When it comes to achieving glowing, dewy-looking skin, a good highlighter certainly helps but the real MVP is a thorough skincare routine. “Makeup will look its best [when paired] with great-looking skin,” says celebrity makeup artist Naoko Scintu. Before breaking out any products though, Scintu always starts with a facial massage to increase blood flow to the surface of the skin. “This awakens the skin and makes the face look instantly fresher,” she says.

Using hydrating products is a huge part of Scintu’s technique in creating a glowy look. This includes using sheet masks and layering mists, serums, moisturizers and cream—allowing each of them to fully absorb fully before moving onto the next step to maximize every formula’s benefits. 

For base, Scintu typically reaches for a luminous foundation over a matte formula. “I like to powder the t-zone only and leave the rest of the skin glowing, so my preference is always a foundation with a radiant finish,” Scintu says. “You can always take away shine where needed.” You also don’t need to use foundation at all: Makeup artist Romy Soleimani only uses concealer where needed instead. 

As for the rest of your makeup, skip the powder highlighter and blush and invest in cream-based products instead. Scintu says these formulas will add natural texture and sheen to the skin. And there are plenty of smart tricks you can use to add even more glow. Soleimani likes to apply an essence-lotion hybrid to the high points of the face using a Beautyblender, while Scintu recommends mixing a liquid highlighter with foundation to give your complexion a more dewy effect. 

Ready to fill your routine with skincare and makeup products that will build and boost that glow? Ahead, find the best expert-approved products, innovative formulas and skincare favorites worth shopping now. 

A Trusty Sheet Mask 

Go for a JLo glow by kicking off your skincare routine with the celebrity’s sheet mask. It features the brand’s signature extra virgin olive oil-infused complex to boost hydration levels and Japanese rice sake ferment to brighten—plus it gives an immediate firming effect. 

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A “Liquid Moisturizer” Mist

Soleimani gives Omorovicza’s mists her stamp of approval. The brand’s Magic Moisture Mist is dubbed a “liquid moisturizer” and is formulated with Hungarian thermal water and a series of nourishing oils, providing refreshing hydration and antioxidant protection to the skin. Spray it on as a part of your regular skincare routine or just whenever your skin feels thirsty.


A Specialized Serum 

Add extra hydration to your complexion with a specialized serum. This one recommended by Scintu uses sodium hyaluronate to deeply hydrate and plump up the skin and provitamin B5 as a humectant to draw even more moisture into it. The addition of pineapple ceramide helps to increase radiance as well.


An Ultra Hydrating Moisturizer

Fact: Electrolytes aren’t just reserved for your sports drink. The trio of calcium, magnesium and potassium in this lightweight moisturizer helps deliver hydrating ingredients to the skin and assists the skin in maintaining that moisture. Dryness never stood a chance.


A Radiance-Boosting Serum

A favorite of Solemani, the 111SKIN Rose Gold Radiance Booster is made with Damask rose extract and gold (yes, gold!) to illuminate the skin. For all-over radiance, mix it with your favorite serum. For a targeted glow, place it on high points of the face.


A Creamy Highlighter 

Soleimani always keeps this Chanel Glow Stick in her kit. The creamy, hydrating highlighter is easy to blend and absorbs into skin for a natural-looking, dewy finish. It’s available in two subtle highlighting shades and a transparent option.


A Multitasking Liquid Highlighter

Available in six sheer hues, this liquid formula can be used as a highlighter, blush or a bronzer to deliver a subtle sheen. Scintu calls it a “makeup artist’s dream in creating a perfect glow.”


The Go-To Foundation

Soleimani recommends staying away from matte foundations, but she also doesn’t like to use a formula that holds “a lot of visible pearl” either. The perfect middle ground? Pat McGrath’s hydrating natural finish foundation that’s available in 36 shades and is formulated with an ingredient called “diamond core powder” to blur and provide a subtle illumination to skin.


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