Highlighter Throw Down: The Essence Pure Nude VS Catrice High Glow
Are you ready for the ultimate drugstore highlighter battle? Whether you're a fan of the glow or a beginner looking to dip her cheekbones into this trend, I'm sure you'll love the quality and price tags of these two fairly new highlighters. But which one should you get? Let's find out!
The Essence Pure Nude Highlighter (P379 for 6.5 grams) and Catrice High Glow Powder (P499 for 8 grams) have been making some noise in the international beauty scene because of their fine textures, subtle glow, and skin-like finish. They're both quite affordable and come in baked form. Currently, both product lines only carry one shade: 01 Be My Highlight for Essence, and 010 Light Infusion for Catrice.
Texture. I find the textures similar - they are smooth and while a bit dusty, doesn't look powdery at all. The shimmers are fine and well-milled so don't expect to find tacky sparkles here! Both adhere to skin with little effort whether I use a brush or my fingers.
Pigmentation and Finish. Both deliver a subtle glow to the skin and may be layered to get that flash of light (ala Becca or Sleek Solstice), but I find that inconvenient. If I wanted crazy bright highlighters, I would just go for those two products and save myself the hassle. However, if I wanted my skin to look glowy without being draggy, then I would definitely choose either the Pure Nude or High Glow.
It bears mentioning though that High Glow is a bit more pigmented than Pure Nude but not considerably so.
Wear time. As for the staying power, it's average for face color at around 3-4 hours before starting to fade. This isn't Becca in terms of wear, my dear Virginias, but they look fabulous for as long as they're on.
Color. Ah, and here the comparison becomes more exciting. Essence's Be My Highlight is a golden peachy champagne, not so different from the Estee Lauder Highlighter in Modern Mercury. It's a warm shade that would look fab on darker-skinned ladies; in fact, I even sometimes use it as a finishing powder ALL OVER my face to get a slight sheen.
Wearing the Essence Pure Nude on the bridge of the nose and cheekbones. Love how it's almost imperceptible but the glow is there.
Catrice's Light Infusion is a cooler, paler pearl color, which is more ideal for fairer ladies and those looking to highlight only select areas of the face (i.e. cheekbones, nose bridge, cupid's bow, brow bone etc.). I personally prefer Be My Highlight as an overall illuminator, while Light Infusion is a better highlight due to its pearly sheen and better pigmentation.
You'll notice how cool the Catrice High Glow is here. It really pops!
Cost per gram. Catrice is more expensive, but it contains 8 grams of product for P499, which means it costs about P62 per gram. Essence offers 6.5 grams of product for P379, which brings it to P58/gram. The price difference is not so large when computed this way.
Verdict. In the end, the highlighter you choose should depend on your coloring and purpose for highlighting. Get the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter if you want a warmer, subtler highlight and the Catrice High Glow Powder if you're looking for a more obvious highlight. Currently Pure Nude is out of stock until late December to possibly early January, so you must go to your fave Essence counter and sign up for the wait list. The High Glow is available though, so you can play with it na!
Which highlighter won your heart? Would love to know in the comments!
