Photo: Courtesy of Fenty Beauty

Lipstick and eyeliner tend to get a lot of attention for the impact they can have on a makeup look. But there's a less celebrated product that can be the key to a low-effort, high-payoff beauty moment: liquid highlighter. 

Because liquid formulas blend so seamlessly, they can be applied with pretty much any tool — a brush, a sponge or even some clean fingertips do the job, helping the pigment melt into skin for a natural candlelit effect. Dabbed strategically on the high points of the face (the brow bones, cheekbones, tip of the nose and just along the cupid's bow), liquid highlighter can go a long way toward giving that ring-light-IRL effect. But liquids are also especially helpful for getting an easy all-over gleam: Mix a single pump into into foundation or even body lotion before applying (hello, celebrity-level-glow-y arms and legs!).

If finding the right shade seems a bit intimidating, remember that warm yellow or rose gold highlighters work best on medium, olive and dark skin tones, while pink-tinged champagne or pearl tend to look most natural on fair complexions.

In the gallery below, we've rounded up 12 liquid highlighters we love, including options that work on every skin tone. Click through to see (and shop) them all.

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