If you’ve learned to apply highlighters from a YouTube video, you must be following the classic approach, i.e., dusting shimmer across your cheekbones and calling it a day. What if we tell you there’s a better approach that would complement your Indian skin better? This blog breaks down exactly where to apply liquid highlighter on Indian skin, where to skip, and the technique that makes it look like your skin is glowing rather than greasy.
Why Application Technique Matters More On Indian Skin
Indian skin has a natural luminosity, and on top of it, warm undertones amplify light differently. The problem isn't the highlighter. It's applying it the same way a fair-skin tutorial tells you to. Too much product on the wrong area, and you don't look glowy. You look sweaty. The Indian climate adds another layer. Humidity means sweat on your face can very well disperse your powder highlighters everywhere except your face.
This is why House Of Makeup’s Starry Night Pearly Glow Liquid Highlighter is a lightweight liquid formulation with crushed pearls that makes it ideal for textured skin. This highlighter is specially formulated with film formers that give it a silky, satiny texture and make it glide on skin. Available in 4 gorgeous shades, specially made for Indian brown skin tones, Starry Night is packed with skincare ingredients like goji berry extract, sunflower seed oil, cranberry seed oil, jojoba oil, and has NO toxic ingredients.
Here's how to get it right.
Step-by-Step: How to Apply Liquid Highlighter On Indian Skin
Step 1: Do Your Base First
If you're using the Face Anything Luminous Skin Tint, let it sit for 60 seconds before adding the highlighter. This prevents the two products from mixing and shearing each other out.
Standard practices preach that highlighter goes on after your base. However, if you want a glowing minimalistic routine, you can also mix a few drops of Starry Night Pearly Glow Liquid Highlighter with Face Anything Luminous Skin Tint. This will not only give you a glowy base, but also gives you an event-ready glow for the perfect photographs.
Step 2: Warm The Product First
Pump one drop of Starry Night Pearly Glow Liquid Highlighter onto the back of your hand, not directly onto your face. Body heat softens the formula, making it easier to blend. Cold formula applied directly tends to streak, especially on dry patches.
One drop is enough for both cheekbones. Two drops if you're also doing the inner corners and cupid's bow. More than that and you're overdoing it.
Step 3: Use Your Ring Finger, Not A Brush
For liquid highlighter on Indian skin, fingers beat brushes every time. The warmth helps with blending, and your ring finger applies the lightest pressure, which is exactly what you want for a natural finish. A brush can lift your base underneath and leave streaks.
Tap and don't swipe. Place your fingertip on the product, press it lightly onto the skin, and release. Repeat to build up. Swiping drags and disrupts the base.
Where To Apply Liquid Highlighter On Indian Skin
Cheekbones
The top third of your cheekbones and not the whole cheek is where highlighter belongs. Find the highest point by smiling lightly, then apply just above that. On Indian skin, a small amount here reads as a healthy glow. Too much, or going too low toward the apple of the cheek, looks shiny rather than sculpted.
Inner Corner Of The Eyes
A tiny amount at the inner corner of each eye makes your eyes look larger and more awake. On Indian skin in particular, this works well because the contrast between your liner on the lash line and the highlighter at the corner is more pronounced. Use a very small amount with the tip of your ring finger, lightly tapped.
Cupid's Bow
A single tap of highlighter along the cupid's bow, that is the upper arch of your lip, makes lips look fuller without filler. On medium to dusky Indian skin, this works especially well with warm-toned lip colours like nudes and browns.
Bridge Of The Nose
Highlighting the bridge of the nose is a technique, not a rule. On Indian facial structures, the nose bridge is often broader, and a stripe of highlight down the centre can widen it further rather than slim it. If you want to use it, apply only to the very tip of the nose, not the full bridge, and blend into nothing at the sides.
Where Not To Apply Liquid Highlighter On Indian Skin
The Forehead? Definitely Skip It
Unless you have a very specific editorial look in mind, the forehead is not a highlighter zone for Indian skin in everyday wear. Indian skin tends towards producing more oil in the T-zone. Adding highlighter to the forehead makes you look shiny by hour two, not glowy.
Areas With Texture Or Active Breakouts
Liquid highlighter draws light to wherever you put it, which means it also draws attention to texture, open pores, and breakouts. If you have acne-prone skin, stick to the cheekbones only and skip the nose entirely. Starry Night Pearly Glow formula is non-comedogenic and won't cause breakouts, but it will highlight existing ones if placed on them.
If you're managing active breakouts, read our piece on skin tint for oily and acne-prone skin before building your base, as the right base makes a significant difference to how highlighter sits.
Under The Eyes
Highlighter under the eyes is a common mistake. It sounds logical to brighten the dark area, but liquid highlighter doesn't cover darkness; it reflects light. On darker under-eye circles, reflective product makes the shadow look deeper, not lighter. Use a peach or orange colour corrector under your concealer instead.
Which Starry Night Pearly Glow Shade Works For Your Skin Tone
Getting the right shade is as important as technique. The wrong highlighter shade, especially one that's too silvery or pink, reads as grey or ashy on warm Indian undertones.
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Moonlight: Adds luminosity without washing out fair skin. The most subtle of the four shades.
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Meteorite: The everyday shade for fair-to-light Indian skin. Sits between pearl and gold.
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Nebula: Flatters the warm-neutral undertone common in medium Indian skin without going too pink.
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Starburst: Tailored to suit medium to deeper skin tones with higher melanin. On dusky skin, it reads as a warm, natural glow rather than shimmer.
Not sure which skin tone category you fall into? The guide on understanding Indian skin tones covers every tone from fair to deep with undertone mapping; start there before picking your shade.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I mix liquid highlighter into my skin tint?
A. Yes. Add one drop of Pearly Glow to your skin tint or foundation before applying. This gives an all-over luminous base rather than a targeted highlight. Use less product than you think; start with half a drop.
2. Should I apply highlighter before or after setting spray?
A. Before. Apply your highlighter as the last step of your makeup, then set the whole face with setting spray. This melds everything together and locks the highlighter in place without flattening it.
3. How do I fix over-applied highlighter?
A. Lightly press and don't rub. A clean sponge or dense brush over the area. This absorbs excess product and diffuses the intensity. Rubbing will drag and disrupt the base underneath.
4. Can I use liquid highlighter without any base makeup?
A. Yes. A single drop on moisturised skin at the cheekbones gives a no-makeup glow that's completely wearable for everyday. This works especially well on Indian skin, which carries natural warmth, as the highlighter amplifies rather than creates the glow.