A shiny gem in Lancôme's Holiday 2016 makeup collection, called Paris en Rôse, the new Cushion Highlighter brings together two of the products we've seen trending this year, the highlighter and the cushion compact. With its unusually short and to-the-point name, the Cushion Highlighter needed a long subtitle: Highlighter Cushion Compact Absolute Weightlessness & Glow. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Let's see how absolute a glow it creates and if it's really weightless!




The first thing I need to mention is, of course, the packaging. I've used my share of cute cushion compacts now, like this one, but the Cushion Highlighter is by far the prettiest! All black inside, the little box closes with a golden lid that's covered in gold sparkles on the top. This sparkling lid twinkles and shines in the light, the effect is really beautiful and mesmerizing. And despite the bling aspect, the compact still looks very elegant and high-quality with its minimalist lines.




If you've never used a "cushion compact", a makeup packaging concept coming from Asia, here's how it works: the compact contains a liquid product, here a highlighter, housed in an inner container that closes tightly (see the second lid that opens to the side in the pictures?). The whole space of this inner jar is occupied by a sort of airy sponge soaked in the product. If you press the sponge with your finger, the included applicator or a makeup brush, the liquid highlighter rises. It sounds weird, and it is confusing the first time you see it, but it's actually very practical: it's a great way to make liquid makeup easy to transport safely. It has it downsides too: products in cushion compacts usually expire faster than similar ones in a tube, and for foundations cushion often contain much less makeup than your typical tube or bottle.





Inside the cushion, the highlighter looks like a peachy beige liquid and it doesn't appear very shimmery. Don't be fooled though, once applied to the skin, it becomes VERY glowy, a lot more than I expected, and a lot more than you'd think based on the swatches. It's actually quite metallic, with an almost wet look. For this reason I think that people with oily skin might find that it makes them look too shiny. You really need a tiny amount if you want to achieve a subtle highlight!




The Cushion Highlighter contains both ultra-fine micro-shimmer and larger sparkles. Those glittery particles are visible on the skin if you look closely, and that's not my favorite finish for a highlighter. However from a normal viewing distance, they become unnoticeable, and what's left is the wet-looking glow. It's a serious glow, so be prepared to shine! The pale beige shade doesn't add any color to my skin tone, but I think it could show a little yellow on very pale cool-toned skins.

Just as promised, the texture is absolutely weightless. It doesn't add any texture to the skin when applied lightly, whether used on top of liquid or powder foundation. One thing I noticed however is that you can't blend it too much, or the sparkles start getting loose and travel across your face. I've tried three different ways to apply it: with my fingers, with the included sponge applicator, and with a synthetic brush. My favorite method is the brush, as it offers more control. I prefer a soft, looser brush rater than something too densely packed. Fingers worked okay, but with the sponge applicator I ended with waaayyyy too much highlighter on my cheek bones... I had to go to work with metallic robot cheeks, haha! Once it dries, the Cushion Highlighter won't budge, it lasts all day without fading at all.





I like my highlighter very subtle, so I personally prefer Lancome's recently released Glow Subtil. However if you like a stronger, more metallic or wet-looking highlight, or if you want to shine for the Holidays, I think you'd absolutely love the Cushion Highlighter. It would also make a great little holiday gift for a makeup lover!



The product featured in this review was purchased by Lulle. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links.