How to Use Illuminating Makeup for a Glowing Visage

Radiance. Luminosity. A gorgeous glow. You know it when you see it—that inner light that signals dewy, youthful-looking skin. Unfortunately, it’s not always an easy thing to attain. Everything from environmental factors, like UV rays and air pollution, to the natural aging process can cause your complexion to start appearing dull. Womp, womp. The good news is that the right makeup can work wonders in helping to create a natural-looking glow and there are plenty of brightening and illuminating face makeup products out there to choose from. Here, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite illuminating makeup, from primer to highlighter to blush. Follow our step-by-step tutorial for using it—then go ahead and shine bright!

STEP 1: TIME TO PRIME

To create the illusion of a glowing complexion, start with an illuminating primer, like the L’Oréal Paris Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer. Primer can help create a smooth canvas for makeup application, as well as help your makeup wear evenly throughout the day. For a soft, candlelit effect, dab the primer onto freshly moisturized cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin, then blend.

STEP 2: COVER AND CORRECT

It’s time to invest in an illuminating foundation and concealer! To help hide uneven skin tone and create a glowing look, pick up the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Glow Foundation and use the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender to bounce and blend it onto your skin. Follow up the foundation with the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Glow Concealer to help hide imperfections like dark circles and blemishes.

STEP 3: GET GLOWING SKIN

An illuminating makeup routine can’t exist without highlighter, right? Apply a few drops of a liquid highlighter, like the L'Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Glow Amour Glow Boosting Drops, onto your cheekbones and the bridge of your nose, then blend out. You can also condense your steps by adding a few drops of your illuminator to your favorite foundation!

STEP 4: SET YOUR BASE MAKEUP

You might think that all face powder has a matte finish but it turns out that’s not actually the case. If you want to illuminate the appearance of your skin, it’s all about looking for a powder that has a little shimmer in it, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Prow Glow Powder. Dust it over your complexion to help set your foundation and concealer while boosting your brightness.

STEP 5: ILLUMINATE THE INNER CORNERS OF YOUR EYES

Highlighting the inner corners of your eyes can help instantly freshen up your look. It can also create a gorgeous contrast with whatever eye shadow you wear. Pair it with a smoky eye look to really add depth. After completing your shadow application, add a touch of a highlighter, like the L'Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer, to your fingertip. Then, use your finger to place the highlighter around the inner corners of your eyes for instant illumination. If you aren’t ready to stop, there are other areas to highlight around your eyes. Try adding a bit of highlighter below the arch of your eyebrows and on the center of your lids as finishing touches.

STEP 6: HIGHLIGHT YOUR CHEEKBONES

A well-placed gleam or two of a light-reflecting powder highlighter, like the L'Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Shimmerista Highlighting Powder or the L'Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator, can help accentuate your natural bone structure. To apply, brush the powder above your cheekbones. If you’re having trouble finding the right spot, suck in your cheeks (think of the classic puckered fish face) to make your cheekbones appear more prominent—unfortunately we aren’t all naturally blessed with super-sharp ones. The good news is, that’s what contouring is for. Speaking of, follow up highlighting with a subtle swipe of contour powder.

STEP 7: BRUSH ON BLUSH

You’re probably starting to notice a trend: There’s an illuminating version of almost every makeup product. Among those is blush. Give your cheeks some color and create the appearance of a rosy, youthful-looking complexion by using the L’Oréal Paris Visible Lift Color Lift Blush. Lightly sweep the color on with a brush for a natural-looking flush.

STEP 8: LET YOUR LIPS REFLECT LIGHT

The key to using highlighter is to define your features without looking overly made-up. For a fuller-looking pout, use highlighter to define the contours of your lips, adding a bit of the shimmery powder along your cupid’s bow. Finish off the look with a coat of super-glossy lip gloss, like the L'Oréal Paris Infallible 8HR Le Gloss, for an added dose of shine.

In the spirit of illumination, check out our article, 8 Highlighter Hacks to Help Make Your Skin look Glow-y, next.