Buying beauty products without having swatched them against your skin tone isn't ideal. Nobody wants to receive that long-awaited makeup package in the post, only to open it up, and try out your new lipstick and discover that it actually doesn't suit you at all. Nope.
That's why The Debrief have devised 5 on 5, a new beauty franchise that promises to test out beauty products on five different skin tones. Our group of beauty-obsessed participants - each of whom have very different skin tones, complexions, eye and hair colouring - will help you gauge if a makeup product will suit you before you hit 'buy'.
First up, we're testing the brand new INC.redible Well Lit Highlighting Drops in two shades: Rose Gold and Iridescent. These holographic pigment drops can be dabbed onto your cheekbones, lips, cupids bow, under your brows or mixed into your founation to illuminate and highlight your face. But just how did they look IRL?
5 on 5 testing highlighters
1 of 5Sian tests out highlighter for fair skin.
Left pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Rose Gold. Right pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Iridescent.'I usually wear highlighter every day to give my skin a pop of glow, and I currently use Mac Strobe Cream and Peach Party by Soap and Glory. But, I'm always on the hunt for something that's buildable and subtle, which is why I was drawn to the rose gold shade in the INC.redible range. It has gorgeous iridescent tones throughout without being too overwhelming, and the bronze colour gave my pale skin some much needed warmth!'The pearly white shade was a bit too poppin' for everyday wear for me, and it sat on top of my skin quite visibly. So while it was the perfect highlighter for a unashamed selfie, it will likely blind my colleagues in the office!'
2 of 5Bhakti tests out highlighter for Asian skin.
Left pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Rose Gold. Right pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Iridescent.'I normally tend to sway to more gold/warmer-toned highlighters because they look more subtle and blended on my skin. But, surprisingly, I found that the silver highlighter by INC.redible definitely showed up better on my cheekbones! I had to apply quite a lot of the pink highlighter before it was visible, and I don't like too much of a heavy base day-to-day so I probably wouldn't wear this one to work.'As for the texture of these highlighters, they felt really nice and smooth on my skin, and they were still on by the time I was getting ready for bed - so they're pretty damn durable!'
3 of 5Eleanor tests out highlighter for warm skin.
Left pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Rose Gold. Right pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Iridescent.'Both highlighters went on smoothly, felt light on my skin and were subtle with just one coat. I usually only use highlighter on nights out as an added extra, so I was really hoping that these INC.redible highlighters would be natural so I could potentially wear them to work.'Personally, I preferred the peachier shade as I felt it complimented my cheekbone contour and added a nice blush effect. I don't usually wear any blush so the rose gold highlighter did a nice two-in-one job for me!'In comparison, the iridescent highlighter was a little too light, even if I am still in the midst of winter paleness! I would be tempted to test it on a night out when I'm wearing more make-up to see how it would hold-up against a hoard of flashing lights and selfie snaps, but I don't think I could wear it on the daily without feeling very aware of my glowing cheekbones!'
4 of 5Eden tests out highlighter for dark skin.
Left pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Rose Gold. Right pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Iridescent.'I wouldn't usually go for an iridescent highlighter because it's just too light for my skin tone, but the INC.credible one took me completely by surprise. Compared to the rose gold shade, the iridescent one just looked better and would definitely be easier to wear when combined with other makeup looks, like a bold red lip.'I also really liked the texture of these highlighting drops - they were easier to blend than my regular powder highlighter. Bonus!'
5 of 5Polly tests out highlighter for olive skin.
Left pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Rose Gold. Right pic: INC.redible Well Light Highlighting Drops in Iridescent.'I must confess that I'm a bit of a highlighter virgin – purely for the reason that I'm always worried I'll mess up the application, and end up looking like I've rubbed Vaseline all over my cheeks.'However, these INC.redible highlighters were surprisingly (for me) easy-to-apply and felt really lightweight on my skin. I personally preferred the Iridescent shade as it was slightly subtler on my olive skin tone and paired well with my dark hair and eyebrows. I'd feel very comfortable wearing it in everyday life - I think I've been converted to the highlighter life!'
Buy the INC.redible Well Lit Highlighting Drops in Rose Gold here, and in Iridescent here.
Follow Arianna on Instagram: @ariannachatz
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.