Anastasia's Sweet New Glow Kit Will Make Your Cheeks Sparkle Like Sugar

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There are few Instagram beauty stars who strobe brighter (and better!) than Anastasia Beverly Hills President Claudia Soare. If this doesn't give you moonbeam cheekbone #goals, then we don't know what will. The makeup boss lady isn't just amazing at creating makeup — she's also fantastic at wearing it.

So when we heard she was making a fourth Glow Kit (available for $40 from Anastasia Beverly Hills on July 7) — which we can exclusively reveal is called Sweets and was inspired by candy — we had a lot of questions. First, we learned that the formulas are called reflect shades, so we had to know: what is that?! (Apparently it incorporates multidimensional pearls to reflect unique tones at different angles.) And how would a luminizing genius like Claudia apply the colors? (Hint: the brush plays an important role in achieving a victorious glow.) If you, too, want those answers and more, then keep reading to discover some serious highlighter hacks.

POPSUGAR: What inspired the Glow Kit in Sweets?
Claudia Soare: Sweets, candies, and, as always, color. Now that we have three Glow Kits in what I call "traditional colors" for all skin tones, I felt the need to branch out with more color. I wanted to keep the Glow Kit launches fun and exciting for our customers, as well as provide them with some variance of shades for people who like to break out of the norm.

PS: How did you pick the shades for this quad?
CS: I thought of the group first, meaning all four shades, and then I thought of candies that created a color scheme I wanted. For these particular colors, a lot of time was dedicated to creating interesting combinations of pearls. This product will feel different when customers wear it because it is more dimensional, the shades have different pearl sizes and colors that are clearly visible. You'll notice the difference by just looking at it!

PS: How do you advise someone should wear them?
CS: There are several ways someone can wear them. Everyone has different bone structures and different places that they need to highlight. For example, I have a wide face and high cheekbones. So, I like to highlight the tops of my cheekbones, rather than the cheeks themselves as they are already a large part of my face. They also look great over blush, on the brow bone, over lipstick, etc. For a luminous eye look, press the color of your choice on top of our Waterproof Cream Color or use our Brush #18 to apply over your entire eyelid. After applying liquid lipstick, use our Brush #3 to press a highlight shade to the center of the lip pout.

PS: What is a reflect shade? How does it work?
CS: A reflect shade means that reflective pearls were used in its formulation. These pearls function similar to a fish scale. They look one shade straight on, but can reflect a different tone at a different angle while exposed to light. Pearls like this are usually found in a loose pigment form, which is worn like any other makeup item and coveted due to their intense payoff.

PS: What is the best way to apply these colors?
CS: The best way to apply these colors are by using our Brush #23. It is perfect for Contour Kits and Glow Kits. It is a teardrop shaped, natural hair brush that allows you to precisely place highlight and contour. The bristles of Brush #23 are bound in the ferrule flat as opposed to circularly, so brush strokes sweep in a back and forth motion and will offer a more seamless skin finish rather than blending product in a circular motion. For a lit-from-within natural highlight, softly tap the brush on the Glow Kit powder of your choice and dust lightly on the skin. For a more intense highlight, gently push the brush against the grain of the powder to saturate the bristles with more product and sweep on the high planes of the skin.

PS: How did you pick the names? What is the naming process like?
CS: The theme was candy, so naturally I chose candy names that were as close as possible in color to that of the highlighters. The naming process is always last, once all of the shades are complete. During this stage, I just try to connect with the color, as funny as that sounds. I think about our customer swatching the colors in store, looking at the names and hopefully thinking, "That makes sense!" Shade names can't always be perfectly descriptive; they need a hint of familiarity in order to fit.

PS: Why do you think Glow Palettes developed such a cult, viral following?
CS: I think the answer is simple; the price is attractive at $40 per kit and most consumers like combining highlighters for color intensity. The Glow Kits give them the ability to do so in a compact kit that is easy to spot in their makeup drawer. Influencers absolutely played a part in the viral following, as well. Similar to bronzing, achieving the perfect glow is always a popular and trending topic from beginners in beauty to the more advanced.