If you search "how to get glowing skin," you'll get the usual recommendations: keep stress to a minimum, sleep eight hours a night, drink a gallon of water a day, eat your vegetables…the list goes on. And while I realize that healthy skin requires lifestyle changes, I'd be lying if I said I meditate for 20 minutes every morning and never eat dessert. Thankfully, there are beauty products that fill the gap and can make your skin look plump, glowy, and well rested, even when you're not.
Ahead, we rounded up the best Coveteur-approved skin-care essentials for glowing skin all summer long. From a moisturizer/serum/oil hybrid that leaves behind a dewy finish to a vitamin C serum that'll fade dark spots in no time, keep reading for all the products that'll help you glow up.
Jessica Teves, Head of Content
Active Infusion Oil
I'm loving almost everything from Josh Rosebrook's line, but this retinoid facial oil has become a hero product in my arsenal due to the added benefit of stabilized vitamin C, which makes it more powerful but also incredibly regenerative. I've been using it for a few months now in the evenings several nights a week and can see a noticeable difference in my skin's luminosity.
Mela-Even Cream
Hands-down one of the best vitamin C serums on the market. I use this in the morning mixed in with my moisturizer for a cocktail that adds further protection to my skin and leaves me feeling radiant. Side note: The entire skin-care line from Environ is phenomenal, in case you're looking for a new top-to-bottom regimen.
Rescue Serum
This gentle hydrating serum is perfect for days when I need a little extra boost and glow. It feels like silk on your skin, so it's particularly wonderful layered under makeup for that bouncy, dewy summer glow we're all in search of.
Halle Lagatta, Creative Producer
Sunvisor Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 35
SPF + moisturizer + serum oil = your most radiant summer skin! I'm so obsessed with everything Saie does, especially considering they're now officially Climate Neutral certified! Here's to saving your skin and the planet while getting your glow on… We love a multitasker!
Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Floral Essence
I love summer, don't get me wrong, but the heat is sometimes dreadful, especially in NYC, where at times it feels like you can cut through the humid atmosphere with a butter knife. My solution is this Tata Harper mist. I carry it in my purse everywhere I go. It gives me much-needed relief from the heat and adds a fine layer of moisture that is perfectly dewy.
Undaria Algae Body Oil
Hot-girl summer rang and she is calling for miniskirts, low-rise bottoms, strappy Y2K tops, and a whole lotta skin! With that in mind, it's important to keep my elbows and knees glowing, too. I started incorporating this oil into my shower ritual. (I've found that it's best applied onto clean, dry skin while still in the steamy bathroom.) My skin feels healthy and hydrated without looking wet or oily. If I'm ever in need of some added glow, I layer the oil onto my shoulders and collarbones to highlight my standout features.
Caroline Dunn, Affiliate Coordinator
Hyper Clear Brightening Clearing Vitamin C Serum
Everybody's skin is different, but in my experience, this serum works better to brighten and clear my face than other vitamin C serums for which I've paid double (and even triple, eek) the price. Formulated to cater to all skin tones and types, the Hyper Clear serum is loaded with all the antioxidants you need to achieve peak glow.
Reset Mask
This mask does exactly as it says. I turn to the Reset mask when my skin is feeling particularly dull—a combination of ingredients that include turmeric and squalene infuses moisture into my skin barrier, giving me a dewy, healthy-looking glow.
Lit Up Highlight Stick in Nectar
I consider myself a bit of a highlighter connoisseur based on how much time I spent in college practicing what not to do with these products. While I used to think that a fully glitter-based highlighter was perfectly appropriate to wear at the library or in spin class (ahh, 2014), I now understand that it's more about creating that dewy-glow look, which is exactly what you get with this Westman Atelier highlighter stick that's infused with skin-care ingredients like grape extract. This is one of those the-one-thing-I-put-on-when-I'm-not-wearing-makeup makeup products.
Ama Kwarteng, Beauty Editor
Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum
Deeper skin tones are more prone to hyperpigmentation—and even with all the serums, exfoliators, and spot treatments out there, it's difficult to find a product that 1) targets spots and 2) isn't too harsh for skin of color. That hole in the market led founders Marie Kouadio and Alice Lin to develop Eadem's Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum, and I can confirm that it actually works. Formulated with niacinamide, amber algae, and vitamin C, this milky serum faded the stubborn dark spots on my forehead, evened out my skin tone, and left a glowy veil over my skin.
Kinskin Oat Ceramide Relief Oil
This isn't your run-of-the-mill face oil—the lightweight occlusive is packed with a combination of oat ceramides, vitamin C, and omega fatty acids that work to soothe redness and irritation, plump up your skin's barrier, and illuminate your skin. I warm a few drops of the oil between my fingers, then dab it onto the high points of my face for a natural-looking highlighter.
Glowscreen Sunscreen SPF 40 PA+++
SPF is a must in any skin-care routine, and while I rotate through different formulas, I always come back to Supergoop's Glowscreen Sunscreen. Even if you don't like wearing sunscreen, you'll like this one. It doesn't leave behind an annoying white cast, and it's so lightweight you'll forget you applied it in the first place. The only reminder of its presence is the shimmering finish that gives you a photo-worthy glow.
Nia Porter, Social Media Manager
Tone Balance Elixir
I suffer from extremely dry skin 365 days out of the year. This balancing toner from Isla Beauty—a brand that's focused on taking care of the skin's barrier—is specially formulated to replenish moisture and improve your skin's overall texture. I pat this gentle formula post-cleanse in the AM and PM—it always leaves behind a gentle glow.
Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Foundation
I don't wear foundation often, but when I do, I gravitate towards lightweight formulas. This one is filled with hyaluronic acid, an ingredient that pulls moisture back into my dry skin, and it comes in a variety of shades, so there's an option for everyone.
ShineOn Milky Lip Jelly Gloss in Almond
This lip gloss is for people who don't like wearing lip gloss (hi, me). Because it's swimming with hydrators like raspberry seed and apricot kernel oil, the texture is creamy—not sticky—and it keeps your lips moisturized.
Nick Papa, Brand Partnerships & Sales Manager
Daily Dose Vitamin C + SPF 40 Sunscreen Serum PA+++
I recently added this one to my rotation, and it is definitely here to stay. I love that it takes one less product out of my routine because it combines SPF and vitamin C, plus it leaves the perfect amount of glow to my skin that lasts all day.
Phyto Corrective Mask
This mask really does save me in the summer. Whether I spent too much time in the sun or it is just unbearably hot, I turn to this for the ultimate skin cool-down. It has an instant cooling effect once applied and works to reduce any type of redness to bring your skin back to its natural complexion.
The True Cream Aqua Bomb
I cannot say enough good things about this product—incredibly moisturizing, lightweight, and the moisture lasts all day long. My skin is truly combination, and most moisturizers make me feel extra oily, but this one sinks into my skin immediately with no residue left behind.
Camille Freestone, Associate Style Editor
AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
I am definitely a minimalist when it comes to my skin-care routine, but the one practice I do champion is SPF. I have ultra-fair skin with tons of freckles, so I'd rather layer up now than stress about burns later.
Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum
When I do need a bit of extra glow, I'll opt for this vitamin C serum in the mornings. It's lightweight and adds the perfect amount of subtle sheen. Plus, it smells divine!
Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Oil
I don't typically wear much on my face throughout the summer months, so I like finding simple skin-care steps that don't feel like much. A few drops of this alongside my everyday moisturizer (see above) keeps me radiant all evening.
Top photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@shahdbatal
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