The Panel
Summer is not only about the tan, says Sarah Caden, who has five gleaming wonders
The best products for summer glow, tested
We think of summer as being all about the bronze. However, there’s also room in the armoury for products with a more gentle glow. Even if you’re not going for a tanned effect, try adding something to your cosmetic cache that will catch the summer light and lift your complexion.
Summer is the time when that lit-from-within look is easiest to achieve. Unlike in winter, when you’re lit mostly by artificial light, in summer, you have at least a hint of Irish sun and, with any luck, some foreign-holiday hot rays, too.
This natural light catches any glowy product you apply to your skin — face, arms, collarbones, shoulders, even shins — and it lends a lighter, brighter sheen to the skin. Today’s five all are all about the shine, with a bit of sun-kissed in there, too.
Best Overall e.l.f. Liquid Highlighting Dewy Drops, €7.25, selected Penneys and pharmacies nationwide
This is one of those brands that looks more expensive, packaging-wise, and also, in practical terms, packs more of a punch than the price suggests. This is to say that it’s great value and good quality. This highlighter comes in just one shade, a creamy, shimmery beige that blends well on all skin tones. It’s subtle, but sufficiently light-catching. “Fabulously flattering,” said one panellist. “It sinks in like moisturiser instead of sitting on the skin, and gives a youthifying gleam.”
Best Hint of Hot Clarins SOS Colour Control Primer in 06 Bronze, €31, Clarins counters nationwide
Clarins brought out a range of Colour Correct Primers last year that addressed skin issues such as redness, sallowness and dullness. Now, come summer, it has two new additions: 07 Mocca helps with ashiness in darker skins, while this one adds a gleamy, sun-kissed element to all skin tones. Basically, it can be added to your make-up to turn it a shade darker, or used alone to enliven bare skin. “This has enough shimmer to catch the light and be uplifting, but not so much that you’re sparkly tangoed,” a panellist said.
Best High Notes essence Glow highlighter palette in 02 ...like you can’t stop laughing, €6.25, pharmacies nationwide
This four-part palette is best suited to those among you who simply do not do the sun. It has a sister palette, 01 ...like it’s girls’ night, which has warmer shades, but this one is pitched at pale types who want to catch the light without soaking up any rays. What it lacks in sun-kissed, it makes up for in gleam. “The glow ranges from subtle to full shimmer,” said a panellist. “A whole lot of glow for my milky skin.”
Best Pick and Mix Max Factor Miracle Glow Duo in Medium, €14.99, available nationwide
It’s always nice to have options, which is a why a two-parter compact like this is fine for summer. On one side, it has a bit of glimmery bronzer; on the other, a lighter shade for highlighting. There may be days you blend both; there may be days you use one or the other. Depends whether the sun’s out, perhaps. Blended, we found you got a subtly shimmery summery look that was the right side of natural, but with a bit of glow. “This is handy for holidays, when your skin starts out one shade and ends up another,” said a panellist.
Best Gleamer Catrice The. Dew. Maximizer, €4.95, Penneys; pharmacies nationwide
This looks like a stick of clear glue, but instead of being sticky, it’s a glide-on bit of gleam. It has no colour and no shimmer; it’s more like a lip gloss for all those face and body points you’d like to catch the light. Without the stickiness, however, of either glue or gloss. It’s a straightforward way to dab on dewiness, and remarkably low-commitment in price terms. “This is no-nonsense and a knacky product to throw in a summer make-up case,” a panellist said.