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What Our Beauty Director Uses to Get Glowy Skin
Whatever our age or skin tone, we all want a radiant, healthy-looking complexion. Here’s how I create it.
Here's the glowdown: I've spent years watching makeup artists devote 10, even 20 minutes to cleansing, massaging, and hydrating a model's skin before they apply even a drop of foundation. They've explained that creating a radiant, catch-the-light-in-all-the-right-places complexion is as much about skincare as it is about makeup. And it's not one magical holy-grail formula; it's a mix of steps working in concert to reach peak gleaminess.
Of course, your lifestyle can make or break your efforts. Consistent sleep, healthy foods, and exercise make a difference. Your mood matters, too: I think often of research that shows that our emotions really do show up on our face. When we're content and calm, our body releases feel-good hormones and our skin seems to respond in kind, radiating a healthy flush. That mixed with a gentle peel, a dab of blush, and a pat of facial oil? Brilliant.
Here, the skin and makeup products I love and use in my own radiance routine:
Lancôme Clarifique Pro-Solution
Lancôme Clarifique Pro-Solution
Use this extra-gentle peel daily—no need to rinse off. The brightening formula has niacinamide and 10 percent PHA, an acid that stays on the surface of skin, and is safe for all tones and types.
Saie Glowy Super Skin Weightless Hydrobounce Serum Foundation
Saie Glowy Super Skin Weightless Hydrobounce Serum Foundation
You don’t want to cover up your glowy, hydrated complexion with a full-coverage foundation. This breathable formula (which comes in 36 shades) evens out skin while still letting it shine.
Flamingo Disposable Dermaplane Razor
The first time a facialist used a dermaplane razor to remove peach fuzz and dead skin cells, my complexion beamed like never before. Now I do it myself once a month (the hair doesn’t grow back darker or thicker).
Makeup by Mario Soft Pop Blush Stick
If I could apply only one thing to brighten up, it’d be a warm pink or peach cream blush, like this one in Pale Petal or Soft Coral. There’s no quicker way to make my entire face look fresher and more alive.
Kosas Glow I.V. Vitamin-Infused Skin Enhancer
Kosas Glow I.V. Vitamin-Infused Skin Enhancer
This cream highlighter comes in 10 sheer, inclusive shades; blend a bit onto cheekbones, brow bones, down the bridge of the nose, and on the Cupid’s bow.
Costa Brazil Kaya Anti-Aging Face Oil
Costa Brazil Kaya Anti-Aging Face Oil
If I look especially dry or dull in the afternoon, I massage a bit of this nourishing, omega-rich oil into my cheeks.
Olay Regenerist Vitamin C + Peptide 24 SPF
Skipping broad-spectrum sunscreen will sabotage your brightening progress. This lightweight SPF 30 moisturizer goes on clear, smells like citrus, and fades dark spots with vitamin C.
Kate Sandoval Box (she/her) is the Beauty Director at Oprah Daily. She has over 18 years of experience at national women’s media brands; and, in fact, started her publishing career at O, The Oprah Magazine. She’s also held beauty editor roles at Shape, Self, Latina, and Cosmopolitan. Kate tests hundreds and hundreds of beauty products that cross her desk each year and interviews many top experts, celebrities, and indie brand founders to bring you the best in beauty. Follow her on Instagram.
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