I'm a Beauty Editor—These Moisturizers Deliver Seriously Glowy Skin

Nailing the perfect natural-looking glow is an achievement. Trust me. I’ve been trying to suss it out for years. It seems some people are just born with a radiant complexion that oozes luminosity and health. To replicate this glow, I have tried virtually every single highlighting makeup product under the sun, but I have yet to find a formula that doesn’t give the game away somehow. Whether it’s chunky bits of glitter or my lack of ability to apply it to the most natural-looking places, I have been forced to admit defeat when it comes to highlighter.

So with highlighters out of the question, I have had to think outside the box to up my glow game. From primers to serums and cleansers to foundations, I have searched high and low for any product that can deliver a glowing radiance that might trick people into thinking it’s actually real. And finally, after many years of searching, I can say that I have found exactly what I have been looking for.

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(Image credit: @AMAKA.HAMELIJNCK)

While glow-promising cleansers only seemed to cause breakouts and illuminating foundations left me looking sweaty after just a few minutes, one product has really proved its glow-giving abilities in a way no other has been able to. A new kind of moisturizer has found its way into my routine.

What I call "glowing moisturizers” are predominantly skincare products with radiance-boosting properties. For example, some might be slightly tinted, while others contain light-reflecting particles. You simply slap them on as part of or after your skincare routine, leave skin bare, or apply makeup over the top, and you’ll be glowing all day long with absolutely zero fuss. Don’t believe me? Keep scrolling for the glow-inducing moisturizers that guarantee effortless luminosity all day long.

1. Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer

2. Stella McCartney Beauty Restore Cream

3. Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream Plumping & Hydrating Moisturizer

4. Elemis Superfood Glow Priming Moisturizer

5. Origins Ginzing Glow Radiance-Boosting Gel Moisturizer

6. Ole Henriksen C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème

7. Glossier Futuredew

8. Tata Harper Illuminating Moisturizer

9. The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow-Boosting Moisturizer

10. Decléor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Cream

11. Guerlain Abeille Royale Bee Glow Youth Moisturizer

12. It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Anti-Aging Hydrating Moisturizer

13. Erborian Glow Crème Illuminating Face Cream

14. Kora Organics Turmeric Glow Moisturizer

15. Bobbi Brown Extra Illuminating Balm

16. Victoria Beckham Beauty by Augustinus Bader Golden Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer

17. Beauty Pie Pure Oxygen Radiant Glow Moisture Infusion

18. Dr. Barbara Sturm Glow Drops

19. Sunday Riley CEO Afterglow Brightening Vitamin C Cream

20. Liz Earle Revitalise & Glow Illuminating Gel Moisturizer

This post originally appeared on Who What Wear UK.

Next Up, The 20 Most Undetectable (Yet Effective) Concealers for Barely-There Makeup

Freelance Beauty Editor

Shannon Lawlor is a renowned beauty journalist and has contributed to Who What Wear’s beauty content since 2020. As a leading beauty editor, expert and brand consultant, she has over eight years of experience working for some of the industry’s most esteemed titles, including Who What Wear (of course), Glamour UK, Stylist, Refinery29 and Fabulous.

Having also worked behind the scenes with some of the industry’s biggest brands and retailers, Shannon has a unique insight into what people really want from their beauty routines. Understanding that beauty lovers seek honest, open and responsible advice, she has it made her mission to demystify the intimidating world of beauty, taking a no-frills approach to the most relatable topics.

While Shannon is the first to admit she doesn’t hold the answer to every beauty question out there, she is dedicated to sharing her expert insights in a bid to help. As a self-proclaimed lazy girl, Shannon has an affinity for easy-to-use, foolproof beauty products and has made it her mission to scope out the best of the best.

When she’s not working, Shannon is likely soaking in the bath or giving no-holds-barred beauty reviews on Instagram from her bathroom floor.