Makeup Revolution VIVID Baked Highlighter

I received numerous inbox messages for picking up my pace and reviewing these highlighters ASAP. What with all the buzz surrounding highlighters and dewy skin, everyone is bound to go gaga over these budget beauties recently launched in Pakistan. Makeup Revolution VIVID Baked Highlighter is available in two shades - Peach Lights and Golden Lights. Spoiler Alert - They're gorgeous. But do they perform well? Let's see:

Makeup Revolution VIVID Baked Blush retails exclusively at Reforma.PK and Daraz.PK for PKR 550. It comes in a black plastic pan with clear lid similar to that of Makeup Revolution blushes. However, the pan is much bigger in comparison to the blushes, so you get a good amount of product that should last you for a long time - even if you use it daily. Globally, VIVID Baked Highlighters have three shades - Pink Lights, Peach Lights, and Golden Lights. Makeup Revolution Pakistan launched 2 shades, which I am guessing, are considered more flattering to the desi skin tones.

PEACH LIGHTS is a cool peach-pink highlighter with fine silvery shimmer.
GOLDEN LIGHTS is a an opal-gold highlighter with tiny golden shimmer.

These beauties come in a swirly design which reminds me of MAC and MUA highlighters. A good thing I noticed in the first few swatches of these - The fallout is minimal. I have used both for more than 4-5 times each and the design is intact. It could even pass off as new. Not that I am trying to con-sell these, but just saying... I can. If I wanted to. But I don't. :-P
Unless you give crazy brush-swirls in the pan, you won't notice the fallout. It amazes me because even my NARS blushes have more product fallout than I would like. Have to appreciate Makeup Revolution for nailing this!

Let's discuss their performance now - The Peach Lights highlighter has been used less than the Golden Lights merely because my skin has strong yellow undertones and I don't personally find the shade to be extremely flattering on me. Having said this, I should mention it does blend well and doesn't leave a white-ish cast at all. Warm-toned beauties can use this as well if they're going for makeup look with silver or cool undertones. It would definitely be more appropriate for cool-toned ladies with pale-medium complexions. I applied Peach Lights very lightly on the high points of my cheek-bulbs and it looked nice over a flush of pale-pink blush. It stayed on for over 4 hours, until I removed it myself. It didn't do anything to cause or control my oiliness. It didn't settle in my pores, but whenever I wore this, I always opted for pore-filler or primer underneath. You can see it has pinkish color itself, but that doesn't show when applied. The swatch was done heavily, so that is more prominent in the picture below. Have a look before I give my verdict on Golden Lights:

Under Direct Sunlight

Under Indirect Natural Light

Under Indoor Light With Flash

I have taken these pictures with minimal editing or any alteration, so everyone can see how the swatches look. Both these highlighters are insanely pigmented, as these swatches were taken using a brush with 3 or 4 swipes only.

On to the Golden Lights - Ah, I am smitten by this beauty. Internet is raving about this already. The buzz is that this is a dupe for NARS Albatross. I don't own one, so can't say anything about that yet. If you own both, do let us know your thoughts! The comparison with Mary Lou Manizer shall be discussed in a separate post. I have combined a feature to share & discuss my Highlighter collection :-) To give you a summary, Mary Lou is more champagne and buttery than Golden Lights. That still doesn't downplay the gorgeousness that is this highlighter!

I brought this along to wear over the Eid and dinners. I applied it with fingers (oh yea! The last-minute rush is always insane), and also used a stipling and a blush brush for it. You need just a light hand a little amount for it to rock your face into dewy-awesomeness. It blended like a dream and stayed intact through the crazy BBQ heat and windy weather. I blotted my face often, so it might have faded a little because of that, but gave me a wear time of over 4 hours nonetheless. I took it off myself, so I have yet to see if it lasts even longer than that. For the price, you can't beat it. Especially when these don't have loose glitters in them to make your pores prominent. This one I wore with/without foundation and primer, yet never faced an issue of making my pores look like craters.

One beef though, the packaging appears sturdy-ish. However, the clasp or closure of the Golden Lights highlighter doesn't "click" shut to my satisfaction. It might just be a packaging flaw of that particular piece because the Peach Lights packaging doesn't have this problem. Also, it isn't so loose that it would break or open within my bag. Still, it is something which makes me feel I should be careful. If you have kids or clumsy-thumbsies, you need to take care of this :-)

Let me give the verdict, if it isn't quite obvious from the line 1 of my review :-)

I would strongly recommend the Golden Lights as your budget highlighter because it ticks all my desi check list items - Affordable, Pigmented, Smooth, Longlasting, Awesome! You can get Makeup Revolution VIVID Baked Highlighters from Reforma.PK and Daraz.PK for PKR 550.

If you have used these, let me know your feedback in the comments below. If not, which one would you like to buy?

Cheers,

Bia

Disclaimer: This post may contain PR samples given for review. The opinions expressed are unbiased & honest depending upon my experience.