Index / Essence / Pure Nude Highlighter
Essence

Essence Pure Nude Highlighter.

Essence Pure Nude Highlighter
Save to Pinterest
Blush & Bronzer
About this product

An affordable powder highlighter from Essence designed to give skin a natural, luminous glow at a drugstore price.

Full ingredients

Talc, Mica, Isocetyl Stearoyl Stearate, Octyldodecyl Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Petrolatum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)

More from Essence 4 products · Guru Score 90% →

Guru Score

82%

Yay

Early verdict · Few reviews so far

What the gurus are saying

juicyjas calls it the best highlighter and her all-time favorite drugstore pick. Andrea Matillano has loved it for over a decade and says it can't be topped.
Synthesized from 2 expert reviews · most recent take July 2024

What they liked

  • Blends seamlessly into skin
  • Subtle, natural-looking glow
  • Drugstore price, high-end results

What they flagged

    Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

    Type

    Blush & BronzerPowder

    Key actives

    Vitamin E

    Formula notes

    Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

    Where to buy

    Opens a store search. We may earn from these links.

    Scan it in the shopFree iPhone app. Scores in the aisle.

    What the gurus are saying.

    Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

    All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
    ✓Yay
    "I do have one rec and that is the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter. This is so beautiful. [...] It really just blends into the skin and it just looks so natural."
    All 4 takes from Allie Glines
    Johnny Ross MADE ME BUY IT 😳 Let's try everything..
    "This is the one that we both gushed over in the video we filmed together and I know you guys love this so much too the essence Pure Nude Highlighter I'm just gonna kind of apply that to the high points of the face"
    Drugstore Makeup That Outperforms High-End with MARLENA STELL!!
    "It just melts, and when I buff it in with a brush first and then press it in with a sponge, it's gorgeous. I go back to it time and time again. It's like a few dollars, probably around $4 or something like that, so inexpensive. I find myself reaching for this over so many of my high-end highlighters which are way more expensive. It's been one of my favorites for a long long time. It has a nice sheen to it like it's not glittery. It just looks like you're glowing from within."
    What's ACTUALLY in Lisa J's Makeup Bag?!
    "This is the Essence Pure Nude, and I own both of those in fact. I love that."
    The Ultimate 2024 Drugstore Makeup Starter Kit!
    "I do have one rec and that is the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter. This is so beautiful. [...] It really just blends into the skin and it just looks so natural."
    ✓Yay
    "The Essence Pure Nude Highlighter is hands down my drugstore favorite highlighter of all time. Great one to try if you're looking for a very subtle highlight. [...] It just makes your cheeks pop a little bit without looking icy or like an obvious highlight."
    All 3 takes from HotandFlashy
    PTR Instant FirmX Primer ~ Holy Grail or Hot Mess?
    "I use the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter."
    BEST Makeup of 2022 | Drugstore + Department Store | Over 50!
    "The Essence Pure Nude Highlighter is hands down my drugstore favorite highlighter of all time. Great one to try if you're looking for a very subtle highlight. [...] It just makes your cheeks pop a little bit without looking icy or like an obvious highlight."
    Face Lifting Makeup! Tutorial on Mature Skin
    "I'm going to use the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter."

    What the evidence says.

    Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

    Sunscreen filters

    Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

    Source: DermNet

    Vitamin E

    Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

    Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

    Frequently asked.

    What is Essence Pure Nude Highlighter?

    An affordable powder highlighter from Essence designed to give skin a natural, luminous glow at a drugstore price.

    Is Essence Pure Nude Highlighter worth it?

    Yes. All 2 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 82%.

    What is Essence Pure Nude Highlighter's Guru Score?

    Essence Pure Nude Highlighter holds a Guru Score of 82%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 2 expert reviewers we have collected.

    Same formula, worth a look.

    Products built around the same core actives as this one, with what the experts make of each.

    See how they stack up →

    Similar products worth a look.

    Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.

    Compare side by side →

    Spotted something on this page that doesn't look right? Let us know.

    Share this score

    Add this badge to your blog or website. It links back to this page and updates itself when the experts change their minds. Free, no sign-up.

    Then paste it into your site's HTML or embed block.

    This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.

    A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.

    Subscribe to the digest