Want A Sculpted Face? Glow Lights Are The Unexpected Answer

By Khanak Mehta 

If your list of beauty icons includes Kate Moss and Kim Kardashian, there’s a fair chance that a sculpted contour is your go-to makeup technique when donning a full glam avatar. The right placement of your contour stick can give your face lots of structure, lift it, and even slim it down a little to make it look sharper—and who doesn’t love that?

Now, imagine this: what if there was an easy way to get the look of a chiselled face every day, without having to swipe on a contour? This is precisely what beauty dreams are made of, but this one’s a reality. Yes, we’re talking about face-framing highlights, but with a modern twist.

The Origin Story 

We all know face-framing highlights as the colouring technique where the front few pieces of your hair are dyed a lighter colour to add more dimension to your face and draw attention to your favourite facial features. In the 2000’s and 2010’s, this looked like two to four chunks of lighter blond or brown hair near your face, with the rest of the hair being your natural colour. We saw this technique being rocked by supermodels from Cindy Crawford to Kate Moss in this era, but in 2022, it has finally gotten an upgrade.

Hello Glow Lights 

Hairstylists are calling these ‘glow lights’ or 'babylights'—instead of a stark contrast to accentuate your facial features, they instead just go a few shades lighter for a more subtle look. In addition, this helps to give your face a more youthful, luminous appearance, producing a fresh, lit-from-within feel.

Ready To Give This A Try? 

Keep in mind that it’s best to get your colour done professionally by a hair colourist or stylist, especially when it’s a technique you’re not too familiar with. Also, we recommend that you always take some reference photos with you to help them understand what you’re looking for better. With this technique, the key is to not add too much definition with a stark contrast—rather, they need to follow a gradient and enhance the areas that would naturally pick up the light.

Maintaining The Look 

While the upkeep for this look is super simple and hassle-free—you really need to get this touched up just a few times a year—the longevity of the colour and your hair health will heavily depend on the kind of care that you give it.

Here are some of our top product recommendations for coloured hair so that you can get the most out of your investment.