Testing out RMS’s Luminizer X Quad for a Super Quick Glow

Main Image – Live That Glow

I’m a huge fan of organic brand RMS Beauty and their subtle, skin-nourishing mineral formulas.

And since I’m even more of a fan of dewy, glowing skin, I thought I’d add to my collection by checking out their cream highlighter range.

As I don’t use huge amounts of product and wasn’t sure which shade would suit me most I skipped over buying one of their individual Luminizers and (slightly greedily) went straight for their palette, the Luminizer X Quad. 

 

The Brand

Created by Vancouver-born makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift, RMS Beauty is the product of Swift’s more than 35 years of experience tending to the dewy faces of the likes of Gisele, Miranda Kerr, and Megan Markle. And her philosophy is simple: makeup should make skin look great, but not at a cost to its long-term health.

With that in mind, she created RMS Beauty in 2009 as one of the first high-end brands free from ingredients like synthetic preservatives, and instead relying only on ‘raw, food grade and organic ingredients’ (think products that go heavy on coconut oil, coconut butter, buriti oil, vitamin E, and rosemary extract, as well as mica extracts for colour).

Dewy skin is also something of a brand hallmark, with formulas combining subtle pigments (this isn’t the brand for full-on glitter looks) with hydrating bases for a naturally radiant look (think your skin but better).

And with all products housed in either recyclable or reusable packaging (most often glass with an aluminium lid), the brand’s organic philosophy also extends to its sustainability ethos.

 

The Luminizer X Quad

Possibly one of the brand’s most famous creations, the Luminizers are a range of multi-purpose cream highlighters, available in six shades. Grease and glitter-free, they instead offer a dewy radiance (almost how your skin would naturally look after a long walk) that can be used on both the face and body.

The Luminizer X Quad brings four of the brand’s most popular shades together (albeit in smaller quantities than the individual pots) in one palette, for a selection of tones that can be worn separately or mixed together for a custom look.

 

The Shades

Containing a small amount of four individual shades (1.2 g of each compared to the 4.2 g found in one standard Luminizer), I thought this would be a great introduction to the colour range while also giving me enough options to switch things up for blusher/highlighter/bronzer etc.

The shades include:

Luminizer X: A warm, pearl-like shimmer and a slightly more shimmery version of the brand’s cult favourite, the Living Luminizer. Great for highlighting brows and cheekbones

Champagne Fizz: A cool white glitter balm, great for adding sparkle over eye shadow

Luminizer Nude: A subtle warm bronze, beautiful for bronzing pale skin tones, or highlighting darker tones

Champagne Rose:  A cooler, pinkish brown, gorgeous for highlighting for warmer skin tones or even for using as an eye shadow. 

 

On the Skin

The shades all have in common a creamy formula which glides on without pulling skin, while the addition of castor seed oil and coconut oil makes these nourishing and moisturising.

And although the coconut and castor seed oils in this formula would normally be a little heavy on my skin when it’s oilier or in warmer weather, the thin texture of this highlighter (coupled with the fact that I’m only using it on small areas of my face) means it doesn’t seem to cause me any problems breakout-wise.

There is also some beeswax, mineral pigment, vitamin E and rosemary leaf extract here, while some of the more common makeup ingredients like silicones have been left out.

 

The Full List of Ingredients

Shade Luminizer X: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax) (Cire d’abeille), Mica, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Silica, Tin Oxide.

Shade Luminizer Nude: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax) (Cire d’abeille), Mica, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Red 6 Lake (CI 15850).

Shade Champagne Rose: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax) (Cire d’abeille), Mica, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Silica, Tin Oxide.

Shade Champagne Fizz: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Cera Alba (Beeswax) (Cire d’abeille), Silica, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tin Oxide.

 

How to Use

Definitely designed with ease of use (and completely skill-free people like me) in mind, these highlighters can be applied both with a brush or sponge, but work especially well applied by finger.

Here’s how to apply with a few different tools:

With fingers: Dab on before patting in a circular motion with your ring finger to blend out.  Apply a second coat for a denser glow

 

With a brush: Choose a small tapered brush and pat gently onto skin

 

With a sponge: Make sure the sponge is damp but not wet before pinching to create a smaller tool size to work with.  Dab into Luminizer before dotting along the skin and then blending out by patting in small circles

To give the look slightly more longevity, finish with a quick mist of makeup setting spray (my favourite for continuing the dewy, natural look is Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Dewy Set).

 

Since the Luminizers are multi-purpose creams, they can be used pretty much anywhere you want to glow. 

But some of my favourite places are:

• Brow bones
• Cupid’s Bow
• Cheekbones
• Eyelids (either as a standalone eye shadow or as a shimmer topper)
• The inner corner of eyes
• Bridge of the nose
• Collarbones
• Fronts of shins

 

And since the Luminizers are cream products, they can also be used both over and under other cream makeup.  So for a more subtle, lit-from-within look apply before foundation and cream blush, whereas for more impact apply as a last step.

 

The Results

Ideal for dewy skin fans and no makeup-makeup days, the results are a fresh, glowing and natural look…  Basically, if you like your skin radiant but not glittery, then this is for you.

And, impressively for a natural makeup line, the results are pretty long-lasting too.  Applied in the morning, I can still see the dewiness on the tops of my cheekbones at the end of the day (although not as much as with a powder highlighter).

 

Some Alternatives

While this is genuinely a gorgeous palette, it is pretty pricey, so I thought I’d also add in a couple of my favourite alternatives that are still heavy on the natural ingredients and dewy results, but lighter on the price.

Bybi’s Babe Balm Bronze: A total steal at £12, this multi-purpose cream bronzer can be used pretty much anywhere and leaves a universally-flattering coppery-bronze shimmer in its wake (think Grecian goddess vibes).  Like RMS’s Luminziers, Bybi’s Babe Balm Bronze is also completely natural and contains a host of skin-nourishing goodies like shea butter and coconut oil.

 

Olio E Osso’s Tinted Balms: Another completely natural alternative, Olio E Osso’s multi-purpose balms can be dabbed onto lips, cheeks, eyelids and collarbones, while their stick-style applicator makes them super simple to use. For all-over bronzy shimmer try their No.6 Bronze Balm.

 

Lixirskin’s Good Skin Day Shaker: Or for some all-over dewiness, I also love Lixirskin’s Good Skin Day Shaker (admittedly not much cheaper, but it can be used all over the face and really does give skin a lovely, subtle glow that I never fail to get compliments from… I just wish the bottle was bigger).  Containing algae-derived minerals, glycerin and mineral extracts for a natural-looking shimmer, this (teeny) bottle illuminates and lends radiance to the whole face.

 

The Takeaway

Although at £46 this isn’t exactly the world’s cheapest palette, RMS products have both the quality and staying power you’d expect for the price.

The dewy results are pretty difficult to find fault with, too, and overall I’m in love with the creamy formulas, the subtle, skin-glowing effects, and the range of shades here.

Great for: Dewy skin fans, organic and natural beauty lovers and anyone who likes cream formulas.

Not-so-great for: Acne skin types, who might find the coconut oil here a little rich. Also, those who like their highlighters are more on the full-on glamour side.