7 Tips for Creating Instant Radiance
Have you ever experienced one of those times when you look in the mirror and you’re like…woah my face could use a little boost right now. I know I have! Sometimes our skin is lacking a little moisture, circulation, and/or elasticity and it makes us appear tired and to have dull skin. I have some great tips for giving your skin back that radiant and youthful look.
scrub me secret: factors like lack of sleep, dehydration, and consumption of too much salt/sugar/alcohol can cause our skin to look dull and tired. no one is perfect so these things happen from time to time for just about everyone😉. the skin care tips below will help you when your skin doesn’t love your diet or lifestyle choices.
These are all things that work for me when I need to give my face an instant lift and dewy glow. All these options are things you can do to make your skin look INSTANTLY better. I don’t suggest doing all 7 of these things in one day; you don’t want to aggravate your skin by doing too much. Find one that speaks to you and then try it out! And then try something different the next day. Let me know in the comments which radiance-boosting tip is your favorite.
None of these suggestions are paid advertisements, they are all my own opinions and suggestions. There are helpful hidden links throughout my text, I hope you find everything so helpful!
1. Steam your face at home.
This tip is best for those who are feeling like their skin is dull, tired-looking, and lacking luminosity. Treating your face to a short steaming session will make it look fresh, dewy, and bright! This works because the water from the steam will infuse your surface skin cells with hydration, making your skin look and feel less dull and have a dewy glow.
You can use a mini at-home facial steamer for this if you want but I have found to get the best results from steaming my face over a bowl or pot of hot water. I like to boil water in a tea kettle, carefully pour it into a heatproof bowl or pot, then add a bag of green tea or some looseleaf green tea. Hover your face over the steam that comes from the bowl and get ready to glow!
scrub me secret: in my blog post “the best facial steamer you didn’t know you already had” I have a detailed video of how to steam your face in your kitchen at home!
2. Give yourself a circulation boosting face massage.
All you need for this quick pick-me-up is a clean face, facial oil, and clean hands. This tip works great for those who are feeling like their skin is sagging or if you’re feeling like you look aged or tired. Using your hands and facial oil to give your face a deep tissue massage will help lift your muscles and tissues as well as create radiance-producing circulation. This means you can give yourself a little lift and a healthy glow!
Cleanse your face with your favorite facial cleanser and apply just enough facial oil to cover your face and neck. Then, take your [clean] hands and place one on each side of your face, at your jawline. Press firmly into your skin with the palms of your hands and slowly glide upwards and outwards to the edge of your face. Glide along your jawline, cheeks, and then forehead. Always using upward motions. Massage over each section of your face 2-3x. Your face should look a little bit flushed or feel warm after this massage, that’s the circulation we are wanting to see. Apply a moisturizer with SPF after your face massage and any tinted moisturizer or makeup if you’d like.
This YouTube video has a good visual example of how you should move your hands across your face.
3. Use a gua sha stone for a quick lifting massage.
If you have a kidney-shaped gua sha stone similar to or identical to the one in the picture on the left you can use it to create some plumpness and radiance in your face and lift your neck. This tip is best for those looking for an instant lift and youthful glow. The gua sha stone can help you get a nice lift for your skin’s tissues and my trick of warming up the stone with warm water before use is really great for creating that instant glow.
Cleanse your face and apply a light amount of facial oil, just enough so the gua sha stone can glide across your face and neck. Take your gua sha stone and rinse it with warm or hot water for about 30 seconds; this will make the stone warm but not too hot to use on your skin. Using a long, flat edge of your gua sha stone or the comb edge of the stone glide in upward lifting motions from your collarbone, up your neck, just over the jawline. Place your hand that isn’t holding the gua sha stone on your collarbone for support. Lift in upward motions across each area of your neck. Once you’re finished with your neck, take your gua sha stone and glide allll the way from your neck up to your forehead. When you do this it will feel like you’re smushing your facial skin/tissues upward. Do this a couple of times on each side. You should finish up this massage in about 2 minutes!
