Foundation is a bit of a beauty Catch-22. It can cover redness and breakouts, but it can also look heavy, cakey, and dry if you’re not an application pro. Luckily, with the right technique, you don’t have to be. Instead of sweeping foundation across your entire face, you might want to try a different technique used for years by makeup artists to get glowing, natural looking skin: foundation mapping. Which, really, is just a fancy way of saying applying foundation only where you need it. Because you’re only using coverage where it’s needed, the idea is that ‘mapping’ gives the illusion of wearing very little makeup at all.
“It’s an effortless way to create your makeup base,” says celebrity makeup artist Tobi Henney, who particularly likes this technique in the summer.
As someone who struggles with acne and dry skin, I’ve been especially curious about this technique since I’d heard about it. No matter how hydrating the formula, foundation always, always looks entirely too visible on my skin, clearly showcasing that, yes, I have a full face of makeup on. But I feel uncomfortable not covering up my acne and refuse to go without foundation.
After prepping my skin as usual, I started by applying Paul and Joe Moisturizing Primer to blur and illuminate, so even the areas I was leaving bare wouldn’t be totally naked. Henney says that the most important step is choosing the proper foundation. It should be a perfect match for your skin, and “should be light to medium coverage, nothing too heavy.” I went with my L’Oréal Fresh Wear 24HR Foundation, as it’s the closest match to my skin tone, and is lightweight with a natural finish.
“Focus on applying the foundation on your T-zone, any uneven skin tone, redness, or blemishes,” Henney says. “Let the rest of your beautiful skin shine through.” I’m dealing with a lot of breakouts right now, so for me I focused on covering my forehead, chin, and some discoloration on my cheeks, leaving my nose and cheekbones bare.
Blending is key for this technique, and Henney recommends using either fingers, a dense brush, or a Beautyblender to really work the product into the skin. I used a Beautyblender as it’s great for picking up any excess foundation. After applying foundation on my breakouts and dark spots, I found it helpful to blend back over my entire face with the damp sponge just to make sure there were no harsh lines between where I had makeup on and where I didn’t.
There’s no shortage of material possessions that spark joy for me: sweatpants that qualify as daywear, croissants of every variety, and $435 LED face masks that double as Instagram props. Moisturizers, even the very best ones, rank somewhere near the bottom of this list. I need them in my life, but they’re just not that exciting. The most effusive I’ll ever be about a face cream is to say that it does its job without any additional bells and whistles. I have a soft spot for one $23 version you can pick up at Target in the baby aisle. It hydrates and soothes, and it doesn’t pretend to have powers beyond those simple tasks. I leave the brightening, plumping, glow-boosting work to flashier things—like power ingredients-packed serums or resurfacing acid peels.
I would be lying if I said I changed my mind when every beauty editor I knew began raving about Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Cream. Look, I love Tatcha—the brand has inspired me to set exceedingly high standards for my blotting sheets (if it’s not flecked with gold leaf, why are you even telling me about it?) and body lotions (you mean it’s not infused with indigo and won’t leave me smelling like the spa? Pass). But, it was a moisturizer. How life-changing could a moisturizer possibly be? Even the knowledge that it was inspired by Mario Dedivanovic (Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist) and would reportedly give my complexion the texture of a “freshly steamed dumpling” elicited no more than a feeble eyebrow raise at first.
Then, one recent Sunday evening, I really did everything you can possibly do wrong for the general wellbeing of your complexion. In my defense, if you’re going to pour me a well-chilled glass of white wine and plop a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream in front of me, I’m not going to be act like they’re not there. One fantastic dinner party and way too much sugar and alcohol later, I climbed into bed somewhere around 1:30 A.M., too lazy to go through my usual, meticulous skin care ritual. (I did still remove my makeup, though. I mean, I have some standards.)
