I'm Manifesting a Summer-Inspired Glow for Fall—This $20 Illuminator Hit the Mark Early

Fall's imminent return is glaringly obvious to me. Not just because there's suddenly an abundance of back-to-school advertisements and military jackets everywhere the eye can see in New York City, but because I'm already feeling the beauty editor itch to revamp my seasonal skincare routine. Even though the weather isn't quite matching up with long-sleeved styles just yet, everyone seems to be anticipating the return of autumn—though what I'm not looking forward to is the dull state my skin eventually fades into when the sun becomes scarce. But the latest addition to my beauty routine is one that I hoped and prayed would preserve my summer glow as the weather eventually cools off—and after a week of testing, it aced my test early.

"Glowy skin" took some time to gain a stronghold in the beauty community. Ten-plus years ago, everyone and their mother used and abused setting powder until their complexions were overly matte—inspiring phrases like “Flashback Mary” when the under-eyes were too bright and the camera flash too strong. More than anything, we were afraid of looking "oily." But along came the COVID-19 era, when we saw a distinct shift towards pared-back makeup and overly moisturized skin—enter the TikTok phrase "clean girl." With it came the rise of “glass skin," or complexions so deeply hydrated that they shone like window panes, and a slew of glowy highlight serums that gave the appearance of healthy radiance. From celebrity brands to your mother’s favorite line, everyone was injecting pearlescent pigment into their skin products. But where, oh where, was the skincare?

This is the question Priscilla Tsai, founder of budget-, inclusivity-, and eco-conscious skincare brand Cocokind, asked herself as glowy products promising the look of quenched skin continued to fall flat when it came to actual nourishment. "When we looked at the illuminators already out there—and when we listened to what our community was telling us about them—the pattern was pretty clear: they'd been developed with a makeup-first mindset, not a skincare one," she tells Who What Wear. Tsai rattles off qualities like pigment load, pearl size, and finish as common offenders, doing zilch other than making the skin look shiny (and, to add injury to insult, drawing attention to texture and pores).

"Unlike a lot of makeup-first illuminators, we built the glow and the skincare together, rather than treating one as decoration on the other. The formula is doing real work—ceramides and rice lipids to replenish and lock in moisture, urea to draw in hydration and keep skin feeling soft and cushiony, rice bran and licorice root to support a healthier-looking glow over time," she adds. "It's hydrating enough that if you're a lighter-moisturizer person, this may be enough on its own. That's not usually true of an illuminator." Say hello to Cocokind's newest creation, the Soft-Glow Illuminator.

About Cocokind's Soft-Glow Illuminator

Concocted specifically for those with sensitive skin, this gentle serum is enriched with ceramides and rice lipids to smooth, plump, and soothe your barrier. The clinically tested formula was proven to offer immediate luminosity, all-day hydration, and a filter-like glow—all while being suitable for acne-prone skin and not settling into fine lines. It comes in one champagne shimmer shade that works across all skin tones, made from ultra-fine pearls that throw light and blur imperfections to create an even and smooth finish.

"A lot of the work went into the pearl, which is what’s giving this formula its gorgeous glow and finish," she explains. To find a truly universally flattering tone that doesn't streak or settle, Tsai and her team created a blend of four different pearl sizes and shades to appease every type of user. "That's where a lot of the makeup-first illuminators land somewhere different from us: their pearls may be large, or very frosty, so the glow sits on top of the skin and catches unevenly," she continues. "A blended fine pearl diffuses light instead of bouncing it back hard, so what you see is radiance rather than sparkle. Which means you can't really go wrong with it, whether you're full glam or no glam."

My Review

I own a fair share of the internet's favorite glow-enhancing makeup bases, from Rhode's Highlight Milk to L'Oréal's Lumi Glotion. While my plentiful collection offers instant radiance and comforting hydration, I couldn't say that any of these formulas felt truly weightless on my skin. That was, until I tried this featherlight serum.

Though its barely there texture isn't one of the product's spelled-out selling points, it's the one thing that kept me reaching for it during a week of sticky-hot New York summer weather. Something as lightweight as a daytime moisturizer can feel too emollient when the humidity hits my skin, earning this liquid an instant spot in my everyday lineup. The first two ingredients listed on the product label are water and glycerin, meaning that hydration, moisturization, and fast absorption are a given, and the results were impressive, absorbing into my skin in less than 20 seconds. (Yes, I timed it.)

If you think I stopped there, you'd be wrong. I like a multitasker, so I watched how it played with my other everyday products. One pump of Westman Atelier's new Supreme Bio-Complex Foundation mixed with Cocokind's Soft-Glow Illuminator offered my skin a glow so ethereal that Ernesto Casillas, mid-Zendaya's glam for the NYC Odyssey premiere, probably would have approved. I was also impressed by the price tag, which clocked in at just $19. Compared to other popular iterations on the market today, combining high-quality ingredients and superior texture into one $20 product is no small feat. In short, it checked all the boxes while feeling lighter, airier, and looking less orange than many of the illuminators that came before it.

How to Apply Like a Pro

Tsai recommends a few different application techniques for the best results. However, she always recommends it as the last step in your skincare routine, following cleanser, serum, moisturizer, and SPF. (Think of it as the shiny top coat of your manicure.)

"Apply it all over the face rather than just the high points—it's built for even, all-over luminosity," she starts. "You can layer it under your complexion products or mix a little into them. Layering underneath gives you that lit-from-within base; mixing gives you buildable radiance through the whole finish," she adds. You can even amp up your body glow game by adding a few pumps into a dollop of body lotion. However, she advises users to avoid mixing it into the SPF. "Apply your sunscreen after, or if you want more glow later in the day, let your SPF dry down and pat a little on top," she recommends. And don't be afraid to take the glow down to your décolleté, chest, arms, and legs. "The airless pump makes an all-over glow easy without wasting product," she explains.

You can shop the Soft-Glow Illuminator as of right now, but I wouldn't wait to press purchase. With its supermodel glow and agreeable price, this glowy serum surely won't stay in stock long. Snag it and other Cocokind best-sellers below now.

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