Alia Bhatt has been the poster girl for sun-kissed, glowing skin since longer than we can remember. And, her Instagram is proof that her glowy, dewy skin is the biggest summer trend. Likewise, a peek into Ananya Pandey’s feed, whether it’s capturing a backstage moment with her beauty team or savouring a holiday bite, is focussed on her glowing, flawless makeup. The key takeaway here is that, whether you want to keep it natural or glamorous, preparation is key for every stunning makeup look.
You might feel you are saving time, but when the skin prep is not done right, the makeup will not last longer and will fade away from the face real quick, warns celebrity makeup artist and founder of Simply Nam, Namrata Soni. We asked three experts for tips on how to get glowing skin for summer and they did not disappoint.
Moisturise but don’t wait
According to Soni, the biggest mistake that people make is applying their moisturiser, and they wait it out for 15, 20, and even 30 minutes going around doing their routine and then starting their makeup application. “For pro results, you need to apply makeup within 5 minutes of moisturising your skin so that the skin still has all that moisture intact. The longer you wait, the drier your skin will be, thus, making the makeup look like it only settled on the skin surface instead of seamlessly blending into your skin,” says Soni. Another hack from her makeup diary: before she starts the makeup application, she always has her client’s face massaged smoothly with some ice, followed by a cream or oil massage. You can consider investing in ice globes if puffiness is a concern.
Give yourself a quick face massage
“On top of good life habits: drinking enough water, not smoking, eating healthy, glowing skin can be achieved thanks to a good skin prep that includes a face massage with creams but most important with the good gestures/ movements. Apply serum and creams going out and upwards always,” shares Manu Horn, a Paris-based makeup artist. “My work is mostly with fashion and luxury brands, where glowing skin is the main trend. We hardly do matte skin. The trick lies not in the products but in the prep,” she agrees.
She promises that a 5-minute face massage just before applying your base can be the gamechanger. “This also drains water retention and softens any signs of fatigue. A quick massage boosts blood circulation and gives you glowing skin,” adds Horn. For prep, she swears the “hybrid” combination of serum and oil gives the skin a natural glow without the shiny effect of powders, and it’s not uncomfortable as pure oil. “If your skin is dehydrated, use a hyaluronic acid-based serum on damp skin for better absorption. If it’s oily, don’t skip the toner as it instantly balances the pH levels,” adds Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta, Aesthetic Physician.
Exfoliate your lips
If your lips are chapped or flaky, Soni suggests scrubbing the lips to remove excess dead cells, which gives a smoother application. Mixing a pinch of sugar with olive or coconut oil is a simple DIY hack if you don’t have a store-bought lip scrub handy. “I use a generous dose of ‘Simply Nam Softening Lip Scrub’ to massage the lips and remove the excess with a damp towel,” reveals Soni, whose line of beauty products is a way of making her pro hacks accessible to a larger beauty community.
This Article first appeared in Vogue
