highlighting powder gives your face a little shimmer. It adds a little something to you look to make you sparkle.

It is a great tool. You add it just to the areas of your face where you want the light to reflect the most (i.e. usually upper cheek bones and under eyebrows ) and it gives your face a light-reflecting glow, without shiny-ness. It helps to make you look fresh and polished.

Highlighting products are often light colored and/or shimmery, and they are meant to reflect light, accenting contours of your face (ie browbone, cheekbones) and diffuse light, making your skin overall look smoother. This product seems more suited to broad application, with a large powder brush, although a pale shade could be swept under the brow with an eyeshadow brush.
I've used this product and like it, I have a peachy pink tone(not sure of the shade name) and use it like a blush. It is makeup, not skincare, so it doesn't do any miracles like shrink pores or improve skin tone, but the soft sheen is flattering.

I use a light highlighting powder to diffuse a brighter or darker blush, or to brighten complexion over forehead/nose so I don't look so matte-finish. I use a darker highlighter to add warmth. Good trick I heard was to do a "W" shape with tops of "W" hitting corner of eyes and on ridge of nose; bottom of "W" hits apple of cheeks.

10/17/11 My current favorite for the most natural/subtle look is Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Illuminating. I also love Benefit High Beam. You can lightly tap them with your ring finger over the mineral makeup. If you prefer a powder, I love Smashbox Soft Lights. Apply very lightly with the appropriate sized (for the area) fluffy brush.

I would venture to say that it depends on your skin shade, skin type, and the look desired. Since I'm very light, most highlighters tend to appear as bronzers on me, not natural looking. I've had good luck with clear luminizers, such as Bare Escential's flawless radiance, or slightly even pink-tinted ones such as Laura Geller's etheral rose. Since my skin has become more sensitive and dry(was oily in early youth), I opt for more sheer and non-irritating formulas. If this is an issue, Sephora provides a good "naturals" catagory from which to choose. Lastly, this Smashbox highlighter would be a good substitute for a foundation. I found it heavier than desired, however, and the lightest shade was rather dark for me. If you're experimenting with highlighters for the first time, I might try a neutral luminizer, such as Lorac's Perfectly Lit in Luminous. it provides a colorless glow. Sephora sells in online.

10/16/11
It depends on the area of my face I'm applying it.

HIGHLIGHTER (the lighter shades):
A fan brush (Sephora Pro #43) for tops of cheek bones, and center forehead.
A fluffy eyeshadow blending/crease brush (like Sephora Pro #10) around outer eye corners, between nose and inner eye corners, and above outer half of eyebrows.
A small eyeshadow brush (like Sephora Pro #15) or a pointier "smoke out" brush (like Sephora Pro #24) Around outer corners of the mouth, & nose, and just under eyebrow.
Eyeliner brush (l like the Sephora Pro #23, or Smashbox #21) dampened - for the inner corners of the eye.
Surprisingly I found the flat blush brush that comes in the Benefit blush boxes to be perfect for the bridge of the nose, top of cheekbones, and above brow bone.
In all applications, just touch the brush to the product - you can always add more if you need to, but this product works best as a subtle glow, you don't want it to be obvious!
Sometimes I use my ring finger and tap a little on the center of the eyelid.

BRONZER/CONTOURING
If I'm using a bronzer/contouring shade I usually use an angled blush brush (like the Sephora Pro #49) or the fan brush, or a kabuki brush, applying in the hollow of the cheek, face perimeter (hairline/jawline), and temples. Blend, blend blend. Once again, you don't want it to be obvious.

BLUSH
If you are using it as a blush alone, use a blush brush.
To add shimmer to a matte blush, use a fan brush and sweep across the cheek.

I recommend doing the contouring first, then eyeshadow, then blush, then highlighting.

I wouldn't use my fingers because the oils would react with the powder. Just use a good blush brush..it doesn't have to be high-end. Sonia Kashuk (Target) designs good brishes that don't shed...Eco Tools brushes are also good and very affordable. I hope this helps! :)

Prism is quite rosy, but the shimmer is a 'glow' Put on lightly, it should not be too light, but if it was put on more heavy, it could be light. Lightly applied, it would catch the light.

If soft subtle shimmer is what you are looking for, this one has been the best that I have used. I would say that you do receive quite a bit of product for the money and it will last you a long time.

if you have a sephora close to you, try and get the colour "tint" i have irish-light skin/green eyes. I experiment alot when bronzers and this was my first one, and I went through maybe 5 of them because i loved it so much!

I have not seen it in the store, and it's not online at Smashbox.com. It could be temporarily unavailable, or discontinued. You could call the 800 number for Smashbox and ask if they have any available - I have done this twice with other retailers - and they sent the product to me! Sometimes if it is very recently discontinued, they will have extra quantities you can still order.

They have it at the smashbox website :)

I'm Chinese as well and this works really well with my skin tone and coloring.

Given the fact that it does give color....I wouldn't use this as a setting powder but more as a highlighter/blush.