2018 was the year in which I tried holographic highlighters. After trying Becca’s Prismatic Amethyst and loving it, I knew I had to try and find a more affordable dupe. So I made it my duty to find a cheaper alternative to one of my all time favorites. When Maybelline released their new Master Chrome highlighters, I was super excited and when I saw the line came with a holographic highlighter, I knew I had to try it. Could this be the affordable Becca dupe I have been waiting to find?
Maybelline Master Holographic Prismatic Highlighter 50
While the Maybelline highlighter is most definitely cheaper, it is still €14.99 here in The Netherlands. For a drugstore highlighter that is still quite a bit of money. That is why I bought mine in the UK where the Maybelline Master Chrome highlighter retails for just £8.99, which in today’s currency rate would mean €10. That is nearly 5 euros cheaper. Yet, Maybelline is often on sale, so you can easily get this at a more affordable price point. Just know that if you are in a different country, you may find it for cheaper than I would.
The Packaging
The Maybelline highlighters come in the most basic of packaging. There is nothing wrong with that though because it means that this is all about the product. There is no mirror, no brush and the compact feels a bit flimsy, but overall the packaging is functional which is of course all it needs to do. You also get a decent amount of product: 8 grams to be exact which is more than you will ever be able to use up.
The Highlighter
I picked this shade out of all the shades available because the other two Molten Gold and Molten Rose Gold seemed a bit dark for my skin tone. This is a huge step from those two shades though and when I looked this up online, it seems as if the shade range has been extended to include some lighter shades. Those new shades just haven’t made their way over here yet, but I can find them on the Boots and Superdrug websites.
Since I was looking for a more affordable version of my beloved Becca highlighter, I thought that this may be a good alternative. As you can see the powder looks white in the pan, but there is a nice shine to it when the light hits it. Like many holographic highlighters this has a shift to it. The shift on this highlighter is more a pink than a lilac purple though, which is what the Becca does.
The Swatch
When I first swatched this, I was still hopeful, but I wasn’t wowed by it. As you can see this looks like it is filled with little shimmer particle, which is usually not the sign of a good highlighter. The highlighter is light enough for my skin tone, but if you do not have a cool or neutral undertone, then this may not be for you, even if you’re fair skinned. These holographic highlighters are not for everyone and I think this may just be a bit too icy for most people.
But that is not what threw me off on this one. It is the formula. This highlighter is so difficult to pick up. Either with a finger or with a brush, the texture of this highlighter is so dense it is almost creamy. I tried everything to get a good pay off, but no matter what I do, from scratching the top off, to rubbing it hard with a finger, I never get a good shiny result. This highlighter doesn’t build up and stays looking sheer and glittery.
The Application
The result after all that hard work? Rather disappointing. I can barely get this highlighter to apply to my skin. If I already had trouble picking this up with a brush, I have even more trouble getting it from the brush onto my skin. I used three different brushes, each usually gives me an increasing amount of glow. With this highlighter none of them worked. Tapping it on with a finger didn’t do much either as the product just stuck to my finger rather than my cheek bone.
The Conclusion
The Maybelline Master Holographic highlighter looked so promising. After hearing so many people raving about the Master Chrome highlighters I was certain this would be a great one. Sadly, this holographic highlighter just doesn’t live up to the hype. It took a lot of effort to apply just a little bit of product. This is definitely not the dupe of my beloved Becca highlight I had hoped it would be.
What holographic highlighter do you like?