Not that long ago, I thought highlighters were overrated and I didn't want to buy any of those shiny powders. I have a collection of Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks from back in the day when, ahem, I guess when I was young, and I was content. But then, I figured I might as well try that glow-in-a-compact trend and I fell for it, big time. While I still prefer my highlight subtle rather than metallic, I now wear some form of it every day.

I've really liked all the Lancôme highlighters that the brand has released in the past year or so, from the Glow Subtil cream to the Cushion, and yes, even the infamous Rose à Poudrer. So when the Dual Finish Highlighter came out, I grabbed one as soon as I could in the shade 05 Sparkling Pêche (pêche means peach in French). Was it as good as its predecessors? Let's find out!





First, a word about this new highlighter's name, Dual Finish. It's a reference to one of Lancôme's best-sellers that's been around for decades: the Dual Finish Foundation, a powder foundation that can be used wet or dry. Like the foundation, the Dual Finish Highlighter can be used dry with a brush or wet with a sponge, and it actually comes with a dense round sponge. Sorry I forgot to photograph it, but I've been upset with it from the beginning... It comes wrapped in plastic sitting on top of the compact itself in the cardboard box, and somehow it scratched the whole lid of my compact. I was mad when I opened that box! The compact itself is a black square with a gold strip, identical to the foundation's.




The Dual Finish Highlighter comes in 5 shades that should be familiar to anyone who's played with Lancome highlighters before, although the names have changed this time: Shimmering Buff, a pale white gold, Luminous Gold, a beige gold, Radiant Rose Gold, self-explanatory, Dazzling Bronze, a coppery brown, and the one I picked, Sparkling Pêche, a light peachy copper with warm undertones.

Sparkling Pêche looks quite orange and dark in my swatches, but I feel like it's lighter when blended on the cheekbones, so it's a great color for my skin tone: not too dark for a highlight, but not so light that it becomes ghostly. I know based on the swatches you may think it would be a bronzer for me, but it's really close to my skin color when applied lightly and diffused (I have no pic of me wearing it because I've been battling an eye infection this week, and trust me you don't want to see that... I'll update with a full face photo when I look human again!).




Quick comparison with Becca's best-selling Champagne Pop highlighter: Sparkling Pêche looks darker and more orange at first glance, but quite similar if applied wet. They're not dead on dupes, but if you have one I don't think you need the other, especially if you like to apply the Lancôme wet.




The texture is very unusual for a powder highlight, or at least it's not something I've personally ever encountered. It feels very dense to the touch but almost wet. I wouldn't describe it as creamy because it crumbles easily, yet it does have the thickness of a cream product. You can see on my dry swatch that it looks pretty chunky when applied heavily. When I first tried to use it with the wet sponge, the product basically fell apart in large chunks. It's like sparkles stuck together and were lifted off the surface, it's something you see sometimes in metallic eyeshadows.





Despite the initial negative impression I got from the texture, I have to say that it does not look very thick or heavy on the cheeks. It does melt into my skin fine and it doesn't particularly emphasize my pores of fine lines.

If I try to apply it very lightly for a subtle glow, I see visible sparkles sprinkled around my cheekbones, and that's not a look I like. However if I build it up, it becomes smoother with a finish that looks more even. That wouldn't be a problem for someone who likes a bold highlight, but for me that's disappointing because I can't get the subdued, refined glow that I prefer.

Lancôme claims that the Dual Finish Highlighter will look subtle if applied dry, and you know I don't really agree with that, and that using it with a wet sponge will create a more intense, metallic shine. Well, I don't think that's true either. The highlight isn't particularly stronger when wet, but it looks smoother and a tad bit lighter. See for yourself on the swatches!

Whether used wet or dry, this highlighter lasts all day on my cheekbones without fading, and I don't have sparkles all over my face at the end of the day, so the staying power is great, at least.



I think you won't be surprised when I say that the new Dual Finish Highlighter is not really my jam. This is definitely my least favorite highlight by Lancôme, and it's kind of the antithesis to the delicate La Rose à Poudrer: the texture is on the heavier side and it creates an intense, in-your-face metallic shine. It's not for someone like me who likes a subtle, healthy glow, but it may be the perfect addition to Lancôme's highlighter range: I think all the people who hated La Rose because they felt like it didn't show up might love this. So if you are into bold, metallic highlight, this might be right up your alley!






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