You Glow Girl

After two nearly back-to-back trips to tropical islands (one for our honeymoon in the Maldives and the other for my best friend’s wedding in St. John, USVIs), I figured it was time to debrief on my ultimate routine for glowy, sunkissed skin… without going in the sun.

But that also meant that I had to figure out a routine that made it look like I had just returned from a sunny vacation where I received a sunkissed, bronzed glow. Thus, I’ve landed on these ten products that give me a glowing, warm, peachy bronzed look! This is the ultimate routine for the beach, pool, a casual dinner or drinks, or simply anytime you want to look glowing and gorgeous!

Here’s a deep dive into each product:

Ever since I hit my 20s (ehem nearly nine years ago), I stopped tanning in the sun and going outside without sunscreen on my face (no matter the weather or time of year!). That (combined with botox, I’m not going to lie 😂) has dramatically improved my skin texture and any signs of aging.

Top 10 Products for Sunkissed Skin

• Body Drench Quick Tan Instant Self-Tanner: If you want a quick hit of a spray tan, try this. I pretty much exclusively use it on my face, neck, and chest, as it acts like the perfect base layer before I put on glowy makeup and sunscreen. Just let it dry (it takes about a minute!) and you look like you just enjoyed a day at the beach.
• e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter Complexion Booster: A famous TikTok dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless filter, I put this underneath my makeup (or sunscreen) and it provides the most beautiful, dewy glow– without making me look oily.
• Tarte Glowtion Skin Perfector {color: fair/light}: I will mix this in with the e.l.f Halo Glow Liquid Filter (above) to really perfect the evenness and radiance of my skin. Together they create a medium coverage base that is the ideal beach ‘foundation.’
• CeraVe Hydrating Tinted Sunscreen with SPF 30: So far this is the best tinted sunscreen I’ve come by. It goes on like you’re spreading butter, literally melts into your skin, and provides the creamiest medium coverage that layers perfectly over the above liquid filter and skin perfector products!
• Chanel Soleil Tan Bronzing Makeup: Don’t be alarmed by the price because this lasts forever, and is the ultimate creamy blenadable bronzer that you can contour with or layer on top of any makeup look.
• The Crème Shop Face Cushion Blush {color: #03 Coral}: Blush is the key to warming up this look and making you look rosy and fresh-faced. I particularly like using a peachy shade while in warm locations (I just think it pairs more naturally with a tan!), so I swipe this in circles all over my cheek bones and the apple of my cheek. Note that I couldn’t find this on Amazon so there’s a similar option here.
• NYX Makeup Butter Gloss {color: 13 Fortune Cookie}: This is the #1 best selling lip gloss on Amazon and it’s completely worth the hype. It’s under $5, provides smooth medium coverage color, and this shade is the most stunning natural nude I’ve found! It looks so gorgeous with a tan.
• Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream: A luxuriously silky and thick moisturizer that smells like vanilla meets salted caramel meets sunshine. It firms your skin and is just what you want to layer on post-shower. It’s another incredibly beloved product!
• + Luxe Unfiltered Blurring Body Glow: Now that you’ve given your face a literal glow up, this does the same for your body! I will actually usually slather this on before a big event (like a wedding!), because it blurs any imperfections on my body (like scars, marks, etc.), and leaves you with a super hydrating, lightly shimmery glow. It washes right off your skin, and shouldn’t transfer to your clothes once it’s dry! For even more moisture, I’ll mix it with the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream (above!) too.
• Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara: I couldn’t forget about the eyes in this routine! I often go sans-mascara to the beach, but if I’m going out to lunch or drinks after I may give my lashes a quick swipe with this. It has insanely high Amazon ratings because it makes lashes have 10x more volume and get much longer. It gets bonus points in my book for being completely waterproof and not clumping either!!