Rare Beauty Outshine Positive Light Liquid Highlight Review & Swatches

Outshine

Rare Beauty Outshine Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight ($22.00 for 0.5 oz.) is a brighter, light-medium gold with moderate, warm yellow undertones paired with a luminous, lightly metallic sheen. It was very brightening, shiny, and more pearlescent when applied with just the “one to two dots” recommended by the brand, and when layered or applied more heavily, was beaming, intense, and full-on metallic. There was slight emphasis of my skin texture when worn at a more intense level of glow, though.

The texture was very lightweight, thin, and more serum-like with a lot of slip but didn’t feel watery at all. It applied well over bare skin and base products regardless of whether I used fingertips or a synthetic brush to apply it, which made it one of the easiest shades to work with in the range.

The coverage was nearly opaque in a single layer of product and more medium/semi-opaque if applied just barely dabbing onto the skin (and diffusing it outward). For more opaque coverage, two to three gentle dabs per cheek was pretty much there, so for sheerer coverage, one gentle dab diffused out would be a good starting place. It lasted nicely for nine hours before fading slightly on my skin.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

Colour Pop Goody Two Shu (LE, $8.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
Milk Makeup Iced (P, $28.00) is less shimmery (90% similar).
Tarte Burst (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
Colour Pop Bullz Eye (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Tarte Hi-Fi (-, ) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
Lancome Gilded Gold (LE, ) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Natasha Denona Light (PiP, ) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Hourglass Champagne Strobe Light (LE, ) is warmer (90% similar).
Urban Decay Beauty Beam #2 (LE, ) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
Tarte Gator Wings (LE, ) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$22.00/0.5 oz. - $44.00 Per Ounce

It's supposed to have "superfine, light-catching pearls" that can be built up from "soft sheen to pure pop." Per the description, it is intended to be used as a standalone highlighter--applied over liquid, powder, or cream--or mixed with foundation. It worked well on bare skin as well as over foundation, and it was mixable, though the style of applicator made it less readily mixed into foundation compared to a dropper. I had slight lifting issues with certain shades, but it was less prone to doing so overall.

The coverage was more controllable than with the liquid blush, but a little went a fairly long way; the brand recommended using "1-2 dots," which yielded a softer sheen with more medium to semi-opaque coverage that could be sheered out. It was buildable and easy enough to layer for higher coverage, if desired, and it was easier to build up than it was to really sheer out from over-application of product.

The brand doesn't comment explicitly on the pigmentation but rather bills it as having a buildable glow (as in the shine/shimmer, which is finish and not actual color!). They show opaque swatches in the promotional imagery and recommend the same application as the liquid blushes (which they do say are very pigmented).

The texture was lightweight, emollient, and more serum-like and spread well whether I used fingertips or a brush. I didn't find it was particularly prone to lifting up base products or foundation, but it was easiest to work with using smaller amounts and building up or applying to the back of my hand and swirling a brush into it, which seemed to help it "dry out" a bit and be less emollient.

It didn't have a fully transfer-proof dry down, but it did softly set so it had shine and sheen but didn't slide around while worn. The shades wore well for eight to nine hours on me before fading a bit. In general, I think it's a very good formula but like the liquid blush by the brand, there is a bit of a learning curve.

I'm still on the hunt to a linkable video or source, but I had some readers say they heard it in a livestream/live that the brand designed the packaging to be easier to work with for those who have mobility issues in their hands (like arthritis). The rounded, knob-shape was easier to grasp, especially as it was more of a soft matte than glossy matte, than a typical highlighter. It would be great to see ridges running around the knob/top, though, as it would make it even easier to grip!

Browse all of our Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight swatches.

Ingredients

Isododecane, Mica, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Hydrogenated Styrene/Isoprene Copolymer, Octyldodecanol, Dimethicone, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera (Sacred Lotus) Flower Extract, Nymphaea Odorata Root Extract, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isostearic Acid, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tin Oxide, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, [+/- May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77499)].