Forget glass skin, sweaty skin is in
Just in time for the hottest months of the year
If you’re sick of plastering a million different skin care products on your face in the pursuit of glass skin, we’ve got great news for you.
Gone are the days of glass and jello skin. It’s all about laminated skin, a look that embraces that sweaty sheen we’re all naturally sporting during spring and summer.
Coined by MAC's director of makeup artistry and lead makeup artist, Terry Barber, laminated skin has already made an appearance on the runways of London Fashion Week at the Fashion East show.
What is laminated skin?
“The skin for the season is sweaty,” Barber told Refinery29. However, he assured the publication that ‘sweaty’ isn’t necessarily a negative thing when it comes to skin. He prefers to think of it as "a really beautiful laminated, hyper-moisturised glow all over."
@fashion_east
"All the designers I'm working with are talking about sweaty skin, like you've just come out of the ocean on holiday, or been on a dance floor – or you've just had sex."
How to get laminated skin with makeup
Barber warned against the use of powder highlighters if you’re aiming to achieve the look. Layer a light sheen of sheer-coverage foundation over a highly moisturised base instead, and set it with a fine mist of hydrating setting spray. Preferably one with an oil-inclusive formula.
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You can forget powdering down your face with setting powder too. “We're in a moment where you let makeup sink in rather than top it up," Barber explained. "No one wants too much density.”
"This makeup look just creates a sheen,” he continued. “This is what naturally happens to the skin.”
Laminated skin skin care products
While Barber focused on makeup to create laminated skin looks for the runway, the trend really starts with a good skin care routine.
Skin Proud founder Charlotte Knight explains to BEAUTYcrew that whether your goal is a slick laminated look, or full-on gloop, the aim is “skin that has some dew and glow to it, to the point it can reflect the light.”
“The key to achieving this look is to embrace the moisture,” she went on to say. “When prepping skin, opt for the most hydrating cleanser on your shelf and follow it up with a nourishing serum with key ingredients like hyaluronic acid.”
The last (and most important) step? “Lock in this moisture for the day with a medium-weight cream that leaves skin plump, dewy, and fresh,” says Knight.
The best products to buy for laminated skin
Skin care products we recommend:
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser ($13.99 at Chemist Warehouse); BOOST LAB 2D-Hyaluronic Hydro Boost Serum ($29.95 at BOOST LAB); SKIN PROUD Sorbet Skin Moisturiser ($25.99 at Priceline).
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser
BOOST LAB 2D-Hyaluronic Hydro Boost Serum
SKIN PROUD Sorbet Skin Moisturiser
Makeup products we recommend:
NATASHA DENONA Hy-Gen™ Skin Glass ($75 at Sephora); M.A.C COSMETICS Studio Radiance Face & Body Radiant Sheer Foundation (was $57 now $47 at Adore Beauty); and HOLME BEAUTY Setting Spray ($49 at HOLME BEAUTY).
NATASHA DENONA Hy-Gen™ Skin Glass
M.A.C COSMETICS Studio Radiance Face & Body Radiant Sheer Foundation
HOLME BEAUTY Setting Spray
Besides sweaty skin, it’s all about the side fringe this season.
Main image credit: @fashion_east
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
