It’s our belief that summer beauty should be relatively basic—and not in a bad way. A little (faked out) tan, a double-duty lip-and-cheek tint, a tinted moisturizer, and lots of sunscreen. No muss, no fuss = more time to drink a bottle of rosé, and a closer approximation of the all-natural look. And yet, the real key to this “effortless” summer look is dewy, fresh skin, which often looks more like sweat than dew when temperatures are north of 90 degrees. Which is why we have to award face gloss with the Most Valuable Summer Product Award.
Think of face gloss as a highlighter, but colorless; similar to a lip balm, only lighter and more skin-friendly. It’s that single, genius product that makes you look dewy and is still as low maintenance as we idealize our hot weather routine to be. For a master class in all things gloss, we called up Dianna Ruth and Georgie Greville, the COO and Creative Director of Milk Makeup, respectively, and the makers of our favorite face gloss out there, and asked them about how to best use the product we’ve already fallen for.
Lip Balm Does Not a Face Gloss Make
Face gloss is “less sticky and less dense than a lip gloss,” says Ruth. And therefore, all the better to smear liberally on your most breakout-prone and sensitive skin.
It is Indeed The “Perfect Summer Look.”
Georgie Greville, whose girl-on-the-run beauty ethos we staunchly stand behind, deems it so—and so it must be. The idea is that one gets a “dewy sheen on key points of the face.” Which leads us to…
Don’t Smear It Just Anywhere.
Treat it like a highlighter, but without the glitter and all of the Kardashian-Jenner connotations. “Squeeze a little on your fingertips, and lightly pat it on areas you want to highlight or give a natural sheen to,” advises Greville. “Brow bones and cheekbones are where I like to put it.” We concur. It also looks great on your eyelids in place of a shadow for a bright-eyed look.
Reapply Often.
Once you’ve figured out where to apply it, there’s no need to be shy. Carry it in your bag and pat more on whenever you need a little brightening. “I would refresh every couple hours to keep a natural shine,” says Ruth. The more often the merrier, we say.
