Illamasqua's Illuminator was the first highlighter i ever really used. I did own one powder highlighter before purchasing this but used it very, very rarely and didn't really like the results when i did. This was actually one of the first Illamasqua products i tried, buying it in Belfast on holiday along with a couple of the Intense Lipglosses. I bought it in the colour Odyssey which has become a real staple of my makeup collection. Recently i bought a second colour, Fondle and there are a few others i love.
The Illuminators are basically a liquid highlighting product (similar to Benefit's High beam) that come in 6 shades that are reflective and twinkle beautifully on any part of the face. The colours go from basic highlighting whites, silvers and bronzers to liquid golds and pinks. They are easy to apply either with a brush or just fingers and can be applied very very sheerly for just a hint of shimmer or they are all pigmented enough to use as a blush or eye colour if you applied quite heavilly. It's also easy to control where you put the product as, while ther are a runny liquid, they stey put wherever you put them on your face, waiting for you to smudge and sheer it to your choosing. They dry completely quite quickly (though personally i've never had a problem with it drying before i am finished doing what i intended with it) and then will not budge from your face until you remove it (i have some swatches that are still on my hand from 2 days ago, despite my frequent hand washing). Once they're on and dry you can't feel them at all.
Fondle a beautiful pink with gold shimmer and Odyssey a pearlescent white.
I love using Odyssey heavilly on my brow bone and above my cupids bow and very very sheerly across my cheekbones and down the centre of my nose. Currently i've started using Fondle as a really gorgeous blush on it's own, or on the cheekbones slightly above another pink blush.
They come in the exact same packaging as the lipglosses and you get the same amount (7ml) but are £13 each instead of £12.50. While the packaging still looks lovely it is a bit less practical than with the lipglosses. The product is a lot more runny and less 'gloopy' than the lipglosses and as you have to squeeze the tube to get any product it's very easy to overdo it and end up with a huge puddle of illuminator that then goes to waste. I think these would have been better off with some sort of applicator brush or wand to help you get the right amount of product and make application a bit easier.
Having said that i would most definately repurchase these when they run out and really want some of the other colours available. They're probably the nicest highlighting product i've tried and i love the exciting colour ranges you can get. I bet the pink and gold colours would look amazing on people with tanned or dark skin.
