Whatever Zendaya does beauty-wise, be it serving up a '90s flicky bob or Aperol Spritz nails, there's a strong chance that we'll want to do exactly the same thing. But at the Euphoria star's 27th birthday on 1 September, she pulled the ultimate ace from her sleeve: perfectly-placed highlighter for supernatural skin.
The ethereal effect complemented the tiny silver bra that she wore with an open-fronted blouse, embossed with designer Collina Strada's mythical pony print. And mythical is certainly the operative word here.
As well as highlighter dabbed onto the high points of her face and down the bridge of her nose, Zendaya's C-shaped highlighter around the eyes gives her skin a dreamy, other-worldly gleam.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
In a stunning set of photos Zendaya added to her Instagram feed, you can see a wash of highlighter brushed into the inner corners of the eye and swept along half of the lower lash line and into the cut crease of her eyelids.
And so the ‘C’ highlighter was born. The halo of light it creates adds dimension but, crucially, still manages to look like skin that is bathed in the glow from natural sunlight rather than a disco ball.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
For years we've been slaves to adding shadow rather than light to the cut crease and ignoring the area of our eyes that often carries the most discolouration: the bruised-looking half moons on the inner corners.
But, according to makeup artist Gucci Westman, who is a fan of buffing her Super Loaded Illuminator around the tear ducts of the eyes, highlighter applied here is the two-second fix that immediately brightens and opens up the eyes.
Other good options include Victoria Beckham's new Reflect Highlighter Stick for a glass-like sheen and Rare Beauty Silk Touch Highlighter for a long-lasting, powder finish.
We're so won over, the C highlighter trick may just have eclipsed our love affair with smokey eyes from this day forth.
For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Acting Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.