I woke the following day with a strong suspicion that my face had taken on the flattering gray pallor of a corpse. Four hours of early morning German grammar drills did nothing to help that situation. With each repetition of the Konjunktiv II Vergangenheit form, I could distinctly sense another piece of my soul exiting my body—and another sign of life leaving my face. By the time I got home, drastic measures clearly needed to be taken. Hobbling into my room, I suddenly spied a previously forgotten pot of Dewy Skin Cream hanging out under my bed (this job comes with certain perks) and recalled all the fervent, steamed dumpling praise it had inspired. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to put those claims to the test.
This is the part where I admit that everyone was correct and I now feel as though I’ve spent my entire life being lied to about the true potential of face cream. The formula is packed with purple rice bran, which does way more than lend the contents a charming lilac hue. The ingredient is rich in anthocyanin, an antioxidant that helps your complexion recover from stress and pollution. Other botanical extracts, like algae, thyme, and marjoram are added to intensely hydrate, reinforce your skin barrier, and retain more water. There’s also ginseng, which contains the same amino acids found in collagen.
Apparently, when you mix this up—and sprinkle in whatever magic Tatcha adds at the end—you get the first moisturizer that has ever made an instant, dramatically noticeable difference to my face. This is not one you have to use patiently for many days and nights in a row to reap the rewards, although you certainly could. And unlike some other products that are billed as “glowy,” it doesn’t contain microshimmers or light-reflecting particles to accomplish any of these results. I pat it on, my face drinks it in, and then I simply look better. Shadows recede, signs of life come flooding back, and my skin takes on a freshly-watered, luminous quality. It’s truly miraculous.
Farsáli is not a brand that’s particularly known for subtlety. You’ve likely seen their creations all over Instagram, dripping off hot pink Beautyblenders or lending their hypnotic sparkle to macro product shots. When the company famous for launching the aptly named Unicorn Essence came out with something called Liquid Glass serum, I had high expectations.
Liquid Glass is Farsáli’s interpretation of “glass skin”, which refers to the reflective, luminous, almost translucent complexion that’s the end goal of the 10-step Korean beauty routine. Founder Sal Ali used that as his initial inspiration, but wanted a single bottle that could replicate those effects. The result is another of Farsáli’s signature skin care-makeup hybrids—a formula designed to deeply moisturize your face while also imparting a mirror-like glow. The ingredients list reads like a how-to guide for retaining hydration: hyaluronic acid, plus watermelon rind, apple, and lentil fruit extracts.
In the bottle, though, that’s not what you’ll notice first. The $54 serum comes in the brand’s frosted glass vial, which includes a dropper for application. Even before you open it, you’ll see that what’s inside is extremely shimmery. The base is a silvery white hue, shot through with iridescent flecks of blue, pink, and purple. It’s colorful. It’s fun to swirl around. It’s also not exactly glassy, more the kind of thing that makes you think, “I’m going to be a disco ball after I use this.”
I can’t quite explain the mystery that happens between the product leaving the dropper and settling on my face, but somehow, that iridescence transforms as I pat it in. It doesn’t have the noticeably shimmery finish of similar liquid illuminators, nor does it impart the slick sheen of Vaseline or glass highlighter. Instead, it perceptibly plumps and refreshes my skin, giving it the illusion that it’s full of good health and radiating from within. It doesn’t matter if I haven’t slept in two days (which may or may not have happened in the photos below); a few drops later and you can’t even tell.
Ali tells me that that you can layer this on over moisturizer, mix it with your makeup and skin care, or try it as a topcoat on eyelids, lips, and cheekbones. I don’t care to wear foundation on a daily basis, so I simply dispense a tiny amount on my palms after applying my serums and creams and pat it on. If I’m especially sleep-deprived, I’ll apply a thin second coat on the high planes of my face as a highlighter substitute—I say highlighter, but really, it’s much subtler than that. Instead of a sheen or shimmer, it gives the impression that you just emerged from a full-service spa treatment before going to bed early. I rarely do either of those things, but at least now I look like I do.
