The Glass Skin Makeup Look: How to Get That Clear, Glossy Finish

The glass skin makeup look is skin that seems clear, plump and reflective, like light is sliding across it. You get there with hydrating prep, very thin layers of base, and glow placed on the high points of the face rather than everywhere. Eyes and lips stay soft so the skin does the talking.

The look started in Korean skincare, where it describes skin so healthy it looks like glass. Makeup can't change your skin, but it can copy the finish. Here's how, and how to adjust it if you're oily, textured or acne-prone.

Prep is half the look

Glass skin makeup fails on dry, flaky skin, because shine shows every patch. Gently exfoliate a day before, not on the day. On the morning, layer hydration thin: a watery toner or essence patted in, a light serum, then a moisturizer. Give each layer 30 seconds.

Finish with sunscreen and wait a few minutes. Then, if your skin still feels tight, press a drop of facial oil or a hydrating primer only onto the cheeks. You want the skin to feel cushioned, not slippery.

Several thin layers beat one thick cream. Thin layers absorb fully and leave the skin plump; one heavy layer sits on the surface and makes base slide around. If you only have time for one step, a hydrating serum plus a light moisturizer gets you most of the way.

Base: less coverage, more skin

Heavy foundation kills the effect. Use a skin tint, a dewy foundation mixed 1:1 with moisturizer, or a cushion compact pressed on in thin layers. Start in the center of the face and stop before the jaw and hairline.

Conceal only what you have to. A creamy concealer pressed onto a spot with a fingertip keeps the skin around it looking like skin. Under the eyes, use a hydrating concealer in tiny amounts so it doesn't settle into lines.

Redness is the thing that most often breaks the illusion, since glass skin is meant to look calm and even. If you have redness around the nose or across the cheeks, tap a little concealer on those spots before the skin tint, then blend the tint over the top. You'll need less of both, and the result looks like clear skin rather than covered skin.

Where to put the glow

Glass skin isn't shiny everywhere. It's glossy in the places where light naturally hits the face, and that contrast is what makes it believable.

• Top of the cheekbones, in a soft C shape toward the temple
• Bridge of the nose (a thin line, not the tip if you have pores there)
• Center of the forehead and the cupid's bow
• A tiny touch on the inner corners of the eyes

Products that give the glass finish

Use liquid or balm highlighters, never glittery powders. You want a wet reflection without visible sparkle. A clear balm on the cheekbones over makeup gives the closest copy of the look. Tap it on with a ring finger so it doesn't move the base.

Cream blush in a sheer pink or peach, blended high on the cheek, gives the flushed, healthy look that goes with glass skin. Keep powder to a minimum: a light press around the nose and on the chin only.

Order matters with all these creams. Apply blush before highlight, and let each layer set for a minute so the next one doesn't drag it. A fine mist of hydrating setting spray at the end melts the layers together and brings back some of the glow that disappears as products settle. To refresh during the day, mist again rather than adding more highlighter.

Glass skin on oily or textured skin

Oily skin can wear this look, it just needs a strategy. Use a mattifying primer on the T-zone and the hydrating steps everywhere else. Keep glow on the cheekbones and away from the nose and forehead, where oil will add its own shine within an hour.

Texture and large pores reflect light too, so put highlighter only on smooth areas. If your cheeks have texture, place glow higher, right on the bone near the temple. A satin finish instead of a full wet finish still reads as glass skin in photos.

Eyes, brows and lips for the look

Keep eyes minimal: a wash of shimmer in champagne or soft pink, curled lashes and one coat of mascara. Brows should be brushed up and natural, set with clear or tinted gel. Heavy liner or dark shadow draws attention away from the skin, which is the whole point of this look.

Lips should look juicy. A tinted balm or a sheer gloss in Peach, Rose, Coral or Nude Pink works, or blot a lipstick and add clear gloss on the center. A matte or very dark lip fights with the skin. If you like this lighter direction, the no makeup makeup look uses a similar idea with a more natural finish, while the sun-kissed makeup look is the warm, bronzed cousin.

See if glass skin suits your face first

Glass skin flatters most people, but it shows texture and oil, so not everyone loves it on themselves. You can preview it without buying new products by trying the Glass Skin look on your own selfie in Lody's makeup try-on, then decide whether you want the full wet finish or a softer satin version.

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