Since I’m Muted Summer, strong shine usually doesn’t suit me well. But after using the Espoir Strobing Highlighter recently, I realized that highlighters actually have their own charm. Still, the glow intensity of the Espoir highlighter felt a bit weak to me, so I wanted to try another one.
While searching for a new highlighter, I watched several videos from YouTuber Park ViVi. Vivi mentioned that the 2aN highlighter was not bad, and I saw this comment on that video: “Vivi loves super flashy highlighters, so if Vivi says something is ‘not bad,’ that means it’s actually perfect for regular people.”
That sounded very convincing. So I bought the 2aN Pure Glass Highlighter.
Product Info
2aN Pure Glass Highlighter
Color: ND002 Clear
Capacity: 2.7g
Price: 12,000 KRW (≈ 8.16 USD)
What I Paid: 9,070 KRW (≈ 6.17 USD)
Korean Brand: 2aN
2aN is a brand that targets a younger people in Korea, mainly in their teens and twenties. The packaging is cute, and it is known for making a good quality, affordable blusher and highlighters.
Price Compared to Amount
The size was similar to a typical eyeshadow pan.
There had been a lot of talk about the Espoir highlighter being expensive, but in reality, based on price per gram, the 2AN highlighter is even more expensive.
| 2AN Pure Glass Highlighter | Espoir Strobing Highlighter | |
|---|---|---|
| Color | ND002 Clear | Galaxy |
| Capacity | 2.7g | 9.6g |
| Retail Price | 12,000 KRW (≈ 8.16 USD) | 30,000 KRW (≈ 20.41 USD) |
| What I Paid | 9,070 KRW (≈ 6.17 USD) | 21,000 KRW (≈ 14.29 USD) |
| Price per g | About 4,444 KRW/g (≈ 3.02 USD/g) | About 3,125 KRW/g (≈ 2.13 USD/g) |
| Price per g (What I Paid) | About 3,359 KRW/g (≈ 2.28 USD/g) | About 2,187 KRW/g (≈ 1.49 USD/g) |
Of course, since highlighters are used in small amounts, it’s nice when they come in small sizes at lower prices.
But people often say Espoir is “expensive” while calling 2AN “cheap,” so I wanted to point this part out.
Glow
Hmmm. Why is the beam so weak?
It seems I’m more of a “crow”(drawn to shiny things) than I thought. I realized I actually prefer a more visible, impactful glow. For my personal standards, the 2AN highlighter was more like “Is this even on?”
Compared to Espoir, the 2aN one didn’t look any more reflective or intense.
When applied on the cheeks, it barely showed. On the tip of the nose, it gave a slightly dusty look, and there was a bit of pore emphasis.
It works fine for the bridge of the nose or inner corners of the eyes, but overall, it’s very subtle and almost too natural for my taste. People who prefer natural glow might like it.
The Espoir highlighter looked white and noticeable on the cheekbone, but 2aN Glass Highlighter was subtle from the beginning and didn’t make that area look whitish or chalky. This is a point I liked.
Except for the nose tip, I didn’t experience much pore or texture accentuation. It’s simply extremely soft and natural.
The longevity was also not very good. After about half a day, it faded, leaving only faint trace.
Still, it didn’t spread to unwanted areas. It just stayed exactly where I applied it.
Final Thoughts
If someone asked me which highlighter I would recommend as of now, Espoir would be the clear winner for me.
My next review will be on the new 2aN Jelly Glow Highlighter Palette, which Park Vivi recently rated 4.5 out of 5 among Korean highlighters.