Find Your Glow: How to have Healthy, Glowing Skin
By Franki Hanke
Get that back-from-the-Bahamas glow even in the dead of winter.
Whether it’s a rejection from the dry dust of winter skin or a celebration of summer’s sunlight, glowing skin looks young, healthy, and natural which matches any style. But the question remains: how to get glowing skin?
How to get glowing skin? Turn to the fridge.
We often see skincare products with Vitamin C. That’s because Vitamin C helps make collagen, a protein found in the skin. However, the efficacy of absorbed Vitamin C when applied topically (on top of the skin) is very low.
Instead, for better skin, look to the fridge.
A review of 27 studies found that adding Vitamin C through diet was associated with better skin elasticity (dullness), less obvious wrinkles, smoother texture (lessened fine lines), and even color.
The key here was eating more fruit and vegetables. It’s likely that Vitamin C is only one of the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables alongside Vitamin A and numerous antioxidants.
So, for glowing skin add an extra serving of vegetables to your meal plan.
On top of nutrition, sleep and hydration are key to supporting your skin, plus sleep and hydration are key to minimizing dark circles.
Skincare is a Must for Glowing Skin
Well-moisturized, healthy skin will have a natural glow while dry skin just won’t. If you’re hoping for how to get glowing skin every day, skincare is the answer. Create a skincare routine that nourishes your particular skin type and pinpoints your concerns from a cleanser to a toner. To prevent dark spots and discoloration, sunscreen is essential in your daily routine, but your day-to-day routine helps too!
Specifically for glowing skin, make sure your routine includes moisturization and exfoliation.
Moisturize
Even for oily skin, you need a moisturizer. These products are designed to combat dry skin and dullness by protecting and nourishing your skin barrier, the outside layer of your skin cells.
Consider your skin type and choose the right moisturizer for morning and night.
→ For oily skin (or a lightweight day moisturizer), consider a gel moisturizer like Neutrogena’s Hydroboost Gel-Cream which contains hyaluronic acid.
→ For dry skin (or heavier night cream), consider Cetaphil’s classic moisturizing lotion.
If you’d like a personalized skincare routine for your skin, consider a consult with a dermatologist. Dermatology is the medical branch for the skin, so a dermatologist can address specific, persistent issues like ongoing breakouts or blemishes.
For sensitive skin especially, opt for something without perfumes added. For deeply dry skin, consider aloe or hyaluronic acid for additional moisture.
During the winter, make skin glow with extra moisture with sheet masks or hydrating face masks two to three times a week to combat the increase in dryness from indoor heating and harsh outside air.
Exfoliate
In addition to your daily routine, add in exfoliators two to three times a week to remove dead, excess skin cells. Don’t exfoliate too often, that can damage the skin further, so this is a less is more situation.
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Physical exfoliants contain grit that rubs the top layer of skin cells off while chemical exfoliants use AHAs or BHAs (acids) to gently refresh skin. Many products will use a combination of both for maximum exfoliation.
For physical exfoliation, try Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant exfoliator which is gentle enough for sensitive skin or daily use. For a daily-use exfoliant that has physical exfoliants, use Aveeno’s Positively In-Shower-Facial. It combines glycolic acid with a light grit from kaolin clay to buff skin. For a weekly treatment that’s more intense, Kate Sommerville’s ExfoliKate is an icon for fresh, glowing skin.
Always follow up exfoliation with moisturizer to refresh the skin and always pair skincare products that contain acids or retinol with liberal SPF usage. Those ingredients (like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and glycolic acid) make the skin more susceptible to sun damage from the UV rays’ UVA and UVB damage.
For an extra smooth canvas for your makeup, remove those final dead skin cells and peach fuzz by shaving your face. Alongside exfoliating regularly, a lil shave can make your skin extra smooth.
Makeup is the Final Touch for Glowing Skin
When in doubt, fake it till you make it. No matter the state of your natural skin, brightening makeup can even your skin tone and fake hydration for a glowing look with makeup alone.
Hydrate! Yes, again!
After your skincare routine, start your glowing makeup routine with a hydrating or illuminating primer for additional brightening. Allow ample time for each ‘layer’ onto your skin to set down to avoid rubbing them up and creating texture.
For your primer, try Nyx’s Honey Dew Me Up primer for a lightweight, brightening primer.
Pick an Illuminating Foundation.
No matter how hydrated your skin is, if you top it with a matte foundation then you’ll lose much of that shine. Instead, use an illuminating, brightening, or lightweight foundation.
For a creamy foundation with long-wear and medium to high coverage that doesn’t sacrifice your glow, try L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Glow. It’s a lightweight foundation with a daily SPF boost that doesn’t set down to matte.
Or, opt for a CC cream or tinted moisturizer instead for light to medium coverage that allows more of your natural skin tone to show through. The It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream is super easy to use. It has a light texture, 50+ SPF, and hyaluronic acid for added moisture.
Detail with Highlighter.
Complete your glowing skin look with a highlighter. If you want more intensely glowing skin, use a liquid highlighter with your liquid foundation as a base highlighter. For liquid highlight, you can mix them into the foundation for an all-over glow that fakes extra hydration or dot them on top and blend in.
Then, top your powder products with another highlighter.
Use highlight to draw more attention to the high points of the face: cheekbones, bridge of the nose, brow bones, and the cupid’s bow.
Finish with Setting Spray.
Last, end your makeup routine with a spritz (or five) of setting spray. Setting spray soaks back into the skin and brings a natural hydrated look back to the surface of the skin.
To extend the life of your look, use Maybelline’s Master Fix Setting Spray. Now, find your light and just dazzle everyone with your glowing skin. Throughout the day, don’t hesitate to top up your highlighter and setting spray to keep fresh and glowy.
Let’s recap how to get glowing skin.
Long-term, eat more fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C, hydrate, and sleep properly for a from-within glow. Invest in a skincare routine that brings out the best in your skin.
Short-term, the right combination of makeup can fake a glow even if you can’t hack how to get glowing skin naturally. Opt for an illuminating foundation and add in extra sparkle with a highlighter.
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