Huda Beauty 3D Highlighter Palette - Golden Sand Edition: Review, Photos and Swatches

Hi loves!

I'm super stoked to be talking about the new highly anticipated highlighter palette by Huda Beauty. The ever so hyped palette is said to be a game changer with it's two different textures in one palette. Inspired by Huda's technique of laying oil with powder highlights to intensify her glow that we all have come to admire. There are two versions, a pink and gold version. The "Pink Sand Edition" has light pink tones that are meant for fair to medium skin tones. While the "Golden Sand Edition" is warm gold-toned that is meant for medium to dark skin tones. The palettes retail for $59 CAD and $45 USD at Sephora.com. I feel like whenever Huda Beauty releases a new product, we have to wait for what feels like forever for it to be released at Sephora. I purchased the gold version because of my tan complexion and I will be sharing my review and swatches below. I also filmed my first impressions plus demo video which is also linked below.

Golden Sand Edition:

The palette is housed in a thin sleek cardboard palette and it has a gold trim around the outside. This packaging is a step up from her eyeshadow palette. However, I did drop mine and two of the shades fell out but to my surprise, the powders did not shatter. A picture of Huda is printed on the outside cover and has a 3D effect on areas where the highlight can be used. On the inside, there is step by step process on how to apply the shades listed. The palette contains three light-catching pressed pearl shades and a pearlescent creamy shade. The creamy shade is referred to as the melted strobe which is enriched with karite butter and is intended to use as a base for layering powders. The other shades are meant to be staggered to give you that defined 3D glow. I love that it includes a cream shade as I always use cream highlighters as a base for my powder highlights. You get quite a bit of product as the pan sizes are pretty sizable for a cheek palette. Each shade has an exotic country inspired name that reminded Huda of beautiful beaches.

Shades/Steps:

1. Prep - Fiji - A bright gold cream highlight with yellow undertones. The texture is dense and on the tacky side which acts as an adhesive for the other shades. It applies best with the fingertips in a tapping motion. It did not apply well over liquid foundation, it looked thick (cakey) and emphasized texture when the other powder highlights were layered. It looks best on my bare skin. It is more pigmented than most cream highlights and it really helps to achieve the lit-from-within radiance.

2. Set - Seychelles - is a medium gold with warm with yellow undertones and looks metallic on the skin. I love this shade. It is very soft and creamy to the touch and blends well. A light hand is required as it is very pigmented when applied over Fiji. These two shades make a killer combo that I've become obsessed with.

3. Sculpt - Tahiti - is a light copper shade that gives a golden sheen. This shade is meant to sculpt the cheekbones to add dimension. It layers well and looks good when worn alone atop Fiji. This shade is not a bronzer so be careful not to apply it in the contour lines of your face otherwise your entire cheek will be shimmery. The texture is not as creamy as Seychelles but still blends out very nicely leaving a smooth finish. It gives a beautiful glowy radiance.

4. Flush - Zanzibar - is a light pink-coral shade with golden pearl. It also has a cream-like texture that does not emphasize pores. It looks beautiful when layered with Fiji. It gives a natural luminous glow and looks great for an everyday highlight. I feel this colour is not pigmented enough to be worn as a blush on me. I prefer to use another blush to add some colour to my cheeks on days I want a more glam look.

L-R: Fiji, Seychelles, Tahiti and Zanzibar

Here I'm wearing all four shades over the Wet n Wild Photo Focus Foundation.

If you watch the video below, you will see my first impressions weren't so good. I applied each shade in the steps recommended over a liquid foundation and it looked patchy and caked to the skin. I've since played around with the palette and found it works best on my bare skin. I don't mind this as I don't typically wear foundation. Fiji and Seychelles are my favourite from the palette; the two combined gives you a blinding highlight. I usually will wear three shades the most at the same time. I also enjoy wearing each shade alone with Fiji as a base for days I want a subtle radiant glow. The shades don't look super pigmented when swatched individual but when layered they definitely stand out. You will see in the pic below that I'm wearing all four shades and it looks amazing in the sun. At a first glance, it looks like this can be a face palette that includes a blush and bronzer shade but this is not the case. It is called a highlighter palette which is exactly what it is and Tahiti and Zanzibar can't be worn as blush and bronzer on my skin tone. Going back to my first impressions, I didn't think this palette was worth the $60 as I initially only liked the first two shades, Fiji and Seychelles. But boy has my opinion changed. I'm really loving this palette for the popping highlight it achieves and I think it is worth it! The price is in align or slightly higher than other highlighter palettes and it includes a cream highlight with I appreciate. I can now use one palette to achieve the glow I want instead of using multiple products.