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Credit: Instagram @romeestrijd
Gone are the days where matte, perfectly porcelain skin dominated the beauty world, now radiant, glowing, and dewy are the new buzz words in makeup, with brightening primers, illuminators, and highlighters, coming in front and centre on counters, and in makeup bags alike. We sat down with legendary Australian makeup artist Elsa Morgan – who’s hands have graced the faces of Barbara Palvin, Shanina Shaik, and Jesinta Campbell (and many, many more), for all her tips on how you can re-create glowing skin akin to a Victoria’s Secret model. However, remember that this isn’t about “shifting the bone structure with contouring and highlighting,” says Morgan, who’s known for sculpting light, wearable, yet flawless bases, “you’re going for a really soft, beautiful, gentle shimmer that mimics a candle lit glow”.
Start with the base
“An illuminating primer is a must and then you choose your level of wattage,” says Morgan, who opts for an illuminating primer on top of well moisturised skin to create a natural ‘lit-from-within glow’. “The one that I’ve used for years and years in my kit is the Becca, Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl,” says Morgan, who also recommends the Dior, Glow Maximiser Light Booster Primer. “It looks really gold but when you blend it through it’s almost skin-toned and doesn’t affect the colour of the foundation”, and M.A.C Cosmetics, Strobe Cream which “has even more shine, and bounce.”
Becca, Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl, $66. SHOP NOW
Dior, Glow Maximiser Light Booster Primer, $68. SHOP NOW
M.A.C Cosmetics, Strobe Cream, $55. SHOP NOW
Consider your skin type and tone
As a general rule of thumb, “the paler you are the more silver-based the highlight should be, then depending on your skin tone, you can go to more of a champagne, or gold highlight, however, essentially it has to mimic what your skin looks like in bright light, and no lighter than that.” You’re ultimate goal is to emulate a post-holiday, just-came-back-from-the-Bahamas-glow, but if the closest thing you’re getting to an #eurosummer is getting holiday envy from your timeline, utilise bronzer for that added bit of warmth a la Giselle Bundchen. Again, Morgan says to watch out for anything with too much shimmer, “buff in some bronzer with just a touch of shimmer, a really tiny, tiny, touch of gold, and apply to where you would naturally tan – so the high points of the face, and the forehead”.
Hourglass, Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder, $57. SHOP NOW
Too Faced, Sun Bunny Natural Bronzer, $44. SHOP NOW
Bobbi Brown, Face Blender Brush, $77. SHOP NOW
Avoid Going Glo-T-T
Make sure you don’t accidentally shine all over, by concentrating your highlighter on the outer corner and high points of the face. Then blend starting from the centre of your face outwards, and remember that the stronger highlight should be at the end, not the beginning. “Even if you’re highlighting extreme, avoid the space from “beneath the eyes to underneath the nose, and all the way down from the corner of the nose, to the corner of the mouth where no one wants a bright glow,” says Morgan. However, if you have oilier skin, consider using a mattifying primer and re-purposing the illuminating primer as your highlighter. “You might want to get the glow, but you want to be a bit more strategic with it,” she says. “If you want the glow with no slippage at all, go for a powder highlighter, but you can increase the glow by using something creamier – the shimmering sticks are great. You can use it on the high points of the face to add a little bit of light without too much overall shine.”
3CE, Skin Tone Control Primer, $41. SHOP NOW
Nude by Nature, Touch of Glow Highlighter Stick in Champagne, $24.95. SHOP NOW
Alima Pure, Luminous Shimmer Highlighter Powder, $47. SHOP NOW
