I've always steered clear of sparkly makeup on principle. I like my bronzers matte and my highlighters dewy, no shimmer or strobing to be found. But recently, I've thrown caution to the wind and abandoned my makeup morals, and it's all because I've discovered the exact pressed powder with finely-milled sparkle that gives Bella Hadid her red-carpet glow — and it's worth every penny of the absurdly steep $45 price tag.
All four shades in the just-launched Dior Backstage Glow Palette subtly enhance my skin, giving not just my cheekbones, but my entire face the most luminous glow. The first time I swiped it on, at 10 p.m. on a Thursday night, I couldn't stop staring at myself in my living-room mirror, making model-like micro-movements just to examine the glow from every angle. Eat your heart out, Bella, I thought (but definitely did not say out loud).
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I can’t speak to all skin tones, but each shade worked for me. The opalescent white went on as my highlight, on my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose. I used the pale gold as a bronzer around the halo of my face and in the contour of my cheeks. The darker brown color I used on my eyelids, a makeshift copper shadow. I was most nervous about applying the rosy tone, because I don’t usually wear blush, but I swept a bit of the light pink color into the apples of my cheeks and it looked so soft and subtle, pulling together a full face of multi-dimensional, model-worthy radiance.
Despite the fact that I was doing my makeup at the end of a long day (and proceeded to immediately wash it off and get into bed with Real Housewives), I looked awake, alert, and oh so glowy. So good in fact, I half-wished I was heading out for late-night drinks with a friend, where I would just happen to run into everyone I've ever known. To have that compelling "show it off" reaction to my reflection at half-past bedtime on a Thursday night, that’s about the highest praise makeup can get — price, and previous powder misconceptions, be damned.
Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette, $45, available at Sephora.