Pretend the party season never happened with these glow-givers
If December's excesses have taken their toll, pretend the party season never happened (what cocktails??) with these brilliant, dullness-dispelling essentials. Whether it's an opalescent base to scatter light and counteract the tell-tale signs of Quality Street-withdrawal, or bronzing powders to bestow a post-holiday glow (even though you've been holed up in rain-sodden Suffolk), we've cherry-picked the best glow-giving heroes to ensure you look 'alive' instead of like you've just shrugged off a Christmas chrysalis... Let's start the new year as we mean to glow on, shall we...?
Always leading the charge when it comes to creating the world's most sought-after make up, {Charlotte Tilbury} has triumphed yet again with her incredible {Brightening Youth Glow}. A skin care confection with instant and long-term effects, this sheer, silvery veil contains colour-correcting actives, antioxidants and fortifying rosehip seed oil to help bolster skin's strength and maintain moisture levels, while magical, 'anti-shadow' pigments scatter light to guarantee a stunning 'soft focus' finish. It's effectively 'dew' in a tube - a brilliant base for your everyday make up, as well as a great way to gradually brighten dark spots, acne scars and diminish persistent redness.
A key trend for 2018, luminous 'outdoorsy' skin is about to be big news in beauty - that über-healthy, ever-envied 'glow' that comes with early-morning runs and always drinking all the water: think a baby Kate Moss meets the family von Trapp if you're still in need some sk-inspiration... A featherweight fluid, BECCA's brilliant {First Light Priming Filter} has a subtle lilac hue which helps to neutralise the sallow tones and counteract the 'greyness' that goes hand-in-hand with winter. Phenomenally dewy and enriched with spring water, hyaluronic acid and ginger, to boost moisture levels and energise cells for a plumped-up and fresh-faced effect.
For that gorgeous, came-in-from-the-cold look, a dusting of blush is the ultimate foil for complexions that look a little worse for wear... faking that post-workout flush (without having to lift a limb). Perfectly pink and laced with iridescence to lend 'life' to lifeless skin, Benefit's cute Dandelion Twinkle is adorable... it's like a filter for your face, granting flattering, pinched-your-cheeks prettiness - irrespective of your skin tone.
Feeling frustratingly sun starved? Perricone MD's {No Bronzer Bronzer} is as realistic as its name implies, bestowing a beautiful, olive-toned tan to your mid-winter skin. Dispensed via pipette, just a drop blended from cheek to cheek will instantly inspire countless 'you look well!' remarks from jealous co-workers, or add a few drops of this dewy elixir to lotion or your {BB cream} to lend soft, honeyed warmth to your pasty pallor.
If you want an instant lift, look no further than RMS Beauty's be-a-oooootiful {Luminizer X Quad}, which boasts a quartet of soft, shimmering creams to exaggerate cheekbones, lend light to eyelids and help widen (and brighten!) your sleep-deprived peepers. With all four shades of best-loved {Living Luminizer} in a sleek and slimline palette, this kit is essential for all those who're keeping things 'clean' throughout 2018 (RMS has a strict 'no synthetics' stance) and will leave your skin looking ethereal *goalz*. After all, if something's good enough for Ms. Bündchen it's more than good enough for us...
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...