The Complete Guide To Radiant And Glowing Skin

The last weeks were quite stressful for me. I had a lot going on with work and Uni so I didn't really spend much time on my makeup. The thing I noticed during that time was that I don't have to wear tons of eyeshadow, liner or lipstick, as long as my skin is looking great, I feel beautiful. And those people who know me will tell you that I pretty much always have a full face of makeup on.

So, I have gathered my favorite products that will help you to look healthy, dewy and give you that glow from within. Also, I tried to show you multiple products that will do pretty much the same, just to give you some options. 

Dermalogica Gentle Creme Exfoliant and L'oreal Skin Perfection Day Creme 

The first step is removing those dead skin cells. I have taken a break from my Clarisonic and any other form of physical scrubs and focused more on the active ingredients in exfoliators to do the job for me. I feel like I don't need to rub and tug on my skin in order to achieve smooth skin. Lactic acids are a great substitute for those harsh micro beads. I have discovered the Dermalogica Gentle Creme Exfoliant a couple of months ago. You apply it like a mask, let it sit for a few minutes and rinse with warm water.  My skin feels just as soft as after using my Clarisonic, without any irritations or broken capillaries, like I unfortunately experienced while using the Clarisonic. 

Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer and Benefit Porefessional

After you have cleansed your skin it's time for moisture. L'oreal has put out a great range lately, the Skin Perfection line. While I enjoy the serum and the BB Creme, the one I find to be the most moisturizing is the day creme. Of course, the cute pink packaging helps.

L'oreal Lumi Magique Foundation, YSL Youth Liberator Foundation and YSL Perfect Touch Radiance Foundation

Now for foundation. My two favorites that provide a dewy finish are the YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation in the shade BD 50 or the L'oreal Lumi Magique Foundation with liquid light technology in Rck4, Rose beige. The only visible difference between these two is the staying power. While I don't really notice a huge difference with the L'oreal version day to day, I do see that the amount that is still left on my skin when I take it off at night is a little less than with the Youth Liberator Foundation. The YSL option definitely stays on all day and keeps its beautiful satin finish. When I'm having a good skin day (those do exist, sometimes) or if I'm looking for a more natural coverage with the same beautiful finish, I go for an old favorite: the YSL Perfect Touch Radiance Foundation in shade 4.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer and Annayke Concealer 

Dewy skin always entails a bright under-eye area for me. My favorite concealers are the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch in the lightest shade or the Annayke Highlight Brush Concealer because it has a peachy undertone.

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel

Here comes the fun part. I have to admit that I have a deep love for bronzers, blushes, highlighters and finishing powders. In the summertime I really like using the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel because it is a creme product and hence doesn't add a powdery finish to your face. Unfortunately, it is pretty expensive and I have not found a cheaper alternative to date. 

Benefit Rockateur, Mac Stereo Rose, P2 Cheeks+Lips Fancy Snow White and Ebelin Blush Brush

If you want to stick to creme products for your cheeks, I would recommend the new P2 Cheeks+ Lips creme blushes. The formula is amazing! These puppies are super pigmented and the color selection ranges from a dusky pink (the shade I have is 020, Fancy Snow White) to peachy and coral shades.

You could stop there as far as cheek color and but why would you? I like to go over the creme blush, which almost sets completely matte, with a finely milled shimmery blush. The Benefit Rockateur Blush is super nice as a topper because it does not give off all that much color when applied sheerly. It just adds the prettiest glow. You could skip the highlighter when using this product. A 2 in 1 product and a long time favorite of mine.

If you want to go with a little more color and really warm up your skin I recommend the Mac Mineralize Skinsfinishes. They always come out with gorgeous shades, mostly with limited editions. One that has recently been re-released is Stereo Rose, a cult favorite. It's a light peachy pink that has the most beautiful sheen and no visible shimmer.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light, Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder in Fairy Dusk and Real Techniques Powder Brush

We're almost done, guys. It's time to set your make up. Now, if you put a heavy and matte setting powder you will destroy all the effort we have just put into this look. Still, we want to make sure everything stays in place and we don't want to get oily during the day. Because if you do you'll just look like a grease ball with all that sheen, glow and oil. If you have dry skin, however, you can just skip this step. Of course, the product that started the "finishing powder" trend are the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. I use the shade Dim Light and apply it with the Real Techniques Powder Brush because I find that this dense and large blush works perfectly. You achieve a light, yet deep application, if that makes sense. You can really pat it in, so that it does not just sit on your skin, it sort of becomes one with all products used previously.

Now, drum roll please, I have a dupe. The sad part is, it is discontinued. I'm taking about the Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder in 010 Fairy Dust. Holy cow, fairy dust it is. I have never seen a more finely milled powder at the drugstore, ever, ever. Why the heck did Catrice discontinue this? When applied just like the Hourglass Powder this powder does not look shimmery and it also blurs imperfections. Both products can also be used as subtle highlighters if you use a smaller and even denser brush (try the Ebelin Blush Brush or the Real Techniques Contour Brush). The shade is a bit more pink, while the Hourglass has a yellow undertone. For me, that is the only difference. Oh, and the price of course. I bought a backup of the Catrice Powder, just before it was taken of the shelves for just 1,75€! I have only found some on Kleiderkreisel here, maybe keep checking eBay or Amazon if you are not based in Germany. It's worth it, trust me!

The Balm Maryloumanizer Highlighter, Mac Superb Highlighter, Real Techniques Contour Brush and ELF Blush in Gotta Glow

The last step for dewy skin is, of course, highlighter. Don't go overboard, we already have a lot going on, but we want that extra boost of dimension on our cheekbones, the center of the forehead and Cupid's bow. I personally feel like it makes more sense to apply my highlight after my setting powder, so I can see how much I really need on my already dewy face. Depending on the shade of blush I like to stay in the same family with my highlight. For a champagne option I love The Balm's Mary-lou-manizer or the e.l.f. Blush in Gotta Glow, which is a little more powdery but also a fraction of the price. Another long time favorite is the Mac Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb, which is limited edition, but gets re-released frequently. I have never seen such a liquid-looking highlight. It's breathtaking, really.

Maxfactor Gloss in Prestine Nude

So this is how I came up with my look. I just added a simple brown eye look as well as some lip gloss (super impressed by the new Maxfactor Gloss in 10, Pristine Nude!) As you can see, you won't look glittery or strange, you'll just have a healthy-looking radiance about you. I hope you enjoyed this post and took some tips and product recommendations with you along the way. If you have any suggestions for a good and cheaper creme bronzer, please leave them in the comment section, as well as your favorite products for dewy skin. 

xoxo, Martyna