The one thing Liquid Glass doesn’t quite accomplish is replacing my multistep routine. While I can appreciate the hydrating formula and lightweight feel, a small amount of this isn’t going to do away with my sleep masks, acid peels, toners, serums, essences, day creams, night creams, and SPFs anytime soon. But that’s okay—I like my daily skin care ritual to include 10 different products. Well, I guess now it’s 11.
For something as basic as concealer, finding the perfect one for you can often feel like signing up for every dating app at once: overwhelming. But that’s why you’ve got to love Sephora. When you need intel on the absolute best makeup products, you can always count on the retailer’s reviews, all written by fellow beauty obsessives in search of their own holy grails. As for concealers, the review section is particularly helpful. Narrowing down the vast pool of flesh-colored sticks, pots, and tubes that really perform can be an annoying (and expensive) exercise. Scroll on to find which concealers Sephora shoppers have rated the best for under eyes, acne, and scars.
Minutes after I sit down with Hailey Baldwin at the BareMinerals clean beauty event this week (she was just named a “Power of Good” ambassador for the makeup and skin care brand, along with Letitia Wright and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), the eternally glowy, smiley blond gets practically giddy when she notices my Canadian accent. (In case you’ve been hiding in a cave, Baldwin’s been spending a lot of time with a much more famous Canuck.) And while I’ve been told that bridal Qs are off limits, Baldwin clearly has wedding on the brain—the couple was spotted at a New York City courthouse where marriage licenses are issued later that same day, setting off a storm of rumors that she and Justin Bieber are already married. Spoiler: they’re not.
But back to Baldwin: I can confirm that IRL, the 21-year-old future Mrs. Bieber is all cheekbones, crazy-long limbs (she trained as a ballet dancer) and spot-free, luminous skin (she had on makeup, but not much tbh). The woman has an inexplicable affinity for the nineties—the style of that decade (chunky socks, sneakers, and boxy suits, like the velvety Max Mara number she was wearing) and its supermodels: Christy, Linda, Cindy, Naomi (“They were on just such a different level, I would never even put myself in remotely the same category.”) Natural beauty is her thing (maybe a Meghan Markle low-key makeup vibe is in the cards for Baldwin’s big day), she’s kind of hung up on her fine hair, and she’s never met a drugstore beauty aisle she didn’t like.
But here, hear it in her own words.
Glamour: Congrats on your first beauty contract! Tell me, why is Bare Minerals an important brand to you?
Hailey Baldwin: I’m really big on skin care and healthy living. I think it’s important to use products that don’t have harsh chemicals in them, that’s the main thing for me. My mom was always big on drinking a lot of water and eating really healthy, so those values really stuck with me.
Glamour: What’s one beauty trend you love but would never try?
HB: Black lipstick. I think some people pull it off, I don’t think I would.
Glamour: What’s one beauty trend you wish you had never tried?
HB: Oooh, really thin eyebrows. I had to them grow back. It took a couple years.
Glamour: What’s your favorite so-called “flaw”?
HB: My nose isn’t completely straight. I notice it, but maybe other people wouldn’t. Either way, I don’t really care. I don’t think “perfect” is a real thing.
Glamour: Your house is burning down! You can grab three beauty products, what are they?
HB: My moisturizer. I use Barbara Sturm, it’s the best. Then I’d grab one Bare Minerals’ BarePro Glow Highlighters—they’re my favorite. I swear I could use them for the rest of my life. And lastly, some type of lip balm or chapstick. I’m very simple, I would rather wear no makeup than anything.
Glamour: What’s your go-to getting ready music?
HB: I’m a big fan of rap music, so I’ll put on whatever rap playlist on Spotify on and just jam out. I’m into Cardi B these days.
Glamour: You’ve got wonderful hair. How do you keep it in such great shape?
HB: Listen, I have really thin hair. It’s like I have a lot of it, but its thin, and it takes forever to grow. I swear it doesn’t grow. I don’t know why, it’s just stubborn. I try to do treatments and try to be really careful with it, but I’m also blond, so every couple months I bleach it to highlight it, and that’s not very beneficial. But I try to let it air dry as much as I can, because I have heat on my hair all the time.
