Tutorial: Glowy Makeup: 8 Steps to Natural Glam:byrdie.com

For many of us, having naturally glowing skin is a dream come true. It can be faked quickly with glowing cosmetic products, but it can also be achieved over time with a radiance-boosting skincare routine packed of vitamin C. There are a tonne of other ways to achieve a glowy makeup look, but we’ve all witnessed firsthand how amazing a decent highlighter can be at bringing life to a dull face.

To begin with, be aware that this involves more than just applying a lot of highlighter. It’s crucial to take into account every complexion product, from primers to setting sprays, for an entirely glowing appearance. Then, there are hundreds of application techniques to choose from, and there’s virtually always a delicate balance between liquid, cream, and powder compositions.

Therefore, we enlisted the help of two celebrity makeup artists to discover all the steps we need to follow to attain that lit-from-within glow in order to better grasp how to achieve it. They also share some of their top products that give them the ideal glow below.

Step 1: Use an Illuminating Primer to Prepare Skin

In order to create a clean, flyaway-free canvas for makeup application, Hughes begins by pulling her hair back. “I’m going to make my skin glow first with the Revlon SkinLights Face Glow Illuminator ($14.50),” she says as she starts applying her first product. “I’ll apply it using a foundation brush, starting with my facial high points. It assists you in achieving that sheen; the highlighter should appear to be coming from within.”

Step 2: Utilise Foundation

Hughes tells us that applying foundation over the glowy canvas you just produced in step one is crucial to getting the natural, lit-from-within appearance, even though it may seem paradoxical. Because “it’s a bit more full-coverage than your tinted moisturisers, so it’s going to give you a bit more coverage,” she says she prefers the Make Up For Ever Reboot Foundation ($42). She continues by stating that she only applies it to the T-zone because “the key to this step is to treat the foundation more like concealer, dabbing and blending formula only where you’d like to mattify and decrease shine from the illuminating primer, rather than coating your entire face in foundation.”

step 3: Apply a Creaseless Concealer under your eyes in

Although it’s not necessary, using concealer can help brighten the naturally dark area beneath your eyes and give the impression of a more radiant complexion overall. We enjoy Tarte’s Shape Tape Concealer ($31) because it is full-coverage but yet appears natural, has a flexible consistency that doesn’t crease, and lasts all day. Select a concealer shade that is marginally paler than your foundation.

Step 4: Use Powder to Set and Prepare

As we’ve only used liquid and cream products thus far, Hughes suggests dabbing some setting powder onto your cheekbones (or wherever you plan to apply bronzer or blush). By doing this, you can avoid uneven colour concentrations from your blush or bronzer clinging to your cream and liquid products.

“Use a finely milled settling powder and a small denser brush,” starts Ferreri. Then, remove any leftover brush material and apply exactly where needed, being careful not to mix. After a short while, use a fresh, fluffy brush, such as a blush size brush, to remove any remaining hair from the face.”

Step 5 : Bronze and Blush

Application of pigment can begin when you’ve made the necessary preparations for your colour cosmetics. Hughes like blending all of the blush, bronzer, and highlight tones in the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette ($90). She smiles as she applies, wisping the blush upward and brushing it across her cheeks before bringing it down towards her jaw to create an aura. Ferreri prefers cream bronzers like Chanel’s Les Beiges Bronzing Cream ($60) and Tom Ford’s Shade and Illuminate ($90) because she claims they give your skin a beautiful glow, even though that palette is made up of powder formulas.

You can always use the brush you used for your foundation or concealer to tone things down if you apply a little too much product, whether you want to use powder, cream, or liquid. Hughes simply advises using the substance that is already on the brush and not picking up more to prevent caking.

Step 6 : Apply Some Highlighter Powder

Hughes employs this procedure to focus a light beam, carefully positioning the highlighter on specific areas of the face. The inner corners of your eyes, the bridge of your nose, the peaks of your cheekbones, the Cupid’s bow, and, if your hair isn’t in the way, your ears are all areas to concentrate on. Hughes suggests doing this with the Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette from Universal ($48).

Step 7 : Use a Radiant Formula to Set Your Look

Once your makeup is done, use a setting spray to keep it in place and ensure that your look lasts. To maintain your lit-from-within sheen, look for varieties that promote themselves as “radiant” or “glowing” among the numerous available. Ferreri suggests Tatcha’s Luminous Dewy Skin Mist ($49) and Rare Beauty’s Always an Optimist 4-in-1 Mist ($29) for that kind of finish.

Step 8: Make Any Retouches When Required

Applying a little extra product after the highlight will help your blush or bronzer become even more saturated. Just remember that alternating between creams and liquids and powders isn’t the greatest approach because it increases the likelihood of uneven building, pilling, and creases in your makeup. Apply a little lip balm to finish, and you’ll look radiant.