Today I am super excited to share this gorgeous little product with you all, because it has very quickly become one of my favorites and I honestly have never tried a makeup product like it ever. In fact, when I first tried it on, I audibly gasped. It was love at first pump – too descriptive? Alright, whatever, you catch my drift.
The product is the wonderful Glass Glow Face & Body Illuminator from Kevyn Aucoin. It is obviously a highlighter, and with the ingredients they’re also trying to make this a sort of, if not skincare, then “good for your skin” kind of makeup product. And I can only assume that it’s called Glass Glow because it aims to mimick the Korean beauty trend of Glass skin, which is a term used to describe skin so clear and glowy that it looks like glass.
Product: So the shade I got is called Crystal Clear, which looks white but is honestly without much tint at all. When you get the product out of the tube, it can have this blue, holographic tint, but that disappears and it completely blends into your skin and enhances your own skin tone. If you inspect it incredibly close up, you may be able to see some tiiiiiny blue specs, but that is not at all visible when wearing, and I would definitely say it’s a clear glossy balm without any glitter particles. But I do want to try the pink and the bronze shade as well, because I’m willing to bet they’re just as fab. They are not cheap at £26 pounds each, but well worth it I think and it should last me a long time.
I think the packaging is really good as well, I was surprised at how large it is (30ml / 1oz) and the pump works really well, one pump is typically all you need.
Ingredients: So as I said, this product is marketed as a sort of bridge between makeup and skincare, because it is nourishing as well as highlighting. It has passion fruit and marula oils, which are rich in omega fatty asics, to promote hydration and reduce redness, as well as giving an amazing dewiness to the skin. Actually, I will say that the only other products which have every had any kind of similar effect as this one, is skincare products, like oil based balms or oil sticks, which I used to use on models. But had I had this then, I would have slapped every face in it, the glow you get from this is way more stable, easier to apply and most importantly, it is waaaay more comfortable to wear. I actually used lip gloss on models faces and I know they hated me a little because that is sticky and not nice on the face, but the effect is gorgeous. Now I have this effect basically on steroids, and it’s super comfortable to wear. WIN!
It also doesn’t contain fragrance, which is great because I’m getting real tired of all the products I’ve tested lately having fragrance in them.
Effect: The best way to describe what this product does is that it gives you a beautiful, but really realistic glow that you otherwise only get from a comprehensive skincare routine., and this is supposed to be that in a bottle/makeup product. Which is why I assume they call it “Glass skin” from the skincare trend which gives this effect. I want to call it a “Your skin but better” kind of product. You can control it from a little dewy to full on “just left the gym/spa” kind of look, you skin just looks really hydrated and radiant. I have honestly never tried anything like this and now I never want to be without it. I love that it’s this natural “healthy looking” take on highlighters, which for a while went a bit touch and go and tin man like. I mix this with highlighters, but if I could only choose one, this would be it (maybe because you could mix it with a shimmery eyeshadow and get every kind of shimmery highlight you want).
You can see the “live” texture and look of this product in the short clip below
Application methods
I have used this lots of different ways now, and honestly cannot decide on a favourite. I will say, I LOVE dewy skin, though, so some of these methods of application could be too much for you.
- First of all, you could use it on its own, either all over, or just on the high points of your face – I love using this when I’m skipping foundation and just adding a bit of concealer. This goes for using it on the body as well, it looks so pretty dabbed onto collar bones or shoulders, and is
- Or you can use it as a sort of primer under your foundation, which has worked really well for me with drier, matte foundations, the glow really shines through.
- I also mix this with my foundation – or even my primer or moisturiser – and this gives such an even result. I have never experienced any cracking when using it under or mixing it with my foundation, it really hasn’t made any of the foundations I’ve used it with break down.
- And of course you can use it as you normally would a highlighter, just over your foundation. I like to tap it into the skin and then I go over with my foundation brush, especially if I have added too much of the highlighter. If you want it to look a little less wet, and more like buttery smooth, going over it with a stippling brush really does the trick. I would add this after all the other cream products, though, it really looks GORGEOUS over a cream highlighter. I would just really avoid applying it over powder, because that will not mix as well.
Now, I love a glowy, sweaty, sauna, post-work out face, so I can happily apply this all over my face and just dab it off here and there for a super glowy face. But if that’s not you, you can apply this on the cheek bone, the brow bone (and just over the brow onto the temples), your eyelids, the bridge of the nose and possibly a little dab on the cheek. Because with it being such a realistic product, it really looks best when you add it to several places on the face. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but say you only drench your cheekbones in this and the rest of your face has a matte finish, you lose that realistic, natural look, because nobody has all their sweat glands in the cheeks. That’s how I prefer to apply it anyways, but you do whatever makes you happy, there are so many ways to experiment with this product (which I love!!), you really should try it out.
Texture: Now, the only con, as far as I can see, is the texture. And you can’t get around this one, if you want this kind of wet look, it will have to not be a bone dry powder product. But if you can’t handle your skin not being totally dry, you may really hate this product. I really love the texture of it, it feels great on the skin, it has the perfect gloss to sheen ratio and it settles or dries down a bit. But it does not get totally dry, so if that will bother you, I would stay away!
Who is this for?
For: I think the people who would really love this product is people with dry and dehydrated skin, because you can now have skin which looks like you just moisturised all day! And I know for my own skin, it can look a bit flat and dull when I’m very dehydrated, so this really just makes my skin look aliiiiive! And for anyone which has a love affair with dewy and realistic skin, definitely check it out!
