If you’ve ever taken a look at our about page then you’ll already be aware that I’m on a mission to find the ultimate glowy skin product. My sister thinks I’m barking mad, she cannot think for the life of her why I would want to look…well shiny. For her at least the pinnacle of sophistication is a perfectly matte visage with a dusting of powder on top.

Not so for me. I’ve shared my dry skin and moisturising woes here on Rock My Style before and have found that anything that is remotely ‘drying’ results in my make-up and skin flaking off gradually before the day is out. NOT pretty. Instead I’m in pursuit of luminous skin that makes me look as if I’m lit from the inside out.

Ideally such a ‘look’ should come from a healthy diet of fruit and vegetables, plenty of sleep and lots of water. I, however, spend most of my waking hours looking after a 16 month old toddler, eating the remaining scraps of his various highchair buffets and then forgoing the much healthier pint of water in favour of a glass of wine. So you could say that I’m looking for a bit of a shortcut.

I’m also pushed for time (read lazy) so I don’t want to spend vital hours and lots of money applying layer after layer of product and ending up like a 70s mirrorball. After researching the topic vigorously and visiting a fair few makeup counters I seem to have whittled it down to a selection of products that I’ve heard are the bees knees or that I’ve tried and tested myself and which I rate highly.

The Highlighter Stick

One of the easiest ways for me to apply some shine on the hop is to use my faithful NARS Copacabana stick which I’ve had for donkeys years. I tend to limit its use to the eyes and cheekbones but you can use it on your lips and body too. The glow-factor is more on the sheer side rather than full wattage hence my continuing search for the ultimate glowy beauty buy but it has served me well up to this point and it’s easy to apply so I can’t knock it.

Apparently the highlighter stick that all the make-up artists and celebs rave about is ‘Chic & Shine’ by Madina made famous by MUA extraordinaire Pat McGrath which you can only buy in Italy. Figures.

What’s a girl to do? Well apparently pop along to Kiko and purchase their Radiant Touch Creamy Stick Highlighter in gold for a bargainous £8.50. Apparently the Kiko product is supposed to be a brilliant copy cat of the Madina highlighter and it’s said that both products are made by the same parent company so they’re pretty much the same thing but with different packaging…but don’t quote me on that.

Illuminating Liquids

I recently watched a close friend of mine expertly applying Benefit’s Sunbeam to the tops of her cheekbones, down the ridge of her nose and finishing up with a dab on her cupids bow. She looked flipping amazing however I had zero luck recreating her sun kissed glow on my own face. I blame myself entirely; I just don’t think I have the finesse to apply it but that’s not to say it’s not a good product or that it wouldn’t work for you because I have a sneaking conviction it would.

My mum lent me Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonderglow not so long back and I’ve been applying it underneath my foundation/CC Cream for special occasions. Apparently it steals UV light and re-emits it via your skin in a luminous glow to transform drab, sleep-deprived skin. I’m not sure I’d go that far but it does add a subtle shimmer which I really like and which I know will be perfect in the Summer once I’ve got a bit of colour in my cheeks.

My favourite glowy product of the moment has got to be RMS Beauty Living Luminizer which I’d been toying with buying for a while and then just bit the bullet and bought last payday. I’m feeling a little bit like the cat who got the cream because the product is such a joy to use (i.e. easy peasy to apply) and I love the effect it has on my skin. It’s glowy rather than shimmery and I just use my index finger to apply the ‘gloss’ to the areas I want to highlight. Even my husband noticed the first time I wore it which is saying something! Two things to note however…the pot is really quite small although a little goes a long way and the product once applied is slightly sticky but rest assured it does sink into the skin after a while.

Other Loosely Related Beauty Products

A recommendation from a lovely RMS follower on Instagram made me seriously stop and consider purchasing NIOD’s Photography Fluid and then it transpired that Mrs O’Shea also had some of the company’s products so she bought this along to a recent team meeting for me to sample. Apparently NIOD stands for Non-Invasive Options in Dermal Science (I know! Fancy!) and the fluid is supposed to combine ‘light refraction prisms with topical photo-finishing technologies’ to basically give you a real life Instagram filter on your face. I didn’t have time to actually apply the milky looking fluid on my face but I did trial it out on the backs of my hands and was impressed by both the consistency and the colour so it will be making an appearance in my shopping basket at the end of this month!

I also recently invested in NARS’ Sheer Glow Foundation in Deauville since I’ve fallen a little bit out of love with my usual Clinique CC Cream and I’ve been bowled over by the results. If you’re after a thicker base then this probably isn’t the product for you but if you’re anything like me then you’ll love the sheerness of this foundation. I do love a double duty beauty buy – one that does the job you’ve purchased it to do in the first place and then extra on top. I was told by the very lovely sales assistant at the NARS counter that if used daily the foundation actually hydrates the skin leaving it softer and smoother….and perhaps even glowier. Time will tell if that’s actually the case…

So there we have it; a veritable hotchpotch of luminous beauty products. Do you own any of them? Do they perform the way you want them to? Are there any I need to know about? Why not share your top tips in the comments box below…

{DIRTY ENABLING}

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