly shadows are gorgeous. They create a smooth, lit from within glow wherever you apply them. Because the minerals are milled to a fine powder, pearly shades are extremely wearable and do not look chunky.

3. Skin Color

Here we are talking about overall skin depth rather than undertone. Are you light, medium, or dark? Use that as a guide when picking a highlight shade.

• Light skin often looks beautiful in softer, muted highlights such as Porcelain, Pixie Dust, or Iced Mocha.
• Medium skin can lean into warmer shades like Sand Castle or Like U Latte.
• Darker skin glows with rich, luminous tones such as Champagne or Golden Ticket.

4. Eye Color

Eye color is not the most important factor, but choosing a highlight that plays nicely with your iris can make the whole look feel more cohesive.

• Blue eyes glow with Iced Mocha and Sand Castle.
• Green or hazel eyes look beautiful with Sand Castle and En Pointe.
• Brown eyes shine with Golden Ticket and Champagne.

Bonus Ways To Highlight With Eyeshadow

You can also use highlighting eyeshadows in peach, coral, beige, or soft white tones on other areas of your face. The most popular spots to highlight with eyeshadow are the upper cheekbone, bridge of the nose, and Cupid’s bow.

Shadows with a slight shimmer or pearlescent finish, like Bronze Bombshell or Blondeshell, work well on cheekbones and Cupid’s bow. For the bridge of the nose, many people prefer a more matte option a few shades lighter than their skin color, such as Clean Slate or Porcelain.

When you apply foundation and concealer, you essentially create a blank canvas. Going back in with bronzer, blush, and highlighter adds dimension again so you look alive and radiant instead of flat.

Real Customer Highlighting Tips

• 

  Ashley: “I use Porcelain the most as a highlighter and base. I love that it brightens up my eyes and makes me look more awake in a subtle way. If I want a slight shimmer I will use Buttercream or Sand Castle. For me anything with a peachy or yellow undertone works best. Even on days where I do not feel like going all out, I at least apply Porcelain or Buttercream so I do not look so tired.”

• 

  Andrea: “My favorites are Innocence for my inner eye and Iced Mocha or Porcelain for my brow bone.”

Highlighting Shadow Swatches And Video

Below you will find a swatch video of our favorite highlighting shadows so you can see how they catch the light in motion.

You can recreate the looks in this guide using light, bright shades such as Porcelain, Buttercream, Iced Mocha, Champagne, and Golden Ticket, paired with deeper shades like Espresso or Hello Darkness for soft contrast.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this guide. We hope you found it helpful. Tell us in the comments if you already highlight or if you will be trying it with your favorite RAL shadows.

FAQs

Quick recap

• Use lighter eyeshadows on high points to pull features forward and darker shades in hollows to create soft depth.
• Focus on inner corners, brow bones, cheekbones, nose bridge, and Cupid’s bow for a bright, lifted effect.
• Choose talc free, allergen friendly eyeshadows in matte or pearly finishes for the most wearable highlight.