We Tested Out The €6.50 Highlighter That Broke The Internet

As soon as I heard about Barry M’s Illuminating Strobe Cream breaking the internet (it sold out on ASOS and has amassed a tonne of rave reviews from bloggers across the globe) I knew I needed it.

So naturally I hotfooted it down to Boots to make the purchase only to find it had completely sold out. Damn. Not to be deterred I returned the next day to find that it had been restocked in one shade: frosty pink, which I brought home to try out.

The deets

The illuminating strobe cream is a chubby-stick-shaped, cream-based highlighter that retails at the teeny tiny price point of €6.50. Bloggers love it for its ease of application, its lightweight, creamy texture and it’s glow-from-within finish.

I tested it out and here’s what I thought…

The first thing I noticed was the lack of pigmentation. I plastered this highlighter on fairly heavy-handedly and was surprised at the minimal colour pay off. For an illuminating strobe cream it was a bit sheer.

When I looked at it a bit closer I saw it didn’t sit on my skin well at all either. It separated my oil-based foundation underneath and did not blend #rage.

But all was not lost…

I soldiered on with a water-based foundation the following day and this is when the highlighter really worked its magic. As you can see here it is a nice sheer glow, reminiscent of Benefit’s High Beam and I reckon it gives a natural looking, healthy glow to the skin.

I strobed the tips of my cheekbones, cupid’s bow, brow bones, inner corner of my eyes and the tip of my nose, because why not?

I also used it as a base for a powder highlighter and it worked really well. It helped my powder highlighter stay on for longer which is always a plus.

Conclusion:

If you use an oil-based foundation maybe give it a miss but water-based foundation gals get excited to try it out. For extra gorge points apply it to your eyelids before shimmery eyeshadow.

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• make-up