e.l.f. Halo Glow: Liquid Filter, Skin Tint and Glow Boosters

In 1920, the psychologist Edward Thorndike published a paper called A Constant Error in Psychological Ratings. He had asked commanding officers to rate their men, and found that one good impression, often simply good looks, spilled over into ratings for traits that had nothing to do with it. He named it the halo effect. A person who looks well is assumed to be sharp, capable, and kind. Makeup people have been quietly using that for a hundred years.

e.l.f. Halo Glow is the modern version, and the name is very on the nose in a good way. e.l.f. was founded in June 2004 by Joseph Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba, started with 13 products and now sells over 300, and is headquartered in Oakland, California. The brand is vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free. My view on the family is that it treats glow as something you build in layers, not one heavy coat. The star, the Liquid Filter, is called a multi-purpose liquid glow booster that gives a soft-focus, social filter effect in real life, and the brand says you can wear it alone, under makeup, over it, mixed into foundation or as a highlighter.

The trick is to start with the liquid and add only what your face needs. The Halo Glow Liquid Filter Highlighter is the first piece to try. The Skin Tint with SPF 50, shown here in shade 4 Light Neutral and water resistant, turns it into a base for days when you want one step. The Setting Powder and the Powder Filter keep it from sliding. The Blush Beauty Wand and Contour Beauty Wand handle color and shape, the Highlight Beauty Wand adds a spot of liquid light, and the Silky Powder Highlighter goes on last. I went deeper on a related idea in Illuminator Drops: ICONIC London's Liquid Glow, Tint and Mists.

Try this: mix a drop of a glow booster into your foundation, then put a little more only where light naturally hits, the tops of your cheeks and the bridge of your nose. Everything else stays skin.

Charlotte Tilbury's Hollywood Flawless Filter is the one with filter right in the name, and it makes a good benchmark for the whole category. Dior's Forever Glow Star Filter is a multi-use complexion enhancing booster. Sephora Collection's Watch That Glow Complexion Filter is a friendlier way to test the format. Too Faced's Born This Way Super Glow is a multi-use highlighting skin enhancer, and Rossano Ferretti Parma's Dolce Satin Glow Booster is the satin, softer one to try.

Two here do double duty. Ciele's glow & PROTECT is a liquid highlighter with SPF 50+, a way to get light and protection in one layer. Urban Decay's Face Bond Luminizer is waterproof glow drops for face and body, so you can carry it to the beach or a summer wedding.

A pairing I like: a liquid filter under foundation for a base that glows through, and a stick or powder highlighter only on the high points.

What I would skip: a shimmery booster over dry patches. Prep with moisturizer first, or the light will find every flake.

One rule for liquid highlighter: put it on before powder blush, not after. A cream layer under powder blends into one soft glow. On top of powder it slides and can look patchy.

Hourglass's Unreal Radiant Glow is the liquid highlighter for the cheekbone, and Rare Beauty's Positive Light Liquid Luminizer is the one to pair it with. Saie's Glowy Super Gel is a multipurpose illuminator that works on the cheek, the eyelid and the collarbone. Dior's Forever Glow Maximizer is the long-wearing choice, for a night out.

Danessa Myricks' Vision Flush Glow is hyper radiant, best for people who want to be seen. MAC's Skinfinish Lightstruck is hydrating and glowy, and rhode's Highlight Milk is a multipurpose luminizer you can pat on with a fingertip. Armani's Luminous Silk Acqua Highlighter is the lighter, watery texture.

A pairing I like: a dot of rhode Highlight Milk on the cheekbone, blended out with a fingertip, and then Rare Beauty on top for a bit more shine where you want it. Use your finger. Warm skin melts the liquid in.

What I would skip: a strong highlighter on a bright office desk lamp day. Hold it to a soft glow and you will look rested instead of oily.

Start with a mist: after the last product, hold the bottle at arm's length and spray in an X and a T. The spray melts the powders together, and a face that looked layered begins to look like skin.

Urban Decay's All Nighter is the waterproof, hydrating and glowy one for long days, and Pat McGrath's Skin Fetish Glass 001 is a legendary glow setting spray for a glassy finish. ONE/SIZE's Powder Melt Glass is a spray made to melt powder into the skin. Sephora Collection's Glow 12HR is transferproof and comes with vitamin C.

MAC's Fix+ is the multitasking classic, the bottle you see in a lot of makeup kits. Tatcha's Luminous Dewy Skin Mist is a 2-in-1 hydrator and finishing spray, more skincare than makeup. NYX's Dewy Finish spray is long lasting and light, and Too Faced's Peach Mist is a hydrating one for a soft, fresh finish.

A pairing I like: an e.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder in the T-zone, then one mist across the whole face. Powder where you need matte, mist everywhere else.

What I would skip: soaking your face in setting spray. Two or three passes are plenty, and too much can disturb the makeup you just set.

I think e.l.f. Halo Glow is worth buying just for the Liquid Filter, and I would add the Skin Tint on days when you want an easy face. Then, if you like that finish, borrow from the other shelves: a highlighter for your cheekbones, a spray to bring it all together. If you want to keep going, DRMTLGY Tinted Moisturizer: The Universal Tint, Plus Other SPF Skin Tints is the one I would read next.

Thorndike found that one good impression lifts everything else. A little light on the cheekbones is the quickest way I know to test it. Take the photo, then decide what else you want. Layer the pieces one at a time and stop the moment your skin looks the way you like it. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together e.l.f. Soft Glam vs Halo Glow and e.l.f. Blush.