Want to Achieve Glass Skin? Here’s How

Glass Skin. It’s a phrase that popped up a handful of years ago when k-beauty took the skincare world by storm. The look associated with glass skin is probably exactly what you’re thinking: poreless, smooth dewy skin that feels healthy and looks lit-from-within and hydrated. Given the definition, achieving glass skin sounds like a big undertaking. Even for those who have agreeable skin, there’s usually always a minor *something*–– whether it’s an old acne scar or a small blemish–– that seems like it would get in the way of achieving flawless glass skin. Surprisingly, though, getting a smooth-as-glass look isn’t as difficult as you might think. There are two ways we pull off this glassy glow, and we’re going to walk you through both. One is for the skincare freaks out there and the other is for makeup lovers.

But First, Glass Skin Begins from Within

Before you begin layering products or illuminating primers, your very first step in getting glass skin is being kind to your complexion! That means making sure you’re staying hydrated by drinking lots of water and eating healthy foods that support skin. As a general rule, you should aim to drink roughly half your weight in ounces of water each day. Filling your diet with cruciferous vegetables like arugula, bok choy, brussel sprouts, broccoli, foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon and mackerel, and foods high in antioxidants like tomatoes, blueberries, and bell peppers all encourage healthier, glowing, and more resilient skin. Making sure you start with a balanced diet that specifically incorporates foods that support and care for your skin is the first step in getting polished, glassy skin.

The Glass Skincare Routine

Because glass skin really took off when k-beauty began making waves in the U.S., it’s the 10-step Korean skincare routine that’s often used to get poreless, IG-filtered skin. In fact, most Korean skincare products are specifically designed to achieve a flawless complexion. But because not all of us (realistically, probably none of us) have the time each morning and evening to run through 10 skincare steps, we’ve shortened it slightly to the must-dos for glass skin.

Step 1: Double Cleanse

While double cleansing is indeed a pillar of the k-beauty movement, it’s become so popular and game-changing that it’s been adopted by just about anyone who’s into skincare whether they subscribe to k-beauty methods or not. The kicker with double cleansing is to start with an oil or a balm, then follow up with a foam or gel cleanser to clarify. We like to start by using Naturopathica’s Manuka Honey Cleansing Balm, then follow up with Tata Harper’s Regenerating Cleanser.

Step 2: Toner

A lot of people feel like toning is inconvenient and doesn’t really do much for skin, but we’re here to tell you they’re wrong. Toning doesn’t just go the extra mile in cleaning pores, it can actually refine skin and help erase dark marks and other imperfections over time. Toner is a not-to-be-missed step in the glass skincare journey. We like to use the Hydrating Accelerator toner by Josh Rosebrook, which is incredibly hydrating and is made with a blend of plant actives like aloe and herb to calm inflamed skin and send major hydration below its surface.

Step 3: Soak it in With a Serum

Whether we’re going for glass skin or not, we love a serum. To us, a serum is one of the steps in any skincare routine where you can really feel your skin soaking up tons of great ingredients and hydration. We look for serums that have brightening and hydrating effects, as these are both crucial for glass skin. Once your toner has completely dried, massage a few pumps of serum into your skin and massage it in with circular motions, making sure to pay attention to your neck! Our favorite serum is Marie Veronique’s soothing B3 serum, which is ultra-hydrating and gives a dewy glow.

Step 4: Moisturize

Part of the secret to achieving glass skin lies in how you’re layering the products. You might have noticed that each of the products work their way up from thinner, clearer products with a high water content to ones with thicker consistencies. The final step in the glass skin process is moisturizing. By now, your skin should already be feeling pretty glowy and hydrated, but moisturizing seals everything in and leaves a hydrated, healthy finish to your complexion. If you have dry skin, opt for a richer moisturizer like GoopGenes All in One Nourishing Face Cream. If your skin runs on the normal to oily side, try going for a lighter moisturizer like Josh Rosebrook’s Nutrient Day Cream with SPF30. And, of course, if you’re planning to be out and about making sure your moisturizer has SPF is a must.

Step 5: Try a Sleeping Mask

For the ultimate hydrating step, try a sleeping mask if you’re doing your glass skincare routine before bed. Sleeping masks are layered over your moisturizer and help to lock in hydration while you rest. Our go-to sleeping mask is the cult favorite Laneige Water Sleeping Mask. Massage a layer of this mask onto your skin before bed and you’ll wake up with a brighter and hydrated complexion.

How to Achieve Glass Skin with Makeup

Maybe you’re more of a cleanser, toner, moisturizer type, but when it comes to makeup the more products the merrier. If your makeup bag is overflowing but your bathroom cabinet is looking a little bare, getting glass skin by way of some hardworking highlighter and primer is the way to go.

Step 1: Prime your Skin & Create Your Foundation

To get glass skin with makeup, you’ll need to kick things off with a dewy primer. We rely on the Veil Mineral Primer by Hourglass to get an illuminated, lit-from-within look. It does a fantastic job of blurring fine lines, filling in pores, and creating a smooth canvas for foundation. To keep things looking dewy and glassy, we follow up with Dior’s Airflash Spray Foundation and blend with a brush to let it absorb into our skin. If foundation isn’t your thing, try a tinted moisturizer like bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer, which is packed with hyaluronic acid for an extra hydrated and glowy finish.

Step 2: Highlight

This is where the real lit-from-within, polished sheen comes into play. Once your foundation or tinted moisturizer is completely absorbed into your skin and you’ve made any touch-ups with concealer, go back in with a highlighter on all of the elevated points of your face to take your glow to the next level. When we say “elevated”, we mean the bridge of your nose, your cheekbones, your cupid’s bow, and brow bone. One of the pearliest highlighters out there is Marc Jacobs’ Dew Drops Coconut Gel highlighter, which gives skin an ethereal, dewy finish. This is the same highlighter Beyonce reportedly wore in her Vogue cover shoot, so you know it’s good.

Step 3: Create a Flush with Blush

Glass skin is on the opposite end of the popular contoured look, where deep bronzers and blushes are used to sculpt the face, and thick, matte foundations are used for full coverage. Glass skin is supposed to look like your skin, but a bit elevated. Adding color brings life to the look, but it should be subtle so your natural complexion still shines through. To get a rosy, flushed look, go for a cream or liquid blush instead of something powdered and matte. Another cult favorite that achieves this look is Benefit’s Rose Lip & Cheek tint. If you want to go even creamier, try Ilia’s Color Haze Multi-Use Pigment, which melts right into skin and adds a vibrant dose of healthy color to finish off your dewy, glass skin look!

Hope You Enjoyed the Read!