Guerlain Precious Light Rejuvenating Illuminator

Highlighters and illuminators have been my face-savers for years. When it comes to that permanent feature of my face known as black under-eye circles (I'm pretty sure I was born with them), concealers don't do me any favors. If I'm lucky they just look ashy and weird. At their worst, they also cake and make the area dry.

At the beginning there was the classic YSL Touche Eclat. Other brands have caught on and started making similar products- light-reflecting liquids in elegant pens with a little brush. They brighten and they lighten without trying to cover anything- just make the face a little less zombie-like.

Ive been using Guerlain Precious Light Rejuvenating Illuminator for over a month now and it's been my constant companion no matter which foundation or primer I'm applying as a base. A light touch of the Illuminator, a little blending with my pinky and I look alive again. At the advise of Pamela Morgan, Guerlain's national makeup artist, I'm using the lightest one, Light 00. It's not yellow, pink or white- it's just a natural light beige that melts into the skin and looks like it has always been there.

The built-in brush of Guerlain's Illuminator seems to be a little softer or more pliable than the one in Touche Eclat. Maybe I'm fantasizing this, it's hard to tell, but when applying the YSL highlighter I've always needed to use a soft concealer brush that felt better on my skin and blended it more evenly. I don't bother with a second brush in Guerlain's case. Another advantage in my case is the color. While the YSL SAs and I had a hard time deciding which shade works best on me, the Light 00 is absolutely perfect.

The product also promises to be full of good-for-you ingredients like myrrh oil and peptides. I can't say there is any improvement in the state o'my skin, but there's never any dryness or tightness, which is all one could ask for.

Guerlain Precious Light Rejuvenating Illuminator ($48) is available at select department store. I received it from the company's PR team.

All photos are mine.