Soft Touch Bouncy Glow
BUY IT HERE
Essence Site →Amazon →Ulta →SUMMARY OF REVIEWS
Essence Soft Touch Bouncy Glow has a putty-like texture that feels soft and bouncy to the touch, but several creators find it too glittery and texture-enhancing on the face. Professional makeup artist Julia Adams MUA calls it "very glittery on the face" and says it looks "really rough" on the cheek, while others like Laura Lee note it "buffers in nicely" and looks pretty. Tati praises Essence highlighters as comparable to high-end, but the glitter and patchy finish make it a miss for those seeking a smooth, dewy glow.
FULL REVIEWS
POSITIVE
Variant: Glazed Dew
- “Essence creates some of the greatest products”9:00–9:05
- “They are truly so special and so affordable”9:05–9:11
- “Essence highlighters, I love using these. They compare to high, high end, not just kind of high end”9:09–9:14
- “Essence is priced in a way that honestly blows my mind”9:26–9:34
- Source: Drugstore makeup that beats luxury - Apr 20, 2026
Variant: Soft Glaze
- “They are really pretty”11:26–11:28
- “What's nice about these formulas is that they're not overly powdery”11:28–11:31
- “They actually have a very wet silky formula that just melts into the skin”11:29–11:36
- Source: Full face of Essence makeup under $10 - Mar 28, 2026
Variant: 10 Soft Glaze
- “Such a pretty highlight. This has a nice gold undertone to it”9:46–9:52
- Source: Effortless no makeup makeup look under $10 - May 28, 2026
Variant: 30 Glazing Gleam
- “It's just so like putty”14:47–14:49
- “Also really pretty. Really, really pretty, but not like starky”14:54–15:02
- “It kind of like buffers in nicely”15:04–15:08
- Source: Hot new drugstore makeup brutally honest review - Jun 1, 2026
Variant: Soft Glaze
- “It feels beautiful. And I love the look of it when it's on my finger”34:58–35:07
- “It does have glitter in this. So, you have to be a little careful with it”35:03–35:12
- “I definitely get glitter from it. I don't really like glittery highlighters if I'm completely honest”35:34–35:38
- “I do really like it. I'm really getting back into highlighter recently”35:59–36:07
- Source: Full face of new Essence makeup: hits, misses & absolute gems - Mar 23, 2026
Variant: 20 Glazed Dew
- “Okay, that one I'm going to have to keep trying and try again in different light because it's honestly a little hard for me to tell right here how it looks like over texture and stuff”16:37–16:41
- Source: Affordable drugstore makeup under $15 - Jun 3, 2026
MIXED / NEGATIVE
Variant: 10 Soft Glaze
- “To the touch, this feels soft and putty-like. Definitely has a little bit of that bounce like they're describing”28:23–28:30
- “On my cheeks, I feel like it kind of just looks like a regular powder highlight that is a little too glittery for my personal liking”28:43–28:50
- “I don't feel like the finish looks dewy either”28:52–28:56
- “This is not going to be one that I keep in my collection”29:03–29:08
- Source: I tried 27 new drugstore beauty launches - May 17, 2026
- “This one's just dry and it looks very flaky. It also has very chunky glitter and that glitter just exaggerates the dry and patchy look so hard, so big no”4:00–4:07
- Source: Best and worst of latest makeup launches - Feb 25, 2026
Variant: Soft Glaze
- “This one here is what got me excited. This one is in the shade 10. Soft soft glaze”5:27–5:35
- “I'm hoping that it's going to be similar to the MAC Bouncing Gleam highlighters that they came out with over the holidays”5:45–5:51
- “The essence one is quite a bit more sparkly”5:56–6:03
- “Oh yeah, it's very glittery on the face”6:14–6:19
- “Underneath of the glitter, it feels very similar to how the MAC one applies”6:31–6:37
- “I just I know I'm not going to use this”6:37–6:41
- “It looks really good on camera”6:39–6:42
- “But in person here, I don't know if I'd want to go to it, you know, unless it's like a very specific kind of look I'm after”6:42–6:50
- Source: Drugstore Makeup That Surprised Me - Jan 14, 2026
WHAT CREATORS SAY
- Consensus
- 3.2 / 5 from 8 creator reviewsGrailPeople ratings based on creator reviews.
- ⚠ can feel drying / tight (1)
- ⚠ scent some found off-putting (1)
- ⚠ harder to blend (1)
- ⚠ creators flagged issues with natural finish (1)
- ⚠ harder to achieve a dewy glow look (1)
- ⚠ less dewy than expected (1)
Product details
Details
- Type
- highlighter
- Finish
- dewy
- Shade
- Soft Glaze
- Key ingredients
- Dimethicone, Triethylhexanoin, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Diisostearyl Malate, Boron Nitride, Mica, Jojoba Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Squalane
Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission.
Links