Pure Nude Highlighter
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Essence Pure Nude Highlighter is a baked powder that delivers a natural, candlelit glow without sparkle or shimmer, often compared to Hourglass Ambient Powders. Retired esthetician Beauty Over 70 With Lea calls it a dupe for Hourglass at a fraction of the price, and professional makeup artist Julia Adams MUA calls it a constant favorite. Several creators praise its undetectable, skin-like finish that doesn't emphasize fine lines, making it a reliable drugstore staple.
Full Reviews
Positive
- “This has been a constant favorite of mine for so long”10:41–10:49
- Source: What's in my makeup bag and my go-to everyday makeup look - Jan 10, 2026
- “If you want to highlight the skin and you want it to look glowy but not crinklify your skin, exaggerate fine lines, not look like a strobe beam during the day, do yourself a favor and get the Essence Pure Nude”10:36–10:41
- “You cannot screw this up”
- “It is literally going to do everything you need her to do and then some”10:52–10:58
- “It is just like the ambient powders”10:58–11:02
- “It gives you a true candle lit glow”
- “I have consistently reached for this product over and over throughout the years”11:00–11:08
- “If I didn't have this in the drawer, like I would go buy another one”
- “This is my favorite in the highlight category from the drugstore”11:39–11:44
- Source: Ultimate drugstore makeup guide: best in each category - Jul 21, 2025
Variant: Be My Highlight
- “I have hourglass. There's a color in my Hourglass palette in the three palette. You know how pricey Hourglass is? There's a color in there that's the same shade. Can't beat it for five bucks”12:53–12:59
- “Absolutely love it”
- Source: 2025 Holy Grail Drugstore Favorites - Jan 22, 2026
- “I've shared this as a dupe for some high-end quality highlighters”18:41–18:49
- “Because this is a baked formula, this gives you that natural dewy looking radiance that's so incredibly flattering”18:47–18:54
- “There is zero sparkle or glimmer”18:57–19:01
- “It's just very smooth and natural”19:00–19:05
- “It looks like a liquid highlighter, but it's in powder form”19:03–19:10
- “I love this”
- Source: Top drugstore makeup favorites in every category - Aug 31, 2025
- “This is my all-time favorite drugstore highlighter”11:52–11:58
- “This is my favorite highlighter”12:01–12:03
- “The formula of this is much different than the one that I just showed you”12:04–12:08
- “It's a little bit silkier, a little bit more natural, I guess, if you will”12:08–12:12
- “Like, it's going to give you a glow, but it's going to be much softer than the bouncy highlighter, which gives more of that wet glow”12:12–12:15
- “I just love this highlighter”
- “I wore this on my wedding day and just a classic favorite”12:21–12:28
- “Anytime I want a glow, but I don't want to do too much, this is the go-to”12:25–12:32
- Source: Full face of Essence makeup under $10 - Mar 28, 2026
Variant: Be My Highlight
- “It is one of the most beautiful natural highlights. This is a product you want to reach for every single day. It just looks like your skin is naturally glowy. It's not going to emphasize your texture. She's your girl”15:46–15:51
- “She's maybe $5-6 if not less. So good. Again, wish we had more shade options, but they gave us two, and that's that's what we get. But, I'm not mad at it because this product is really good”16:02–16:08
- Source: Best Drugstore Makeup Under $10 - Jul 7, 2026
- “If you were to ask me 5 years ago, do I have anything at the drugstore comparable to an Hourglass powder? This would be it”36:47–36:56
- “This is not a highlighter that is a bling in your face highlighter. It is a beautiful lit from within all over glow”37:03–37:13
- “It makes your face look like it doesn't have any powder on it, but it also doesn't make it look like you have a highlighter product on your face. It just looks like that's the kind of skin and makeup that you did. It's undetectable glow”37:16–37:25
- Source: Best makeup under $10 that perform like high-end - Feb 10, 2026
Variant: Be My Highlight
- “I just used a really light one today. I use my Essence Pure Nude”8:26–8:30
- Source: No touch-ups needed drugstore coverage routine - Mar 3, 2026
Mixed / Negative
No negative reviews yet — creators have only had good things to say.
What creators say
- Consensus
- 4.7 / 5 from 8 creator reviewsGrailPeople ratings based on creator reviews.
- Features
- Natural finish (4) · Dewy finish (3) · Easy to use (3) · Blurring (2) · Natural / everyday (2)
- ⚠ creators flagged issues with wide shade range (1)
Product details
Details
- Type
- highlighter
- Finish
- satin
- Shade
- —
- Key ingredients
- Mica, Octyldodecanol, Boron Nitride, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Isostearate, Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Silica
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