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What it is · How to use it

Highlighter

Highlighter is a light source you are painting on. Put it where light would land, and nowhere else.

Where does highlighter go, and how much is too much?


The important distinction is sheen versus sparkle. Glitter particles catch light as individual points and photograph as texture — which on skin means they exaggerate every pore they sit in. A finely milled sheen photographs as skin.

Highlighter also magnifies whatever is underneath it. On textured or congested skin, less is genuinely more.

How to use it, step by step


  1. Apply along the very top of the cheekbone, the bridge of the nose, the cupid's bow, the inner corner of the eye.
  2. Use a fan brush for control — a dense brush deposits too much at once.
  3. Never on the apple of the cheek. That is where blush goes; highlighter there reads as shine.
  4. Keep it off any area with visible texture.
  5. For photography, apply less than looks right to the naked eye. Flash multiplies it.
  6. A touch on the collarbone and shoulders finishes a caftan or takchita look.

The mistakes that cost you


  • Highlighting over foundation that has not been set, which lifts the base.
  • Using a glittery formula for a flash-photographed event.
  • Highlighting a wide area rather than a narrow strip.

In Morocco specifically

Moroccan bridal photography is heavy on gold — gold jewellery, gold thread, warm gold lighting. A smooth sheen sits with that; a cool silver sparkle fights it. Having a warmer and a cooler shade lets you match the metal the client is wearing.

The highlighter in this kit


Knowing how is one thing. Ninety minutes on the morning is another

I bring every product on this site to brides across Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech and Tangier — matched to your skin, your caftan, and the light you will actually be photographed in.

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