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Get Your Glow on With This 6-Step Glowy Makeup Tutorial

17 Sep 2022

There’s something about summer that seems to make skin glow. Whether it’s the heat, humidity, or just the joy of being able to enjoy the sunshine (with SPF, of course), summer has a way of making everyone look a little bit more radiant. But you don’t have to wait for June to roll around in order to enjoy glowing skin—with NYX Professional Makeup’s glowy makeup products, including liquid and powder highlighters, you can rock a luminous look anytime, anywhere.

Here, we’ll introduce you to our favorite dewy makeup staples and teach you how to use them for a radiant, sunkissed look that lasts. Plus, we’ll clue you in on some simple tips for keeping your look fresh rather than greasy. Read on for your six-step glowy makeup tutorial and get ready to glow.

Step 1: Start With Makeup Primer

For a glowy face look that lasts, we recommend starting your makeup routine with a face primer—they can help provide grip for your makeup. We have a number of different primers for all different skin types at NYX Professional Makeup, and one of our favorites is Plump Right Back Primer + Serum. This supercharged face primer contains five electrolytes and vitamins (hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, pro-vitamin B5, magnesium, and potassium) and instantly helps plump your skin. The makeup-gripping formula helps extend makeup wear while leaving your skin looking fresh and moisturized, not oily. After completing your skincare routine, apply a dime-sized amount of the primer to clean skin using our Plump Right Back Silicone Applicator.

Equally great for a glowy natural makeup look is The Marshmellow Smoothing Makeup Primer. The multitasking primer smooths, softens, extends makeup wear for up to 16 hours, hydrates, soothes, evens tone, minimizes texture, blurs lines, adds a soft focus finish, and keeps makeup fresh. It has a soft, whipped texture and dries totally transparent, making it a great pick for all skin tones.

Step 2: Apply Your Foundation

Once you’ve given your primer a minute or two to dry, you can go ahead and apply your foundation. We have several different options—the formula you pick should be determined by the amount of coverage you want. For customizable coverage, build your base to your liking with Total Control Pro Drop Foundation. The liquid formula offers buildable coverage that ranges from sheer to full, and the color stays true for up to 12 hours. Pick from one of 30 shades or use our Total Control Pro Drop Foundation Hue Shifters to customize your own exact match. You can also add a couple of drops of Total Control Pro Drop Foundation Illuminator to your foundation to get an all-over glow.

Pro Tip: If you want a more subtly glowy look, start with a matte foundation, such as Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Full Coverage Foundation. Available in 45 diverse shades, this pigmented, full-coverage foundation glides on smooth and helps mattify unwanted shine. After applying your foundation, you can illuminate only specific areas with highlighter and bronzer for a controlled glow.

Step 3: Conceal Under-Eye Circles

Next, brighten up your under-eye area (and cover any lingering discolorations) by dabbing on a lightweight concealer just where it’s needed. For a natural-looking finish, we recommend reaching for Bare With Me Concealer Serum. The lightweight formula with tremella mushroom, cica (also known as centella asiatica) extract, and green tea provides medium coverage and can be used to camouflage dark circles, blemishes, and discolorations. The vegan-formula concealer blends beautifully without looking dry or cakey, and it can be used anywhere you need a bit of extra coverage—including on your body.

Pro Tip: For those with oily skin, the line between glowy and greasy can be quite thin. To help keep unwanted shine at bay while rocking your glowing makeup look, stash a mattifying powder, like Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Mattifying Powder, in your bag. You can press the lightweight formula onto overly-oily areas (like your T-zone) as needed throughout the day to keep your makeup looking fresh without sacrificing your glow.

Step 4: Warm Up Your Skin With Blush and Bronzer

When sunkissed, glowing skin is what you’re after, blush is a can’t-miss step. You can customize your ideal flush with Wonder Stick Blush, a dual-ended blush stick that colors, shapes, and blends in two easy steps. Swipe the darker shade of the duo beneath your cheekbones to define, then pat the lighter shade onto the apples of your cheeks and buff out toward your temples for an effortless flushed glow.

Pairing your blush with bronzer will add to the sunkissed effect. Try our classic Matte Bronzer, which gives your skin a natural-looking honeyed glow. To help ensure a smooth, even application, we suggest pressing a bit of setting powder onto your face first to set your base makeup. Then, use a fluffy brush to apply your bronzer to the tops of your cheeks, the bridge of your nose, and anywhere else the light naturally hits for a beachy, sunkissed effect.

Step 5: Add Highlighter For a Luminous Look

The key to a standout dewy makeup look is highlighter. Achieve your ideal highlight using the versatile shades in our Born To Glow Icy Highlighter Duo. Available in four color-coordinated shade pairings, each ultra-reflective highlighter duo boasts one soft-lit sparkling highlighter and one intense, pearlescent shade for spotlighting and strobing. Dust the creamy, blendable powders onto the tops of your cheekbones and the bridge of your nose, then precisely highlight your brow bone and inner corners with Wonder Pencil to add to your all-over glow.

Step 6: Add Your Finishing Touches and Set It

From here, you can customize your glowy makeup look any way you want. If you love to make your eyes pop, dust on shimmery shadows in warm hues that will emphasize your glowing skin. Love luscious lips? Swipe on some sheer lip gloss for a juicy-looking pout. Once you’ve put on all the finishing touches, set your makeup in place with Plump Finish Setting Spray, and prepare to show off your glow.

Next: Prime Time: How To Apply Blush and Flatter Your Face Shape

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