Almay Instant Glow Highlighting Duo – A Hidden Gem

Oh Almay….I've always had a love/hate relationship with you.  I love your commercials with Carrie Underwood because she is so cool, talented and All-American, but every time I try one of your products, I have been monumentally disappointed.

Also, I feel really bad saying this, but your brand is so forgettable. Every time I go into the drugstore, you are tucked away into the farthest corner of the makeup aisle, somewhere between Neutrogena and Sally Hansen, with only the smallest sliver of space, and an excessive amount of foundation and concealer bottles which makes your display always looks so…. beige.

Beige. Very beige.

So imagine my surprise, when I walk into my local CVS and right in the very front of the makeup aisle I see a rather large display of shimmery pink and golds (the Park Ave rich cousin of beige – she's cool) calling my attention. There is nothing that makes me stop in my tracks faster than the promise of a good highlighter and the Instant Glow Highlighting Duo certainly did that. It is a sleek, dual ended strobing stick, with a cream highlighter on one end and liquid on the other. The cream twists up for easy application directly on the skin and the liquid end has a small doe foot applicator.

You want to know something funny? This is probably the most interesting product Almay currently has in their line up and I cannot for the life of me find it on their website to link to this post. Almay…you are killing me!!!

Anyways, my eye is immediately drawn to the pink one, Soft Glow, and I decide to give it a try. Did I mention, this puppy costs $14.99? I don't know whether that is actually steep or my predisposed beliefs on Almay automatically make me think I am about to throw away some money. Well, either way, here goes nothing.

I want to give this highlighter a fair shot, so I prep the skin with my go to moisturizer, Hey Honey Boost It Up, and foundation, Covergirl Vitalist. I dot some of the liquid highlighter on the high point of my cheeks and blend it in with my beauty sponge. The liquid highlighter has a very pearlescent quality, which I am totally digging at this point, and sunk into the skin quickly and nicely. I finish up the rest of my face with bronzer and blush and then dab some of the cream highlighter with my finger on top of the liquid for an added punch, as well as on the bridge of nose and cupids bow.

Ok, Almay. I think you are on to something here.

The end look is not a mega high watt shine, but a glow from within type. It looked natural and healthy and while I was running errands around town with the hubs and kids, I kept on looking in the rearview mirror (you know we all do that!) and thought the look was keeping up just fine with me.

So, has Almay been redeemed in my eyes? Somewhat. I really like this product and know I will continue to use it. I'm just hoping that this will be the start of something new for them because even these highlighters can easily get drowned out by their sea of beige bottles.

What do you think? Am I being slightly unfair to Almay? Anything else that I should give a try to make me a convert? If so, leave your ideas in the comments below.

Have a great Sunday, my friends!

Maritza