Images: Instagram
This is how a recent conversation went down at The Glow HQ (it’s also worth noting it was during the People’s Choice Awards red carpet and we’d consumed a lot of sugar):
KP: I think you spelt luminizer wrong.
NC: Sh*t, did I?
NC: No, I don’t think I did.
KP: Yeah, luminizer isn’t a word.
NC: Huh? It totally is…
NC: Isn’t it? Did I just makeup a word? Lum-in-izer… Ill-um-in-izer?
EV: Do you mean illuminator?
NC: No, luminizer is definitely a thing. You know Benefit’s Watt’s Up and Stila’s got one…
EV: Aren’t they highlighters?
NC: I think they’re called luminizers in the US, but highlighters and illuminators here.
EV: Ahh…
KP: Really?
NC: I don’t know. I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ANYMORE.
*Ends in sugar crash*Some days I yearn for the 3-step skincare routine of my youth. I had Blackmores cucumber cleanser, nettle toner, marshmallow moisturiser. Once a week, if I was feeling particularly diligent, I'd slather on Red Earth's Mud Mask, that was it. There was no serum, no micellar water, no precleanser, no 50 different face oils clogging up my bathroom cabinet.
Since confusing products and product names aren't just limited to skincare, we asked product guru, Paula Begoun, founder of Paula's Choice Skincare and Co-Author of Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me, about the difference between illuminators, luminizers and highlighters.
"In the world of skin care and makeup terms such as these are bandied about interchangeably without any real specific definition. However we would say that these three terms can generally be described as this:
Highlighter
Highlighter is any whitish, pinkish, or glowing powder or liquid that is meant to enhance the top of the cheekbone, centre of forehead, down the centre length of the nose and sometimes the centre dented area just above the lip (technically called the philtrum), directly under the eye brow. Highlighters are often also used with concealers to brighten the undereye area while further minimizing dark circles. Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Eclat Radian Touch is a classic example. I love the combination of a liquid or cream concealer topped with a sheer highlighter, though you can also choose a slightly lighter shade of concealer for use under the eyes and approximate this effect with just one product.