Glamour: What are you loving on your nails right now?
HB: I love doing nudes and pinks. My favorite is a pinky-nude color from Essie because it looks kinda fleshy.
Glamour: What is the latest Instagram rabbit hole you went down?
HB: I get into a lot of cooking rabbit holes, like food blogs and those videos that do quick recipes but speed them up so they show you what goes into it. I watched that for like an hour the other day.
Glamour: Do you cook yourself?
HB: Yeah, I do.
Glamour: What do you like to make?
HB: I make really good cinnamon rolls. I found this recipe a couple months ago for buttermilk cinnamon rolls, and they came out so good. I started making them for all my friends, and they were like “these are my favorite things in the world.”
Glamour: You’ve got $20 and free roam of a drugstore. What do you buy?
HB: So, I’m trouble in a drugstore, because I just buy everything. I would probably go for some lip balm, like some Aquaphor. It’s my go-to. Something I use on my hair all the time are those mini, 10-minute miracle leave-in sprays, so that’s another thing. Neutrogena makeup wipes, because I’ve been using them since I was like 13. And…I don’t know. I just buy really random things. Hair ties, scrunchies, nail files.
Glamour: You’ve been known to wear a scrunchie.
HB: Yeah, I feel like I helped bring the scrunchie back. I feel like I can honestly say that.
Glamour: What made you bust one out?
HB: You know what it was? Honestly, the start of it was that regular hair ties break your hair more, so I started doing the scrunchies as a point to keep my hair in tact. And then I thought it’s honestly cute. I was just on this really nineties kick.
Glamour: What do you love about the nineties so much?
HB: I was born in the nineties, and I’m just fascinated with that time period—especially with all the supermodels; Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, so many of them. I love seeing old photos of actors and actresses. I think the style was a lot more laid-back, but also like that the model style was very mini-skirts with white T-shirts and big, chunky sneakers and socks. I don’t know. I just find it aesthetically pleasing.
Glamour: If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, either on social media or in Hollywood right now, what would that be?
HB: I struggle with girls wanting so badly to be like other people. I think it’s one thing to admire somebody, but it’s another thing to completely transform yourself to look like someone else, or transform yourself because we’re shelling out this really unrealistic beauty standard. I would like for people to understand the importance of natural beauty, and the importance of being yourself. It’s the coolest thing that you can do, and I think that people lose sight of what actually is attractive, like being kind, and being sweet, and having a good attitude and good morals. I think all that stuff falls to the side.
Glamour: How long do you usually spend getting ready in the morning?
HB: Around 15 minutes. I’m really quick, even if I’m doing makeup.
Glamour: Like in the shower, out and done in 15?
HB: Yeah.
Glamour: One last question, who is the woman inspiring you the most right now?
HB: I’m really inspired by Ashley Graham. I think that she’s such a cool voice. She’s so kind, and she says whats on her mind and is strong in what she believes. I just think she’s beautiful and a really, really powerful force in this day and age.
Ask any beauty pro and they’ll tell you: You won’t find the secret to glowy skin in the pan of a highlighter palette. That’s not to say there aren’t products that melt into your skin to fake that dewy, lit-from-within look. (If you’ve ever tried Pat McGrath’s Skin Fetish line, you know her highlighter duo is the next best thing to being born a Hadid.) Rather, getting skin that permanently looks like you’re fresh off vacation—which is to say, healthy, radiant, and clear—is a combination of product, practice, and patience. The good news is that if you’re short on the latter, there are still plenty of quick-fix solutions.
Ahead, we asked a mix of makeup artists, aestheticians, dermatologists, and our team of beauty editors for their all-time best glowy skin tips that actually give results—both long-term and short; for your face and your body—no matter your level of dedication or skill.