I have more helpful anti-aging gua sha moves in this blog post I’m linking in the text if you want to get a little more in-depth.
scrub me secret: I list more easy-to-use face massage tools and easy-to-use skin devices in my blog post “easy to use facial tools”. The anma tool I talk about in this blog post is really great for an instant pick-me-up.
4. Use the scrub me antioxidant powder scrub.
This is a great skincare tip for those who are feeling dull, lackluster, and/or like their complexion is uneven. Using this antioxidant-rich facial scrub before applying your serums, moisturizers, and other skincare will help your skin reflect more light, look more even, and feel more hydrated. The combination of the super-fine texture of the powder, the anti-aging properties from the antioxidant, and the nourishment of the facial oil makes this mask/scrub great for giving your skin instant radiance.
Cleanse your face or refresh your skin with a hydrating toner. Then, mix your antioxidant powder with the nourishing serum facial oil as instructed on your skincare label. Apply the mixture to your face and neck using clean fingertips. Massage the scrub into your skin using small circulator motions, do this for 60 seconds. Rinse away your antioxidant mask and apply your serums, moisturizer, and any other facial products like SPF or makeup.
5. Use cooling globes or an ice roller on your face/neck.
This skincare tip is great for anyone who needs a glow FAST. A cooling facial tool will constrict blood vessels and pores to make skin look temporarily smoother, less puffy, and more awake. What’s nice about cooling globes or a cold facial roller is that you can use these items over your skincare that you have already applied. You can use a cold roller or globe at any time of day, very little prep is needed. All you need is a frozen cold facial roller or cooling globes that have been in the freezer for more than 30 minutes.
Take your cooling facial tool out of the freezer and wipe away any water droplets from the tool using a clean cloth or paper towel. Roll your cold roller or facial globes over your face. It’s best to roll from the inner portions of your face, outward. For example: roll from the inner corner of your eye out to the temple. You’ll notice a tightening and firming effect.
scrub me secret: Fridays and Saturdays are the days I typically get the earliest start. My personal trainer would hate that I’m admitting this but I usually can only swing about 6 hours of sleep on Thursday and Friday nights 😬. The first thing that I do when I arrive at the skincare studio on these early mornings is use my ice roller all over my face and especially focus under my eyes. Then I look brand new and feel more rejuvenated!
6. Use chilled, under-eye gel masks.
This is my best tip for when our eye area is looking puffy, tired, and/or old. The combination of the plumping collagen and hyaluronic acid in these eye gels plus the de-puffing and firming effect of the coolness gives results in an instantly firmer and smoother eye area. I’ve tried many eye treatment gels and most of them work okay but I have found that these Pure Sol collagen + hylauronic eye masks give the best firming results.
Put your eye treatment masks in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. I like to let my box of collagen eye masks live in the refrigerator so they are ready for use when I need them. Eye treatment masks can be used on your skin after you have completed all your skincare or before you apply your serums and moisturizer. Take your eye masks from the refrigerator and apply one underneath each eye. Let them sit for 10-20 minutes. Remove the masks and admire your firm, smooth, and youthful-looking eye area!
scrub me secret: If i’m going out for a date night or a girls night I like to do all my skincare and then apply my chilled under-eye masks and leave them on while I do my hair and pick out my outfit. Then I remove them before I put on any makeup for the evening.
7. Apply a caffeinated facial moisturizer followed by hydrating facial mist.
Another great tip for those who are feeling like their skin is dull, sallow-looking, and lacking luminosity. A caffeinated moisturizer has the ability to constrict blood vessels and help your skin feel firmer. Applying this type of cream will revive your lackluster-looking skin cells and help your face look/feel more youthful. Applying a hydrating facial mist over this is an added step that gives your skin that dewy and fresh glow. Also, applying a hydrating mist over your moisturizer will just give it a little boost to help it work better.
Cleanse your skin, apply any serums in your skincare routine, then apply your caffeinated moisturizer. If you’re applying SPF that will be your next step. Then take your rosewater or hydrating facial mist and mist, mist, mist! Saturate your whole face with this hydration fluid and let it naturally soak into your skin and evaporate, don’t rub it in. This will leave you with that dewy, glazed doughnut look that everyone wants.