The term "glazed donut skin" might sound a tad peculiar if you're hearing it for the first time. But in reality, you’ve likely seen this beauty trend all over your social media feed—even if you didn’t realize it. The viral look, made popular by countless celebrities and influencers, is essentially a high-shine twist on “no-makeup-makeup.” It typically features smooth, hydrated skin, sun-kissed rosy cheeks, and plenty of strategically placed highlighter for a glassy, luminous glow. If you’re interested in trying out the glazed skin trend for yourself, keep reading—we’re sharing everything you need to know, ahead, plus details on the best NYX Professional Makeup products to use for smooth, dewy-looking skin.
What Is Glazed Donut Skin?
Glazed donut skin refers to a beauty trend that involves using skincare and makeup products to give the skin a dewy, glossy finish—much like the shiny glaze on a donut. Nourished, supple skin is the foundation (no pun intended) of this fresh-faced look. While hydrating primers, dewy foundations, and highlighter makeup can help you achieve glazed skin, skin prep plays an essential role, too. Before you even reach for your makeup bag, you need to ensure your skin is clean, exfoliated, and deeply moisturized.
Glazed Donut Skin vs. Glass Skin
You might be wondering how the glazed donut skin trend differs from the well-known glass skin look. While both aim for a glossy, healthy glow, the key difference lies in the level of shine and the visual texture.
Glass skin, a trend that originated in Korea, strives for a crystal-clear, almost translucent complexion that mimics the smooth, reflective surface of glass. It focuses heavily on pristine, flawless skin and uses subtle, natural-looking makeup to enhance this effect.
On the other hand, glazed donut skin takes the shine up a notch. It's glossier, dewier, and includes a touch of a sun-kissed effect. This look is less about looking perfect and more about looking fresh, hydrated, and radiant.
How To Get Glazed Donut Skin
Achieving the glazed donut skin effect involves a series of steps that prep, prime, and set your skin to perfection. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get that glazed and gorgeous look.
Step 1: Cleanse and moisturize
With any makeup look, but glazed donut makeup in particular, it’s best to start with a clean canvas. Before you bust out your makeup bag, thoroughly cleanse your face with a gentle exfoliating cleanser to remove impurities and help create a smooth base. After washing up, layer on a moisturizer designed for your skin type and concerns. This step is crucial in achieving that dewy, hydrated skin look that’s the hallmark of the glazed skin trend, so don’t skip it.
Step 2: Apply a makeup primer
Once your skin is clean and moisturized, it's time to prime. Applying a makeup primer will help ensure your makeup glides on smoothly and stays put throughout the day. For this look, we recommend using The Face Glue Gripping Primer. This hydrating primer for dry skin feels comfortable and breathable on the skin and helps to keep makeup in place for up to 24 hours. A little goes a long way—just rub a dime-sized amount of product onto your face to set the stage for the rest of your glazed donut makeup look.
Step 2: Apply a glazing base
Next, apply a dewy foundation or skin tint to help even out your skin tone and give your complexion a radiant, healthy-looking finish. The Buttermelt Glaze Soft Glow Skin Tint SPF 30 is a great choice for this step. The skincare-based formula with shea butter, mango butter, and niacinamide leaves the skin looking glowy and glazed (never greasy). Plus, it contains broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen to help shield your skin from the sun. Choose from one of ten flexible shades and apply it with a makeup sponge, a brush, or your fingers (dealer’s choice!).
Step 4: Conceal imperfections
Glazed donut skin requires a smooth, even base free from noticeable discolorations. If you spot any lingering redness or dark spots after applying your skin tint, go ahead and camouflage them with a hydrating concealer, such as the Bare With Me Concealer Serum. The hydrating, water-based formula offers medium coverage and blends seamlessly into the skin for a natural-looking finish.
Step 5: Add blush for a sun-kissed flush
To add warmth and dimension to your face, apply blush. We recommend applying it according to your face shape for the most flattering result (if you’re not sure how, we break it all down in our article How To Apply Blush and Flatter Your Face Shape). For a sun-kissed effect, we love the Buttermelt Blush. The buttery formula comes in 12 flattering shades in both matte and glowy finishes. To really lean into the glazed donut skin trend, we recommend using one of the latter.
If you favor cream blushes over powder formulas, try the Wonder Stick Blush. Each dual-ended cream blush stick features two color-coordinating shades that you can use separately or together for a more defined, sculpted look.
Step 6: Amplify your glow with highlighter
The key to the glazed donut skin look is a radiant, glossy shine. To achieve a glassy glow, use one of the Jumbo Multi-Use Highlighter Sticks to illuminate the high points of your face. The pearlescent formula glides on easily and blends like a dream, giving the skin a radiant, dewy-looking finish. Alternatively, try the Wonder Stick Contour and Highlighter Stick—you can use the darker shade to carve out your cheekbones and nose, while the lighter hue can be used to illuminate your Cupid’s bow, brow bone, and cheekbones (or really, anywhere you’d like a little more glow). If you prefer powder highlighter formulas, the buttery, smooth-gliding Buttermelt Highlighter is an excellent pick. It’s infused with almond butter, mango butter, and shea butter and comes in eight pearlescent shimmer shades to complement an array of skin tones.
Step 7: Set your glazed donut makeup
Finally, set your makeup with a long-lasting setting spray, such as The Face Glue Setting Spray, to help keep your makeup in place throughout the day. The waterproof formula locks makeup into place for up to 24 hours and feels lightweight and breathable on the skin.
Glazed Skin Makeup Products
Wonder™ Stick Contour and Highlighter Stick
Two-In-One Cream Contour Stick and Highlighter Stick
BUTTERMELT GLAZE SOFT GLOW SKIN TINT SPF 30
A skin tint with a soft glow glazed finish in ten flexible shades
THE FACE GLUE SETTING SPRAY
Up to 24h makeup lock and shield, waterproof setting spray
Buttermelt Blush
High pigment buttery soft powder blush. Fade & transfer resistant with up to 12HR wear.
JUMBO MULTI-USE HIGHLIGHTER STICK
Ultra-smooth, pearl finish stick highlighter
Bare With Me Concealer Serum
Medium-Coverage Hydrating Concealer for Face and Body
Wonder™ Stick Blush
Dual-Ended Cream Blush Stick
Bare With Me Multitasking Makeup Spray
Hydrating Facial Spray with Aloe and Cucumber Extracts
Next Up: How To Do a Glowy Makeup Look in 7 Easy Steps
We’d love to see how your glazed makeup look turns out. Share a pic on social and tag us @nyxcosmetics!