1. A quick face massage goes a long way “Using your fingertips, massage a serum [try Neutrogena Hydro Boost Serum] or oil into your face before applying makeup. The stimulation can help get the blood moving to wake up your whole complexion.” —Molly R. Stern, makeup artist to Cara Delevingne
2. Try a microcurrent treatment “When my complexion looks dull after a long flight or late night, I use the ZIIP device, which delivers electric currents into your skin. Twelve minutes leaves my face luminous and much firmer.” —April Long, beauty editor
3. Bend over “Hanging my head upside down for three minutes a day is my long-term strategy for getting that lit-from-within glow.” —Renee Rouleau, Austin-based aesthetician
4. Upgrade your usual face mask “The Själ Kashmir Saphir Perfecting Mask [$150, sjalskincare.com] is unreal! It’s my jet lag antidote, or for when I want my skin to look as if I’ve had a facial when I haven’t.” —Rachel Goodwin, makeup artist to Emma Stone
5. Give your foundation a boost Mix a few drops of luminizer [try L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glow Amour Glow Boosting Drops] with your moisturizer or foundation, then apply the mixture with a damp sponge. It will create an even, sheer layer of sheen that looks more natural than a highlighter.” —Gita Bass, makeup artist to Elizabeth Olsen
6. Master this backstage technique “My Skin Fetish highlighter stick works amazingly as a body shimmer. The trick is to hunch your shoulders forward so your collarbones pop out; that’s where you want it. Add powder on top for even more glow. It photographs beautifully!” —Pat McGrath, makeup artist
7. Use toner before serum or moisturizer “Think of it as a glass of water for your skin. Serums and creams can penetrate deeper if your skin is hydrated.” —Nachi Click, owner of Mist Beauty
9. Add vitamin C to your routine “Apply five drops of vitamin C serum [like Avon Anew Vitamin C Brightening Serum] underneath SPF each morning to target free radical damage, help lighten brown spots, and even out your skin tone.” —Natalie Smyth, blogger at Road to Glow
10. Switch to a chemical exfoliator “Exfoliate at night with a glycolic acid peel like Cane + Austin Retexture Pad 10% Glycolic Facial Treatment. It leaves your skin instantly smoother and brighter!” —Shereene Idriss, M.D., dermatologist in NYC
11. Binge-mask “When my face looks blah, I’ll do sheet masks like St. Ives Glowing Apricot Sheet Mask for seven days straight. It has a compounding effect of hydrating and smoothing that delivers crazy glow by week’s end.” —Maureen Choi, beauty editor
12. Pay pores extra attention “Remove anything that causes ‘background noise’: little things that aren’t too noticeable but when removed make skin look flawless. Blackheads are the perfect example. Bioré pore strips are great for the dots on your nose or chin.” —Heather Woolery-Lloyd, M.D., dermatologist in Miami
13. Layer textures “Add an extra layer of glow by using a powder highlighter on top of a cream. I love the Maybelline FaceStudio Master Chrome Highlighter because it’s not glittery or chunky—it just gives the ultimate glimmer.” —Erin Parsons, makeup artist to Gigi Hadid
14. Invest in a laser treatment at least once a year “I like quarterly resurfacing with the Clear & Brilliant laser [$300–$1,000 per session]. If you’re over 30, try a yearly Fraxel Dual [$600–$1,800], which is more powerful. Both fade sun-induced spots that make skin look dull.” —Robert Anolik, M.D., dermatologist in NYC
15. Swap out your old loofah “Massage a salt scrub all over your body with a Korean washcloth; it’s coarser than a regular one. The combo sloughs off dead cells for the smoothest skin ever.” —Mylah Morales, makeup artist to Rihanna
16. Chill out “Before and after a flight, I run ice cubes over my face until they melt. My pores love this skin shocker.” —Thuyen Nguyen, facialist to Cindy Crawford
17. Try microneedling “A procedure like Aquagold Fine Touch [about $600] combines microneedling with a hyaluronic acid filler injection to give you a dewy, hydrated appearance while stimulating new collagen production.” —Annie Chiu, M.D., dermatologist in Redondo Beach, California
18. Take a long dip “All hail bath salts. One soak with Herbivore Detox and my skin is softer, more purified, and baby smooth.” —Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor
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