Benefit Cookie highlighter

My current highlighter of choice? The Benefit Cookie highlighter. I bought this when I was in New York and immediately put it to good use. I made it part of my November Shop My Stash and loved it so much that I continued it into my December Shop My Stash. So for me to keep a product around for another month means I genuinely like it. So what makes me love Benefit’s Cookie so much?

Benefit Cookie highlighter // Review, Swatch & Makeup Look

That Benefit do some great cheek products is no secret. I love their boxed blush in Coralista which is one I have used so much that I hit pan on it this summer. So the love runs deep. I also love Dandelion Twinkle, which is a highlighter they released previously. The only downside to these lovely products? They are expensive for what you get. Each box has a different weight, but they all retail for around the €35 price point.

The Packaging

As mentioned, this highlighter comes in Benefit’s iconic boxed packaging. Most of their cheek products come in these rather bulky boxes. While pretty and distinct, they aren’t the best for storage. They are a bit big to store and I feel these boxes could be half the thickness if it didn’t come with a strange and not very useful brush. There is a mirror in the lid, but it is rather small and not the most easy to use because it is buried in the packaging which won’t say open by itself. So the packaging is a bit cumbersome.

The Highlighter

Cookie is in fact Benefit’s newest launch together with Tickle. These were first released as part of cheek palettes but were just recently put out in single style packaging. Cookie is the lighter, more champagne one of the two and that is why it appealed to me the most. It is super shiny though and it even has a bit of glitter in it which is visible in certain lighting once applied to the cheeks.

The Swatch

But what truly matters when it comes to highlighter is how it applies. When you swatch this you get a super foiled, metallic product. This is of course in a finger swatch, so when you use a brush this won’t be as intense. This highlighter has a gel to powder texture meaning it can take a bit of work to pick up the product with a brush. The best way to apply this is with a fairly dense brush as a fluffy one will have problem picking this up. Once applied, you get a stunning highlighted look that is a bit more cool toned without being too icy.

The Application

On the cheek the champagne base of this product pretty much disappears and you’re left with that intense shine. You can clearly see the micro sparkle on my cheeks which with this product I really don’t mind. It is not as if you look like a glittering disco ball. Instead, you get a very strong sheen that is not for the faint of heart. This highlighter does not scream natural, but is definitely more full on than many other highlighters out there.

My Final Thoughts

Can you tell I love the Benefit Cookie highlighter? Apart from the packaging this is exactly what I want it to do. I love a good intense highlighter, but if that is not you then do not pick this up. This is one that you have to like and I feel that it is a great one if you like an intense highlighter with a bit of glitter running through. I never thought I’d like a bit of glitter in a highlighter, but I feel it works really well in this one. If you just want to try it out, Benefit also does a lot of their products in mini, travel sizes which are half the price. So I hope they will start doing that soon for this too.

Do you prefer a more intense or a more subtle highlighter?