Wondering how to get the glow with skincare? Not long ago the skincare ‘fashion’ was to make your skin super matte, not a glow in sight. And your task throughout the day was making sure it stayed matte, powdering the face enough to make it look like a freshly dusted cake. Those days are long gone.
Now, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to take care of their skin and embracing the natural glowy finish. And I’m here for it!
Glowy skin starts with your skincare routine and taking extra good care of your skin. There are so many external factors which can cause our skin to look dull and dehydrated. A good skincare routine not only takes care of that but can enhance the glow, make your skin brighter, and look super healthy.
Here are 5 skincare saviours to get your glow on:
1. Remove those dead skin cells
Exfoliating essentially removes the top layer of dead skin cells from your face. Removing these cells reveals the new, fresh skin cells underneath, so exfoliating is one of the quickest ways to add brightness and a healthy glow to your complexion.
Exfoliating doesn’t have to mean one of those exfoliating gloves, or scrubs with beads in. These physical exfoliants can be irritating on the skin, and depending on what physical exfoliant is being used, they can even damage the new skin cells underneath.
Chemical exfoliators (whilst these sound much harsher) are much more gentle on the skin and remove the top layer of dead skin cells with chemicals such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, and salicylic acid.
Choosing the right acid depends on your skin type, but one of the most popular chemical exfoliators is the Pixi Glow Tonic. This contains glycolic acid as well as ginseng and aloe vera, so not only does it remove the dead skin cells, it’s also really calming on the skin.
2. Draw in some much-needed moisture
Hyaluronic acid is an ingredient which seems to have gained a lot of traction recently in the beauty world. And for all the right reasons.
Hyaluronic acid is a humectant which means that it works to hydrate your skin by drawing moisture in from the environment.
And hydrated skin = glowy skin!
It’s super easy to incorporate hyaluronic acid into a skincare routine. You can choose a moisturizer which contains hyaluronic acid, or for best results, you can add a hyaluronic acid serum as an additional step in your routine.
A popular moisturizer with added hyaluronic acid is The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA. This is a perfect moisturizer for day or night and delivers hydration where it’s needed most.
As a separate hyaluronic serum to add to your routine, a super affordable yet super effective serum is The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid + B5. Applying this to damp skin after you’ve cleansed and exfoliated gives your skin that extra hydration before your moisturizer.
3. Brighten up your skin
We all know vitamin C is super important for our health, but did you know it’s just as important in a skincare routine?
Vitamin C is an antioxidant and it brightens the skin whilst also protecting it from free radicals in the environment. It can also help to increase cell turnover (the rate at which new skin cells are developed) which gives an overall brighter and more even-toned complexion.
Medik8 Vitamin C serum is a great addition to your skincare routine. A small amount goes a long way too!
If you want to brighten the under-eye area, a Vitamin C eye serum is also an option.
4. Create a barrier to the outside world
Glowy skin will be difficult to achieve without a good moisturizer to hydrate the skin and lock in hydration. Your moisturizer also acts as a barrier to the outside world, protecting the skin from pollution and environmental aggressors which can cause the skin to become dull.
Choosing the right moisturizer can depend on your skin type and also the time of year. Coming into autumn/winter, the skin needs more hydration, so richer moisturizers can be preferable to maintain that glowy look.
One of my favorites is the Weleda Skin Food. This hydrates the skin all day long and leaves a glowy, dewy finish. Another glowy moisturizer is the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and this also contains SPF35 which makes it the perfect moisturizer for top-ups throughout the day.
5. The essential step you CANNOT miss
You might think that sunscreen is reserved for holidays abroad, or the odd incredibly sunny day in England, to protect you from sunburn… but sunscreen should actually be part of a daily skincare routine too!
SPF protects the skin from the sun’s UV rays which can cause dark spots, aging, fine lines, and wrinkles. Adding SPF into your skincare routine can prevent all of these factors and keep your skin looking fresh, even, and glowy.
A few of my favorite SPF’s for the face include Supergoop Unseen SPF30, Bondi Sands SPF50, and Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defence SPF30.
Written by Karen
