What’s the Deal With Strobing? A Makeup Artist Tells All

The short answer is yes. Strobing is a fancy new trend name for what most of us have already come to know and understand. But in beauty terms, strobing is a new and subtler way to accentuate the face without the harsh and time-consuming application of heavy contour (which highlighter is usually paired with). I, for one, embrace this trend with open arms, and the timing couldn’t be better. (Hello, pool parties!) The ultimate benefit of this look? It makes us all look younger and healthier, and we won’t be scraping cake face off our skin at the end of the night. So hide the abundance of bronzers and contour creams you’ve accumulated, and start hoarding all the highlighter you can find!

The idea is to accentuate the high points on your face—the places where the light should catch. The outcome is the illusion of high cheekbones and strong features, with a glowing finish that makes your skin look radiant. Simply tap your favorite illuminating highlighter on the tops of your cheekbones, the inner brow bone above your brow, the outer brow bone below the tapered end of your brow, the inner corners of your eyes, the bridge of your nose, your Cupid’s bow, and the apple of your chin. I prefer to use the pads of my fingertips to tap liquid or cream highlighter into my skin. The tapping creates a skin-mimicking finish while blending the product perfectly into the skin. For powder highlighters, I prefer to use a fan brush to sweep the product onto the points, or blending brush for the smaller areas. Sometimes, I’ll even use multiple products (like a liquid formula reinforced with a powder) for a more dramatic strobe effect. Don’t be afraid to use a tiny bit of shading or color to make your cheeks pop even more.

Keep scrolling to shop some of my favorite illuminating products!