It’s that time of the year again—as the halfway point of 2022 has arrived, we find our Instagram feeds overflowing with envy-inducing summer snapshots from the Northern hemisphere. Think body glow-getting sunbathers and beach beauties who seem to be radiating the very joy of vacation. While an Ibizan beach getaway or trip to California may not be on the cards for all of us right now, the benefits of living on our perpetually sunny island are that many a summer beauty trend is fit for use year-round.
Beauty trends come and go, but a fail-proof go-to for the warm and sunny weather is an all-over body glow. For who could say no to lustrous skin that gleams? Achieving such a sheen needn’t be overwhelming—see below for our three-step guide to getting the illuminated look in no time.
1. Smooth it out
The first step to prepping your bod for its glow up is full exfoliation by way of a blissful body scrub. This helps in ridding your body of dead skin cells, the build-up of which results in a dry and dull appearance. Hence, exfoliation should be key to your body care regimen year-round to ensure a fresh complexion.
What’s more, the removal of dead skin cells ensures that further products you use on your skin penetrate and are more readily absorbed, from your favourite moisturisers to any body serums. A must for locking in your gorgeous glow! Some of our favourite picks within the body polishing and scrub department include: Australian cult classic Frank Body’s Original Coffee Scrub, which tackles body blemishes with its 100% natural formulation; LA: Bruket’s 215 Sea Salt Scrub with Grapefruit Leaf, the ideal remedy for dry skin courtesy of its salt and moisturising oils; Aesop’s Geranium Leaf Body Scrub that cleanses and invigorates; and Herbivore Botanicals’ Amethyst Exfoliating Body Polish, which reveals silky skin courtesy of crushed amethyst, coconut oil and jasmine.
Ideally, body scrubs should be used from neck to toe once or twice weekly, to ensure utmost freshness for your bodily complexion.
2. Lotion up
The next step within getting your glow on is making liberal use of body lotion. When it comes to these moisturisers, it’s all about hydration. Our skin can dry out and be depleted of its natural oils through daily beauty habits such as taking hot baths and showers or shaving our legs. Liberal use of lotion helps to replenish and seal in the body’s moisture levels for smoothness that’s both seen and felt.
Fortunately, there is an abundance of body smoothers on the beauty market. Ideal options to try out for your body glow routine include Sisley Paris’ Restorative Body Cream, which intensely renews and moisturises, and Kopari Beauty’s Ultra Restore Body Butter with its vegan, hyaluronic acid-containing formula.
For added benefits, top up an application of body lotion with a targeting serum—in fact, adding a dose of serum to your favourite lotion can help to boost its benefits. Try Skin Inc’s Body Sculpt Fit Serum, which features vitamin C, caffeine and niacinamide to tone the skin, or cult brand Nécessaire’s The Body Serum which is formulated with multiple levels of hyaluronic acid.
To maintain a radiant bodily complexion, body lotion should ideally be applied daily. The perfect time to lavish your skin with a moisturiser is just after stepping out of the shower or bath, as the water opens up your pores to absorb the product.
3. Glow enhancers
Now, with the skincare aspect of your body glow routine fully taken care of, a summer night’s effect calls for going one step beyond. Add an extra layer of glisten to your skin courtesy of a beautiful body shimmer.
While a casual day look might call for a more subtle sheen—think sheer application—a night out or event is the perfect excuse to dial it up a notch with added shine that draws attention to your prepped skin. Patrick Ta’s Major Glow Highlighting Mist is suited to application around the collarbones and décolleté area, which features a light-reflecting pearl blend and nourishing organ oil.
Meanwhile, French Girl Organics’ Lumière Bronzée Shimmer Oil, available via Net-a-Porter, is a more subtle option for the body that gives you the glow of a lasting vacation. Vegan and organic, the product is formulated with organ oil and shea butter while imparting sheer flecks of shimmer.
Consider this the finishing touch of your summer-evoking bodily glow—and with that, infuse your everyday with the spirit of vacation.
