How to Glow with Health, All Year-Round!

After what seemed like an endless winter, summer is well and truly here and we’re all basking in the sunshine, appreciating that extra kick of radiance that it brings.

Sadly, however – at least for those of us who aren’t lucky enough to live on a sunshine-soaked Caribbean island – summer will soon give way to autumn, and we’ll be left staring at our pasty faces, wondering where our summer glow went.  

Luckily, though, while we will have to deal with the drop in temperatures, thanks to modern-day beauty wonders we can keep that ghostly pallor at bay, no matter what season it is!  

Here is my go-to guide for achieving healthy, glowing skin all year round.  

True Beauty Starts Within 

The first step to looking like you glow with health on the outside is to take care of yourself on the inside. Maintaining a healthful diet packed with nutrients and staying as active as possible have tremendous effects on our physical and mental wellbeing.  

Try to eat as few refined sugars and carbohydrates as possible, as they can contribute to puffy skin and fatigue, and make sure you get your daily dose of movement.

Even if you can’t commit to hours of exercise a day, you can still achieve a lot in just five minutes, as this compact little routine – that was originally designed for desk-bound poker players – demonstrates. Try integrating it into your daily routine and notice how you feel and look after a few weeks.  

Make sure you stay hydrated, too. While the fruits and veggies you should be packing into your diet will have water content, you still need to drink at least 2 litres of water a day to keep your skin in good health.  

Protect Your Skin 

It may sound counterintuitive since that radiant, sun-kissed glow is what we’re all aiming for here, but you do need to protect your skin from harmful UV rays when you’re outside in the sun.  

Sun damage can be disastrous for healthy skin, so ensure you use a high SPF specially formulated for your face in your daily routine. In fact, to ensure long-term skin health, keep the sun exposure on your face to an absolute minimum. You can easily create a bronzed effect with the right products (more on that soon) and it will stave off premature ageing, dark spots and wrinkles.  

Your Glowing Routine 

So, about those products… 

You’ve worked on cultivating your glow from the inside and cut out all those skin-damaging bad habits. The next step to achieving year-round glowing skin is to nail your beauty regime. Yes, I’m talking about faking your tan. And no, it’s not going to look fake. Your glow is customisable, buildable, and entirely unique to your skin tone, so fake tanning disasters will definitely be a thing of the past.

Exfoliation is an essential step in your skincare routine that will keep your face smooth and ready for whatever goodness you layer on top of your epidermis. Don’t be too heavy-handed, exfoliate no more than twice a week to slough away those dead skin cells and leave a healthy glow – we’re not aiming for red-raw here.  

Beauty manufacturers are really spoiling us this season with gentle exfoliants that also pack supercharged ingredients to help restore a natural balance and reveal a radiant glow. 

Cult favourite Dermalogica’s Daily Microfoliant never disappoints on this front. On the top end, Valmont’s Face Exfoliant features micro quartz crystals as an ingredient and is a favourite with A-List estheticians.  

Next up, it’s time to hydrate and protect your skin with a solid moisturiser and serum combo. Products that create a luminous finish are all the rage right now, so it’s not unusual to see pearl articles and hyaluronic acid feature in ingredients lists. Brightening serums, meanwhile, feature active ingredients like Vitamin C and Vitamin B3 to lighten up dark spots. 

No 7’s Early Defence Glow Activating Serum is an affordable and effective option, while you can finish off with L’Oreal Revitalift Bright Reveal SPF 30 to ensure that all bases are covered.  

Finally, instead of aiming to add colour to your skin to achieve a glowy finish (put that can of St Tropez down!), opt for a “glotion” instead. This new category of skincare/makeup hybrid contains humectants, which draw moisture to the surface of the skin to make it look plump, fresh and smooth – lovely! 

You can use them as a base for heavier makeup, or simply wear them alone for a natural yet radiant finish. Products to add to your shopping list include: L’Oreal’s True Match Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer and Garnier’s SkinActive Glow Boost Illuminating Moisturiser.

All products featured on Gemma Etc. are PR samples or gifted items, unless otherwise indicated. This post may contain affiliate links. If you wish to find out more, please see my Disclaimer within my navigation bar.