Spring Beauty Trend: Luminous Skin

With minimal, nude makeup dominating the runways and red carpets this season, dewy, luminous skin becomes all the more important. Ralph Lauren, Isabel Marant, and Jason Wu all showed minimal beauty looks for spring that focused on bright, fresh, highlighted skin. There are more than a few ways to get the look, so we asked mark’s celebrity makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan to weigh in the trend. She’s worked with everyone from Lucy Hale to Mindy Kaling and she’s sharing her super pro tips with Yahoo Beauty.

Get an overall glow. Deenihan recommends sweeping on a light layer of radiance enhancing powder to get a luminous complexion. “Make sure the powder has a soft texture to avoid looking glittery,” says Deenihan. You can also add an illuminating liquid into your foundation for a total glow.

Use the right tones. A combination of the pink, gold, and white tones will give the most natural appearing glow. If you are fair, she recommends trying a shade closer to your skin tone. “If you tan easily, stick to the more bold gold and pink tones,” says Deenihan.

Know your formulas. “Liquid highlighters will give the sheerest highlight and can be applied with your fingers,” says Deenihan. “When wearing minimal makeup, a couple dabs of liquid works best for a fresh, natural glow.” A cream formula will have a heavier texture and should be applied to the face using a brush—try an angled Kabuki or blush brush. Deenihan finds stick highlighter the most versatile because you can use it on lips, eyes and cheeks. “The texture requires more blending, but it’s easy to apply straight from its package and blend with a brush or your fingers,” she says. “Sticks are convenient, but be sure to blend to avoid streaks.”

Avoid the T-zone. “A good rule of thumb is to never highlight all over the forehead or chin,” says Deenihan. It’s best to avoid adding highlighter to your T-zone, since these areas tend to be the oiliest part of your face. Deenihan recommends placing highlighter on the top of the cheekbones, under the brow bone, across the bridge of the nose, and above the lips on the Cupid’s bow.

Make sure to blend. “Highlighter should make your skin look naturally radiant and glowing, not as though you have a strategically placed streak of shimmer,” says Deenihan. Not blending properly is the biggest mistake people make when it comes to highlighter.

Get glowing cheeks. “I like to sweep mark Touch & Glow Shimmer Cream Cubes All Over Face Palette ($16) with a medium fluffy powder brush from the top of cheekbones curving up toward the temple,” says Deenihan. “The subtle shimmer on the height of the cheekbones catches the light, illuminating the skin.”

Brighten your eyes. Deenihan recommends using a product that lightens and reflects light to brighten eyes. Try Brilliant Face & Eye Luminizer from mark ($14) and lightly pat it around the eye area.

Add shine to your lips. “Use products that subtly reflect light using fine particles as oppose to flecks of glitter,” says Deenihan. She recommends using a golden gloss centered on the bottom lip to give the illusion of a fuller pout.

Ready to give luminous skin a go? Yahoo Beauty recommends you start with these products:

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector ($41)

RMS Living Luminizer ($38)

L’Oréal Paris Magic Lumi Highlighter ($11) 

Flower Glisten Up Highlighter Chubby ($10)

e.l.f. Studio Baked Highlighter ($3)

Decay Naked Illuminating Beauty Balm ($34)

Related:

Spring Trends: Pretty Pastels 

Mastering No-Makeup Makeup 

How to Contour Like a Pro