Regardless of beauty trends, a glowing, clear complexion is often considered the skin holy grail. But, while myriad products promise to grant the glow, radiant skin is dependent on many factors.
Here, experts explain how to achieve glowing skin from the inside and out.
How to eat your way to glowing skin
Ultimately, ‘good skin’ is healthy skin – and your complexion will often respond as much to what you put in your body as what you put on it.
“Skincare starts in the gut,” says health and nutrition coach Karen Cummings-Palmer, “so what you eat and how you digest is as important as the products you put on”. For example, she explains that eating excess refined sugar causes glycation. “This results in what’s called ‘Advanced Gylcation End Products’ (AEGs) which in turn break down collagen and elastin.” Think of these as your face scaffolding – without them, everything collapses.
Cummings-Palmer adds that as well as glycation, inflammation and stress are saboteurs of glowing skin. As well as refined sugar, enemies include highly processed food and alcohol. “It is incredibly dehydrating, and it will suck the glow and the plumpness out of your skin,” she warns of the latter. “It is also a histamine, so it is much more likely to result in an unhealthy flush than a healthy glow.” Her tip if wine is your vice? “Opt for red as it’s rich in skin-supporting antioxidant resveratrol, but the negative effects quickly outweigh the positives so try and stick to one glass.”
When it comes to the stress part, which is particularly hard to avoid–particularly in these times, she feels “it can be managed”. Her holistic recipe? “Add meditation to your skincare tool kit. Consider probiotics, amino-acids and omega 3s your skincare supplement basics. Also, vitamin C will help boost natural collagen production, so it is worth upping your intake.”
What about those two-plus litres of water that dewy models claim to drink a day? “Hydration is essential for keeping your skin in good condition, but if you really want to glow you’ll need to do more than drink H20.” Cummings-Palmer recommends adding in aloe vera juice. “With both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s a skin super-juice – especially if you suffer from conditions like eczema and psoriasis.” Also try tomato juice, which is “rich in skin-enhancing vitamin A and the antioxidant lycopene, which not only supports your complexion but also boosts your natural SPF”. Adding vitamin C-rich vegetables and fruits – from cucumber to strawberries – into your water is also an easy way to help you get a glow as you hydrate.
The importance of self-care and skincare
An inside-out glow doesn’t start and stop with your diet. As anyone who’s had a professional facial can attest, stimulating the skin and encouraging blood flow beneath brings life back to a lacklustre complexion.
"Facial massage is my favourite way to encourage radiance: it boosts blood supply to the skin and floods cells with vital nutrients and oxygen, promoting the rosy glow that’s achieved with a professional facial,” Sarah Chapman, expert facialist and Skinesis founder tells us. As the hands who prepped the complexion of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, the day before the royal wedding, she’s also the A-list’s authority on complexion perfection.
In this video below Chapman demonstrates how to master facial massage, but if you’re not yet confident in your technique, try her Facialift. “This clever at-home tool has 48 nodules that roll over the complexion, stimulating the skin and mimicking the signature massage used in all Skinesis facials.”
If you’re really invested in getting the glow, there are other at-home tools that should feature in your skincare arsenal. A microcurrent device, such as NuFace, can stimulate the creation of collagen and elastin for more radiant, youthful skin. So too can LED light therapy. A piece of kit like The Light Salon Boost LED Mask (which can be worn around the house with no effort on your part) not only stimulates collagen, but encourages healing, calms redness and evens out the skin tone.
Naturally, topical products play a huge part in achieving – and maintaining – glowing skin.
“When choosing skincare, Chapman says to “look for formulas that contain vitamin C, a powerful brightening agent that can fade brown spots and pigmentation, and omega oils, which help the skin to retain water and oils for healthy radiance.” The Skinesis Glow Elixir, for example, contains a cocktail of high-performance actives, vitamins and omega oils chosen to deliver instant illumination.
And never underestimate going back to basics. “I often find that cleansing is a hugely underrated step of many daily skincare routines and overlooked by so many,” Chapman notes. And she doesn’t just mean a make-up wipe. “A double-cleanse at the end of the day removing all the grime, make-up, pollution and sebum collected in the pores allows your skin to breathe at night.” And therefore, your skincare ingredients can get to work more easily.
If you’re prone to congestion, Chapman also recommends using a gentle daily exfoliant. Her Liquid Facial Resurfacer with lactic, phytic and fruit acids “will dissolve any dulling dead cells and surface residue, allowing your natural radiance to shine through". If you prefer a manual exfoliant, or have sensitive skin, try The UnScrub by Paula’s Choice. The gentle polish contains dissolvable jojoba beads, making it impossible for you to over-exfoliate your skin, plus skin-replenishing ingredients to strengthen the skin’s barrier.
Achieving a grown-up glow with make-up
Last, but certainly not least, comes make-up – which can leave your skin looking polished with a reflective texture.
To make-up artist Zoë Taylor, the aim here is for “skin that looks utterly heavenly and glossy with a youthful glow, where the texture of the skin is both hydrated and feels naturally plumped.” It’s this hydration and plumpness that reflects the light to create a glow, she explains – and can be achieved with a combination of skin prep and make-up products.
In this video for Bazaar, she shares a glowing skin tutorial, using Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream, followed by a cocktail of complexion enhancers. Interestingly, Taylor recommends layering a liquid highlighter like the radiance-boosting Chanel Le Blanc Rosy Light Drops Sheer Highlighting Fluid underneath and above your base product (she uses the brand’s Water Fresh Tint, an ultra-light formula that replaces foundation to unify the complexion).
Next in the skin sequence comes a bronzer, and she uses Chanel’s Les Beige Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream which lives up to its new name, granting a delicate, natural sun-kissed glow wherever blended onto the skin. Then, for a finishing touch of radiance, Taylor favours a skin balm over a traditional highlighter. As she demonstrates, the Baume Essential in Transparent by Chanel adds some mirror reflectiveness to the cheekbones and cupid’s bow.
The overall effect glimmers – not shimmers – which is what we all want from a grown-up glow.
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