Jumping off from yesterday's post, I thought I would shed some light on what I'm using to fake a post-vacation glow. I may have spent a week at the beach, but I certainly don't look like it. I've been affectionately called "vanilla soft serve," so any kind of tan or beachy glow is pretty much impossible for me to come by naturally.
The most important aspect of a post-vacation glow is prepping the skin. Adding natural, lit-from-within radiance is essential, and I've been reaching for nourishing serums and moisturizers to do the trick. The Anese Slay Serum* is always a favorite for an instant glow - it's a lightweight lotion texture that sinks into the skin quickly and plumps it up. I also can't go without the Kypris Antioxidant Dew - this is a thinner, more milky formula that mixes well with other serums and oils depending on how I'm feeling. This one really adds a dewy radiance to the skin that's just beautiful. It's a pricey product, but worth it for sure. The moisturizer I've been reaching for time and again is of course the Glossier Priming Moisturizer. This is the best for giving the skin a dewy, but not greasy, glow.
As for the cheeks, I'm also going super glowy and quite peachy for a change. Because of my cool-toned skin, I normally reach for blue-toned pinks, but to fake a tan, I go for slightly warmer shades. The Glossier Cloud Paint* in Beam is one of my only peach-toned blushes, and it's definitely the prettiest. It looks quite orange coming out of the tube, but it turns into the perfect peachy-pink upon blending it into the cheeks. It instantly warms up the complexion and makes you look like the most well-rested, healthiest version of yourself. Like you just got back from a week at the beach, really. I'm also opting for more peachy-toned highlighters over my usual champagne pearl picks. The Milk Makeup Holographic Stick* in Mars is one of the prettiest highlighters I own, and it's such a striking shade. It appears to be a rather normal peachy highlight on first glance, but when it hits the light it has a stunning pink shift. For a more golden peach shade (for really amping up that glow), I go straight for the Marc Jacobs Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter in Dew You. I was originally worried this would be too warm for my skintone, but it's just the best when paired with these other peachy picks. It's a super smooth, metallic formula that blends out super easily.
Bronzer is a must for faking a tan, and I'm going glowy here as well. I'm still head over heels for the BECCA Sunlit Bronzer in Bali Sands - it's a beautifully creamy formula that's impossible to overdo, and it has a little bit of the Shimmering Skin Perfector mixed in for the perfect amount of glow. It doesn't appear shimmery on the skin at all, just pure radiance. The Glossier Haloscope in Topaz is a stunning bronze-y highlight that I love mixing with other products to add a bit of glow. I wrote a whole post last year about how I loved mixing it with the Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer, and that's still a favorite to this day. I've also been mixing it with the Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk quite a lot lately - it's like they were made to go together.
The one final step to faking this glow is applying a subtle peachy nude lipstick. Like the cheeks, I want to change my natural cool-toned shade to something warmer, so the Glossier Generation G in Cake is perfect for giving my lips more of a peachy-beige base. I usually go for the Generation G in Like for a really natural lip color, but Cake is perfect if you're going for a warmer look.
What products do you reach for to fake an all-over glow?
*Products marked with an asterisk have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer for more information.
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