5 Must-Know Secrets for Glowing Skin

Tired of having lackluster skin? These 5 skincare tips will help you achieve radiant and glowing skin year-round!

 

How to Get Naturally Glowy Skin

When it comes to my daily skincare routine, there are a few things that I prioritize. Now that I am in my late 20s (my final year, actually) I like to use a few products that target fine lines, wrinkles, and signs of aging. These are products that I consider my “long term” impact products. I may not notice a big difference immediately, but they improve my skin overtime. The second thing I prioritize is radiance and glowiness. I want my skin to appear glowy and radiant without makeup because day to day, I actually wear very minimal makeup – if any at all. I don’t need my skin to be perfect, but I want it to look healthy and I have always felt that glowy skin just looks healthier.     

5 Steps to Glowing Skin

 

 Exfoliated Skin = Radiant Skin

I exfoliate my skin 3 times a week. I use to use a manual exfoliant, but over the last few months I’ve found cleansing with my Clarisonic followed by an acid product (like The Ordinary Lactic Acid or the Farmacy Beauty Honeymoon Glow AHA Serum) is all my skin really needs.  Since the Clarisonic bristles do some exfoliating, I find that when I exfoliate again using a gritty exfoliant that my skin can become a bit dry and red. By using an AHA / BHA acid, my skin is being exfoliated without being scrubbed.  Exfoliating regularly is an important step in your skincare routine. It helps keep your skin clear by removing dead skin cells that clog your pores, and it helps remove dead cells from fine lines and wrinkles which minimizes the look of them. And by getting rid of dead skin cells, you’ll have more radiant looking and glowing skin. What you use to exfoliate is up to you! Some people, like myself, AHA and BHA acids for their skin, but if you LOVE a gritty exfoliant then you do you. Just be sure that your exfoliant isn’t causing micro-tears in your skin.       

Moisturize Daily

I moisturize my skin twice a day. Since my skin is super dry during the winter – the heavier the moisturizer, the better. My skin needs all the love, moisture, and hydration it can get!  Lately, I’ve been using the Farmacy Glow Honey Grail Serum as well as the Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream Moisturizer as my go-to combo to combat my super dry skin.  Moisturizing is key for having glowy healthy-looking skin. Dry skin looks dull and flaky, while hydrated skin looks plump, smooth. and radiant.   

 

Mask Regularly for Instantly Glowing Skin

I like to do a facemask about once a week. Sometimes, I’ll even multi-mask if my skin is feeling especially lackluster, dry, and dull. Recently, I even got Jeremy (my husband) to multi-mask and he agreed – it really does make your skin extra soft and smooth.  For glowy skin, especially during the winter, it’s important to keep up a masking routine. If you have super dry skin like I do, then invest in a plumping or hydrating mask and try to use it once to twice a week. Dry skin often can take on a tired or dull appearance which is why moisturizing masks (ie. masks that will not dry down on your skin) are my go-to’s. Moisturizing masks will make your dry skin appear more plump, healthy, and smooth. Here are a few of my favourites: If you find that your skin is more combination, and you’re not into the idea of using only moisturizing masks then try spot-masking instead. A few months ago I decided to stop taking the pill and since then I randomly get blemishes on my temples. Getting off birth-control can really throw your hormones out of whack, and (as I’ve learned) that can really take a toll on your skin. So now, sometimes, if my skin has blemishes in one spot but is super dry in another, I’ll spot-mask.  Spot masking is when you apply one type of mask to one area of your face, and another type of mask to other parts of your face. So, for example, if a blemish does pop up on my temples, I’ll often use a clay-mask on that area as a spot treatment and then apply a moisturizing mask to the rest of my face.   

Take Care Of Your Skin While You SLEEP! 

In the last year (or has it been two?) I’ve become pretty obsessed with overnight skincare.  While I love regular masks, there’s something that just feels right with masking overnight to me. I think it may be because I’ve always done overnight hair-masks so it just makes sense that my skin would do well with the same kind of extra-long treatment.  Overnight skincare masks have truly changed my skin. You simply just apply the mask before bed (after your usual skincare routine), wake up and wash it off to reveal smoother, softer, more hydrated skin. Here are a few that I am absolutely obsessed with:       

Massage Your Skin

I can hear you saying “what?!” when reading this title. I know – it sounds weird.  But in actuality, you’ve probably heard about facial massages many many times. You know those jade rollers everyone is rolling all over their faces? Yep, those are facial massagers.  If you have dull skin at times as I do, then try adding a jade roller into your skincare routine. These help promote blood flow to the face and will bring vibrancy back into your skin. I personally like to use the large side of my jade roller to roll my facial serums into my skin, and the small side to roll my eye creams under my eyes and around my temples. It’s a great relaxing way to start and end the day, and it’ll make your skin appear more vibrant and healthy.     

Yep – The one we ALL already know: Drink Water

This is a total “duh” point but even so, it must be stated.  I drink a lot of water. Like… A LOT. I try to have about 3  liters a day, but when I am at work I find this a bit more of a challenge. Let’s be real, you can’t be drinking tons of water and taking 1000 pee breaks a day when you’re at the office. Either way though, I try to drink 1L in the morning before work, 1L throughout the day at work, and 1L during the evening after work. Sometimes it’s a little less, sometimes it’s a little more. Water hydrates you from the inside out, so if you want hydrated, soft, glowing skin you’re going to have to drink that H20.