How to Get the Glow and Stop the Shine!

by Ruth Crilly | Jul 17, 2013

model beauty ruth crilly

Possibly the worst of the summer skin problems is having to deal with excess shine. Shine either brought on by overactive oil glands or by sweating or both. Not the most glamorous of subjects, I grant you, but you’re talking to the woman who wrote a whole post about toilets with faraway doors, so this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Now: shine. How do we deal with summer shine without powdering ourselves into a dry, cakey oblivion? I’d say that the first thing that oily/combi-skinned people need to consider is a good mattifier. I know that I’ve harped on about the Murad Mattifier with SPF15 before, but it really is a good one. It feels a bit like old-school wallpaper paste on application, but it does become more liquid as you spread it onto your skin. It also does an incredibly good job of keeping the T-Zone free of oil and makeup stuck in place. There are also lots of really good primers out there that help to deal with oiliness – have a look at Smashbox’s Light Photo Finish Primer or Urban Decay’s Pore Perfecting Primer.

After perfecting the skin, it’s then a case of choosing the right base. In the video below I use NARS Tinted Moisturiser because I wanted a light and glowy finish, but if you’re very concerned about oil and you want a perfect finish then look to the excellent matte foundations on offer. Two of my favourites: Givenchy Eclat Matissime and No7 Beautifully Matte. (You can get measured-up for your exact shade of the latter, if you go to your nearest large Boots store.)

And then, the million dollar question: how do we get a glowy finish without risking sweaty, oily shine? How can we look radiant rather than sheeny? A dry, matte-to-the-touch finish that exudes health and luminescence? Meet my new secret weapon, Hourglass’ Ambient Lighting Powder. It’s a really clever pressed powder that adds glow without being shimmery, glittery or shiny. I have it in the shade called Diffused, but there are a few to choose from. You really need to watch the video below to see it in action – it’s really subtle on film, but I urge you to try it out on counter if you can. You can find it at SpaceNK – or check the shades online here. It’s also at Liberty in London.

So, if you want to powder but add glow rather than take it away, the Ambient Lighting Powder could be for you. I use mine all over my face, really, sweeping it over cheekbones and the centre of the bridge of my nose, but avoiding building it up on the T-Zone, only because we never really want to add glow to the T-Zone, do we? Or do we? I don’t. I have found (and here’s where to be wary) that too many layers of the Ambient powder can start to look ever so slightly metallic on film, so beware piling it on over and over again. Use a regular powder for the T-Zone – though if you’ve primed with a mattifier you shouldn’t have to do that too often.

The other star product in the video below is the Pretty Bronze illuminating powder from Aerin. More bronzer than illuminator – it actually does add colour so you couldn’t use it as a highlighter – this just seems to give the skin an enormous boost in terms of healthy radiance. I mentioned it way back in the Spring (see here) but now you can see it properly in action. Click here to watch the video if you’re reading via email, or scroll down the page if you’re on the web. All of the products used are detailed below – let me know what you think of the glowy effect! If you have any anti-shine tips to add then please do so – that’s what the comments section’s for!

Here’s another picture showing the Aerin and Hourglass powders working their magic. Different day, same combo, though I’ve actually got the Pretty Bronze on as an eyeshadow too:

beauty review aerin bronze