It’s golden hour
Discover the make-up tricks that give skin sundown radiance all day long
you’ll have noticed it on Instagram: the stream of posts flooded with soft, warm light; selfies benefitting from just the right amount of glow. Golden hour is a photography term that refers to the first hour of light after sunrise and the last hour of light before sunset, when the low angle of the sun casts a soft, tawny glimmer on to its surroundings. ‘I will wait days, sometimes weeks, to shoot a specific campaign or model at golden hour,’ says photographer Lydia Collins. ‘The light is super-flattering. Pair this with the low angle of the sun that generates a warm orange glow and you’re in for a killer shot.’ The golden hour effect in make-up recreates that luminosity and warmth. ‘The look is all about using warm tones,’ says make-up artist Adeola Gboyega, ‘and subtly highlighting your skin to impart a natural radiance.’ Get that right and, well, you’re golden.
» PERFECTLY PRIMED
Primers are integral to reproducing the diffused golden-hour glow and investing in a formula that serves up both warmth and radiance is the best way to kick-start your GH routine. Victoria Beckham has just launched a ‘Golden’ shade of her beloved Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer – a suits-all hi-tech hybrid with a focus on luminosity that VB describes as a route to ‘the perfect warm glow, especially in summer’. Victoria even created the hashtag #Vbbgoldenhour to celebrate its debut – cue yet another influx of enviably sun-drenched shots to Instagram feeds the world over. try:
■ Soap & Glory Glow & Dew It Skin Illuminating Base Primer, £11.50
■ Revlon Photoready Rose Glow Hydrating & Illuminating Primer, £12.99
■ Victoria Beckham Beauty by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer in Golden [1], 30ml, £92.
» BASE LAYERS
Next, opt for a hydrating base that boosts your dewy factor. Our current squeezes include L’oréal Paris’s new Skin Paradise Tinted Water Cream, which is 70% water-based and laced with aloe vera, and Estée Lauder’s Futurist Hydra Rescue Moisturizing Make-up SPF 45, which contains sci-fi sounding Ioncharged water. Both formulas offer long-lasting, naturallooking coverage that lets your skin breathe. Alternatively, if you want more coverage, but still a fresh and natural look, follow make-up artist Violette’s advice and keep your nose foundation-free. ‘Your nose is the first place people notice foundation and,
if you don’t apply it there, they’ll think you’re not wearing any at all.’ try:
■ L’oréal Paris Skin Paradise Tinted Water Cream, £10.99
■ Code 8 Radiate Beauty Balm, £41 ■ Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Skin Perfector, £35
■ Estée Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue Moisturizing Make-up SPF 45 [2], £36.
» THE HIGHLIGHTS
No golden-hour glow is complete without highlighter, but swerve iridescent shimmer in favour of formulas with natural looking radiance. ‘Fairer skin tones can try highlighters that have a nude-to-pink finish, while darker skins might favour a bronze or gold tone,’ says Adeola. ‘Deeper skin tones often avoid anything too silvery as it can end up looking ashy on the skin.’ As for placement: ‘Use highlighter on the highest points of your face,’ she adds. ‘Cheekbones, brow bone, down the centre of your nose, the centre of eyelids and your décolletage.’ The aim is to recreate the look of that balmy evening sun hitting your face. try:
■ Pat Mcgrath Labs Skin Fetish Highlighter + Balm Duo, £45
■ Tarte Cosmetics Skin Gloss Glass Highlighter, £14
■ Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand in Spotlight, £29
■ Dolce & Gabbana Beauty Baroque Lights Highlighting Powder in Precious Gold, £53
■ Veronique Gabai The Goldie Highlighter, £59. » WARM UP
‘Bronzer is a must for this look,’ says Adeola. ‘If you have dry skin, use a creambased formula and make sure it’s matte. Use it to create shape and add definition to the face, focusing on applying it to the top of the forehead, under cheekbones and along the jawline. Blend it seamlessly into skin.’ try:
■ Chanel Les Beiges Soleil Tan Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream-gel Bronzer [3], £42
■ Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer [4], £39
■ Nudestix Nudies All Over Face Color Matte in Bondi Bae, £28
» SUN-FLUSHED
Everything about the golden-hour look is subtle, so that means leaving perfectly lined, statement lip shades and vibrant pops of blush at the door. Luxe lip balms and warm shades of cream blusher are the order of the day. Adeola advises us to ‘look for shades that complement your natural lip colour for that beautiful barely-there look. A great tip is to take your lip colour and apply it to cheeks too for a dewy flush. This way you ensure a subtle shade of blush that ties in tonally with your look and won’t compete too much with the warmth of your bronzer.’ try:
■ NARS Afterglow Lip Balm in Orgasm [5], £22
■ Trish Mcevoy Beauty Booster Lip and Cheek Colour in Rose, £29
■ Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk, £15.
» GOLDEN EYE
A wash of earth-toned eyeshadow with a touch of gilded shimmer works small wonders. Need convincing? Make-up artist extraordinaire Pat Mcgrath cites a glimmer of gold as one of the best ways to lift a make-up look. ‘A touch of gold on the centre of the eyes, Cupid’s bow or on the lips is the perfect accessory to any look. My favourite tip is to dampen a brush and swirl it through a gold pigment until it creates a paste. Apply wet to eyes or lips for nextlevel reflectiveness and dimension.’ Look for warm tones that mimic soft-focus light. try:
■ BECCA Cosmetics Light Gleam Liquid Eyeshadow in Golden Hour, £21
■ Pat Mcgrath Labs Eyedols Eye Shadow in Corrupt Copper, £23
■ Stila Shimmer and Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Jezebel, £24.