Why Your Makeup Glow Fades With The Day (And How To Make It Stay)

‘World peace’, ‘free parking’, and ‘steak frites’ be damned. There’s no two words in the English language more perfect than: “You’re glowing.” 

Since my earliest days wearing makeup, that’s been my one goal: Devastatingly, ethereally glowy skin. Or glazed doughnut skin. Glass skin. Jelly skin. Whatever you call it: I want it. I long to have a suspiciously well-rested, golden hour-esc glow at every hour of the day. 

But I struggle to get this breathtaking look to stick around. Glowy skin is notorious for disappearing from my face. I opted to ask friend of Go-To (and makeup extraordinaire) Bianca Brown on why my glow keeps ghosting. 

Very Glowy Primer

Hydrating Illuminating Primer

Very Glowy Primer is skincare-first primer that smoothes skin, grips makeup, and delivers a lit-from-within finish.

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Why Your Glow Might Have Gone Missing

A compliment-winning, positively cherubic glow requires equal parts skincare and makeup. But it can be a balancing act to strike the right amount of each. 

One Too Many Products To Prep:

“Glowy long-lasting makeup is usually harder to achieve as the hydration products can make makeup slide around,” explains Bianca. While a moisturiser medley might leave your skin delightfully juicy and plump, these emollient products can lead to a slippery surface that makeup can’t grip. 

How to fix this:

Good makeup prep starts with your nightly skincare routine. That means, reaching for glow-inducing skincare staples vitamin C, glycolic acid, vitamin A, and hyaluronic acid throughout your weekly routine. A glow you ‘prepared earlier’ will take the pressure off your nourishing steps and help create a more even, hydrated, glowy base all round.

A Case Of Cream-ageddon:

In the pursuit of glow, it makes sense to reach for glowy makeup at every step: Cream blushes, cream highlighters, cream contours, cream cheese (no). While staples like this do deliver an immaculately good glow, they’re just another layer of emollient—which means they tend to break down and disappear from the skin in record time.

How to fix this: 

Rest assured: You don’t need to chuck out all your beloved cream makeup products. A good primer should do the trick. “The primer you choose is crucial,” shares Bianca. “Very Glowy Primer is a perfect choice for long lasting dew because it has a grip that helps the rest of your makeup stay put without compromising the glow! 

You Didn’t Set:

Setting powder can often feel like glowy skin’s greatest enemy. One swipe of powder and suddenly this lustre you’ve been crafting is dulled and done. But the right powder and the right application tends to be the secret to long-lasting glowy skin. 

How to fix this:

“I suggest using a very small amount of powder to dust over the t-zone just to lightly set whilst still allowing the hydration to shine through,” recommends Bianca. A swipe of powder helps create a barrier over your makeup to keep it in place and unmoving.