The dewy skin look does not only look feminine, but makes our faces look youthful, plump and hydrated. We all crave that glossed effect on the face, HOWEVER, sometimes you need to do a little more than just adding a bit of highlighter above the cheekbone, brow bone, inner tear duct, nose and upper lip.
I have seen many matted makeup looks with highlighter caked on top giving a frosty look, resulting in skin looking very dry. There is nothing worse that caked make-up packed with a tonne of highlighter! Highlighted, glowy skin looks best with minimal make-up and bold brows!
To perfect this look, you need the perfect canvas! These following tips will cover the perfect canvas, products and techniques.
1. HYDRATED SKIN AND A TAKEN CARE OF CANVAS
Taking you back to the basics, good skin does not come as easy as you see in the media all hidden behind photoshop and good lighting.
- YES you know what I am going to firstly mention. WATER, WATER, WATER. Water is purely the simplest form of making the skin look brighter, youthful and hydrated. Around a year ago I stopped drinking fizzy drinks and resorted to constantly drinking water.
- Having a healthy diet consisting of fruit and veg is extremely important. My favourites which have helped my skin are avocado, banana and watermelon.
- Also, having an effective skin routine in place is vital (previous blog post). This helps form the perfect canvas for make-up with a hydrated look. Natural remedies are the best and also more cost effective. When talking moisturisers, I would invest in something more pricey such as Kiehls. I cannot recommend this brand enough! The basic moisturiser from this brand stays on my skin all day and leaves a dewy effect without even trying to do so with make-up.
2. A DAMP BEAUTY BLENDER
Soak the beauty blender in warm water till it swells and squeeze. This gives you a streak free and dewy look overall. *TIP* - I have more than one beauty blender as an additional dry beauty blender helps erase make-up off the face when making mistakes.
3. COCONUT OIL/ VASELINE
The MVP of dewy skin- once you have applied your makeup, a small streak of coconut oil on top of the cheekbones, on the brow bone and the bridge of your nose is all you need. When the consistency of coconut oil counteracts against the warmth of your skin, it works against your natural skin oils perfectly! It allows your powder highlighter to stick onto the skin. Vaseline can work just as effectively!
4. LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER
This is the first light layer of highlighter to add to the dewy effect. My two favourites are from benefit. High beam highlighter and the 'Watt's Up' highlight stick. This step is not essential as a very minimal amount is required.
6 HIGHLIGHTING POWDER (AS A SETTING POWDER)
This part is my FAVOURITE. Powder highlighter can act as a setting powder for the liquid highlighter (or coconut oil/vaseline) and it is definitely the cherry on top as it will not move from your face! The highlighter I would recommend as the best is Becca- Champagne Pop. The colour is slightly warmer than silver-toned highlighters and has a creamy texture for a powder. With this highlighter, a little goes a long way, so you wont find yourself needing a replacement anytime longer than you need. This product can only be bought online in the UK- Cult Beauty for £32.00. Do not make the mistake I did and buy it in Dubai - Sephora which turned out more expensive.
7. THE PERFECT HIGHLIGHTING BRUSH
Many choose to use the 'fan brush' for highlighting, however I prefer to use a small fluffy precision brush. This is because it picks up more product and you can really work sharply in the areas you want to highlight. I prefer to use the flat sides of the brush for above my cheek bones and only the tip for the brow bone and my tear duct (for a wider eye-look).
My favourite brush for this would be from the Makeup Addiction collection named 'The Highlighter'. This can be bought on the website and is priced at £5.00.
8. THE ART OF FINGER DABBING
Using your finger to dab on the product gives a more creamier look as opposed to looking frosty. I usually use a brush and also use my finger to add extra in areas I really want to stand out. The warmth of your fingers allows the product to sit on the skin more creamy. This is good for highlighting the tip and bridge of your nose!
9. FACE MIST
Using a face mist at the end of your make-up routine gives your skin an instant boost of hydration and delivers a soft silky finish! I always use the MAC - Prep + Prime Fix Plus spray for this which is priced at £18.00.
10. FINAL TOUCHES
Make sure it is all blended well with the damp beauty blender! As mentioned before,there is nothing worse than a caked look. All products used must be blended into the skin so the skin looks fresh and hydrated against your natural skin oils. FINALLY, for pictures, the best lighting is natural lighting from outdoors!
I hope this answers all questions regarding this look!
S x
Benefit 'Watts Up' 25.50 GBP
Benefit- High Beam- 21.50 GBP
Makeup Addiction - 'The Highlighter'- 5.00 GBP
Becca- Champagne Pop- 32.00 GBP (Below swatches of the product taken from Cult Beauty)
Mac- Prep + Prime Fix Plus- 18.00 GBP
