Watt's Up, Doc?: Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter Review

I dipped down into the magic bag o' samples again, today, and pulled out Benefit's Watt's Up! highlighter. $30, BenefitCosmetics.com. I could have sworn I'd already reviewed this! I dug and dug through the archives, but can't seem to find anything on it, so if I have, let's pretend I didn't, okay? Thanks!

The sample I have is a deluxe size, and honestly, it's big enough that I may never have to buy the full-size!  The packaging is also very cute and sturdy. I only mention this because it's occasionally possible to purchase the deluxe sizes in travel sets. There's also a ton of product in the tube.

The product comes in a stick form, not unlike a lip balm or concealer stick. The texture is a firm, dry cream, and you can either apply straight from the tube, or you can rub onto your fingers for fingertip application.

You can see from the swatch that Watt's Up is a lovely champagne color with lots of sparkle, and is very subtle on your skin.

For fun, I kept my makeup* pretty matte, to show off the highlighter. As I said, it's very subtle. I used Watt's Up under my brow, in the inner corner of my eyes, on my cheekbones, and also on my lips and in my cupid's bow (better picture of that coming up). I like that it adds just a hint of glow, without being overly discoball shiny.

Here's that better picture of the cupid's bow and lips. The lipstick I chose, Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Amsterdam, is what I'd call a demi-matte. I added this highlighter to the center of the lips for a little fullness and shimmer, and I have to admit that I'm loving the way it looks.

The Good: beautiful color, subtle glow, long-wearing (over 4 hours, and it's still noticeable on the cupid's bow, even after eating and drinking), not greasy, muti-purpose

The Bad: It's $30 for a full-size. That's crazy expensive. Sure, it'll probably die from old age before you even come close to using it all up, but that's still on the high side for a highlighter--even a higher end one.

Final Verdict: It's a 10 out of 10 for the deluxe size, and a 7 out of 10 for the full-size. If you can get your hands on a deluxe sample, it's definitely worth it. 

*In case you're wondering, the rest of the makeup was:
Benefit Some Kinda Gorgeous in Medium
Benefit Boi-ing concealer in Light
Benefit Coralista blush
Buxom eyeshadows in Mutt and Collie
Buxom eyeliner in Onyx
Buxom Lash mascara
Buxom Lip Stick in Amsterdam
ELF Brow Kit in Medium