The Balm Mary Lou Manizer highlighter is a firm favourite in many beauty kits and with good reason, it’s a gorgeous illuminating powder, but of course, there are plenty of dupes on the high street to ensure you get more for your money.
We share our review of the much-loved highlighter product and the dupes you can buy now too, with products costing as little as £3.
The Balm Mary Lou Manizer review
Mary Lou Manizer is a honey-hued luminiser, shadow and shimmer, adding a gorgeous sheen to your face without looking too fake.
The Balm products are reminiscent of Benefit and Soap and Glory with a cute, retro theme. And thankfully it’s not just the packaging that makes us keep going back to their products, they’re really great quality too.
The flip open sleek compact case is sturdy and comes with a mirror inside, perfect for touch-ups on the go. The packaging feels luxurious, plus it clicks when it closes so you know this isn’t going to open and get ruined in your makeup bag.
The powder is simply gorgeous, with a creamy soft texture that’s incredibly pigmented. To look at in the pan it might not look that much, but when you swipe this beauty on your hand, it comes to life making skin look healthier and brighter.
The powder blends in beautifully, sinking into the skin making it look incredibly natural. Plus the silky texture means it’s perfect even for those with dry skin.
The shimmer particles are extremely fine, so you get a natural glow as opposed to all-out shimmer, and it’s easy to build up for a more dramatic look. Go in easy at first and build Manizer up for your desired effect. The powder is finely milled too, so there’s no fallout. Just a gorgeous, natural-looking glow to your skin.
The compact comes with 8.5g of product, and just a little of this product goes a long way so expect to see this last you for a long time.
Mary Lou Manizer dupe
The Balm Mary Lou Manizer isn’t the most expensive highlighter we’ve ever come across, head to Hourglass or Dior if you really want to blow the budget, but it’s definitely not the cheapest we’ve ever come across either.
These dupes all come in below the Manizer price-wise, with some great dupes we think you’ll love just as much.
NYX Professional Makeup Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette
So this doesn’t come in much cheaper than Mary Lou Manizer, but just look at all of the product you get. This palette from NYX is made up of seven different highlighters, that give your face a dose of radiance when you apply them. The powder formulas are silky smooth to apply and the pigmentmation is strong and lasts really well too.
Makeup Obsession Highlighter Bronze
A complete steal at just £3, the Makeup Obsession Highlighter in Bronze has a similar warming tone as the Mary Lou Manizer. The shimmer is a little more on the side of glitter, but at £3 we really can’t complain.
MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder in Golden Afterglow
The MUA highlighting powder in Golden Afterglow is a gorgeous warming highlight that instantly radiates and lifts any complexion. Go easy with this product, it certainly packs a punch when you apply it with a heavy hand. It’s another complete bargain at £3 and you get 12g of product too.
I Heart Makeup Blushing Hearts Golden Goddess
The packaging alone is enough to draw you into this product, it’s shaped in a heart. The Golden Goddess highlighter definitely gives the same effect as Mary Lou Manizer, and it comes in at £4.99. The downside is that it doesn’t last as long as Mary Lou, but it still looks gorgeous.
Makeup Revolution Strobe Highlighter Gold Addict
Another highlighter for £3, you’re not going to want to leave this on the shelf. The Gold Addict highlighter is warm and beautifully toned. You can apply this both wet and dry, depending on the intensity you want from the product, and it builds and blends beautifully.