IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator

IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator

theBalm’s Mary-Lou Manizer is still one of my all-time favorite highlighters but, being a beauty junkie, I can’t remain satisfied. I’m always on the hunt for the next best thing and, in the search for the ultimate highlighter, I decided to give IT Cosmetics’ Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator ($24) a try.

The creme is supposed to give the skin a “lit from within” glow that’s luminous but not shimmery or sparkly, and the live demo I watched on QVC was quite convincing. No matter how much product they piled on the model’s face, it looked amazing. I bought it hook, line and sinker.

If Shiseido High Beam White, one of the subtlest highlighters that I know of, was a little too understated for you I suggest giving the Hello Light creme a go. I consider it a small step up from Shiseido High Beam White; it’s still extremely subtle but it provides a bit more glowiness without obvious shimmer.

The Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator is an unscented, pink-beige color that has a lightweight, non-greasy, creamy texture. Applied to the skin, it’s weightless and doesn’t leave a sticky residue.

Surprisingly, I find the Hello light creme to be a little more user friendly than High Beam White. It’s odd because powders are usually easier to work with than creme products, at least in my experience.

The problem that I had with High Beam White was that while it worked amazingly for me when I was very pale (<NC15), I ran into problems using it when I developed a tan. The whiteness of the powder made a stark contrast against my tanned skin, especially if I piled on the powder for a stronger glow. With the Hello Light creme, I can really go heavy-handed with it and it never looks obvious. I think that’s due to the creme illuminator’s sheerer, more flesh-toned pinkish base that layers more easily. If you take a look at the photos below, you’ll notice how harsh the whiteness of the Shiseido powder is when it’s swatched heavily. Compare that to the softer transparency that the IT Comsetics creme possesses; it gives the skin more glow than High Beam White but with less color, if that makes any sense, so I feel that it would work on a wider variety of skin tones.

Unfortunately, the Hello Light creme is still too subtle for my tastes. Although I appreciate the usefulness of understated highlighters such as High Beam White and the Hello Light creme, I’ve come to the realization that I like my highlighters to have a stronger impact than either of these products.

IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator

IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator

IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator

IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator

IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator

IT Cosmetics Hello Light Anti-Aging Crème Radiance Illuminator

Left to right: LORAC Spotlight, thebalm Mary-Lou Manizer, IT Cosmetics Hello Light Creme Radiance Illuminator, Shiseido High Beam White

Left to right: LORAC Spotlight, thebalm Mary-Lou Manizer, IT Cosmetics Hello Light Creme Radiance Illuminator, Shiseido High Beam White