The Style and Beauty Doctor reader Sophia writes: “Okay so I love love love this MAC Eyeshadow Guide…One of my favorite mac eyeshadows is RICEPAPER I use it almost everyday as a highlighter. Could you give me a list of great MAC highlighters?”

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For those who may be new to eye makeup, an eyeshadow highlight is a necessary tool in finishing your eye look. It helps to define the eyes as well as open them up. The correct placement of the eyeshadow highlight is at the brow bone (the area right underneath the eyebrows and above the eye crease–called “the underbrow” in the image above) and to bring the eyes out more, dot a bit of the highlighter in the inner corners of the eyes.

What color highlighter to use depends on the colors you’ll be using for your eye look. Generally, a highlighter will be a sheer eyeshadow with either a gold or a silver undertone. Unless it’s Halloween, you never ever want to use a “color” (purple, pink, blue, etc.) from lid to the brow bone. Another brow bone highlight alternative is to use a cream or stick concealer a shade or two lighter than what you would normally wear in foundation. I’m an NW47 in MAC foundation, so I’d use NW40 in Studio Finish Concealer as a brow highlight.

As a quick rule, your highlight should match the undertone of the eyeshadows you’re using. So if you’re using warm colors like bronze and gold, use a sheer warm colored highlight. Get it? Go for the darker colored shadows named below if you have darker skin.

MAC Eyeshadow Highlights:

Cool Highlights: White Frost, Forgery, Crystal Avalanche, Filament, Mylar, Yogurt, Electra, Pincurl, Seedy Pearl

Warm Highlights: Vapour, Vanilla, Blanc Type, Shroom, Dazzlelight, Phloof!, Naked Lunch, Vex, Sugarshot, Brule, Tete-a-Tint, Jest, Malt, Ricepaper, Bisque, Flip, Bamboo, Honesty, Samoa Silk, Gleam, All That Glitters, Retrospeck, Wedge, Woodwinked, Soft Brown, Kid, Honey Lust

P.S. Don’t forget to enter in the Monavé Mineral Makeup Giveaway–entries must be in by MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT!!!