Zoeva Soft Sun Highlighter Cinnamon Sky review

Whoops! A bit later than usual, but I still wanted to get something up today. With all this working from home, I am finding I spend way more time behind my laptop and so I thought I’d need a laptop free day on Sunday. As I currently getting ready for the day, I figured I could still pop in here and update you one one of my favorite products in my current shop my stash: the Zoeva highlighter in Cinnamon Sky. Why do I like it so much? Read more to find out!

Review: Zoeva Highlighter Cinnamon Sky

Before we get into the product itself, let’s talk specifics first. This is one out of four shades in the Soft Sun Glow Lights collection. Launched last summer as a limited edition, these are still available from the official Zoeva website. They retail for €18 and when you look at these shades more closely, you’ll find they are very similar to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushes. I own several of those, so I wanted to try these. The Zoeva product is marketed as a highlighter though, not as a blush and each one of these is unique. I picked mine up from Sephora France last summer and just opened up every single one until I found one that had the most white in it. That’s why mine is so pale. If you order these online, this may not look like this. These retail for €18 by the way.

What makes this highlighter so special?

Why did I want to pick this up? You may know that I love Zoeva as a brand. I have quite a few of their eyeshadow palettes, but I hadn’t tried too many of their complexion products. I have tried a few that came in collection sets, but hardly any of their singles, save for one lonely blush. So when they launched these I was quite intrigued. Not only because they resemble one of my favorite high end products, but also because it is a Zoeva product and those I generally like. Cinnamon Sky was not the shade I thought I’d pick. Moonlit is very similar to Hourglass Mood Exposure, but I decided to get this in the end as I felt it would work better on me as a highlighter.

What I like about this highlighter

So why did I decide to buy this? I already mentioned that I opened a few of these to find one with the most of the pale champagne shade. Since each one is mixed and pressed differently some of these look darker or lighter. This was the shade with the most paleness to it and since this is supposed to be a highlighter I figured this would possibly work best on me. The other shades were just a bit dark and would be more of a blush or blush topper on me. In the end I liked the shade and texture when I swatched this in store enough to give it a whirl. One thing you have to know about these though: this is not a metallic highlight, but this has some noticeable sparkle.

How does this swatch?

Sparkle, I hear you say? Yes, sparkle. Not exactly glitter but this formula has some chunkier bits in that you can clearly see in the swatch above. That may not sound too appealing to most people. But in the second half of 2019 I got over my aversion to a bit of sparkle in my blushes and highlighters. As long as there is enough of a base to act as an actual highlight I found out I don’t mind it. I have also found that having a bit of glitter in your product can still be pretty on the face. Often, the sparkle hardly ever translates to the cheek as you apply the product with a brush which means that as you blend, the chunkier bits are simply wiped away. Therefore, the question is: will those particles be transferred to the cheek when you apply this with a brush?

How does this highlighter apply?

Do you still see any glitter on my cheeks? I most certainly can’t. And this is why I have been loving this highlighter. It gives a very pretty, natural glow that is in between a subtle and full on metallic highlight. This is still wearable for everyday, but not that safe that you can barely see you are wearing highlighter. It is intense enough to stand out, but not that intense that your highlighter looks blinding and in your face. In terms of formula, blendability and texture this was very surprising to me. The shade is pretty too: it has a very soft golden undertone. While most of the time champagnes look weird on me as they are far too warm for my neutral to cool undertone, I feel this still works very well, especially if I wear a more warm toned blush with it. This is a highlighter that works very well with peachy or coral blushes.

My Final Thoughts

I have to admit that the Zoeva Soft Sun highlighter in Cinnamon Sky was a pleasant surprise. This is one of those products that I had hoped was good and it most certainly delivered. I have been reaching for it ever since I put it in my shop my stash and can’t seem to put it down. I have barely used the other highlighter in my shop my stash as a result. For the spring time, I think this is a lovely product that gives you that bit of glow without going overboard.

Would I recommend the Zoeva Soft Sun highlighter?

While I really like this highlighter, I can understand not everyone may be wowed by this. It is fairly expensive at €18. That is almost as much as the palettes that Zoeva sells. So in terms of branding, I don’t really understand the price point. It would have better suited Zoeva if it had retailed for €12, but the brand seems to be sneaking up their prices towards a more high end brand in recent years. That’s why I can understand not everyone will find it worth the price point. I am very happy with the one I have, but the fact that you will not know what you get if you buy one online would also make me hesitant as the shade can be very different if you get more brown in this one. Therefore there are a few snags, but the product itself is truly lovely.

Do you like a bit of glitter in your highlighter?