The Highlighter Overdose

Highlighter is magic when it’s subtle. A touch on the cheekbones, a little on the bridge of the nose — just enough to glow. But this client? She wanted to shine like a disco ball.

She kept saying, ‘More, more, more!’ every time I tapped on powder. Against my better judgment, I layered it. Cheeks, brow bone, chin, even shoulders. By the time she smiled, light was bouncing off her like a mirror.

The problem showed up later — flash photography. Every photo came back with a blinding white streak across her face. Instead of dewy, she looked oily. Instead of glam, she looked sweaty. And of course, she blamed me: ‘Why didn’t it look like this in your mirror?’

I tried to explain that highlighter reflects light differently under flash, but she wasn’t hearing it. In her mind, more glow meant more glam. The photos told a different story. And me? I learned the hard way that sometimes you have to say no, even when they beg for extra.

Lesson learned: glow is gorgeous, but restraint is everything. One swipe too many and you go from radiant to radioactive.