Luminous Makeup: Luxury Comparison

Glow from within makeup, a.k.a luminous, radiant. Done delicately and layered like second skin, it's possibly the next best thing you will ever do to your face to reclaim that lost youth, makeup-wise. But here's the thing, if you have oily skin, large pockmarks or active acne, the following makeups vis-a-vis technique that I am sharing will only exacerbate your flaws, unfortunately. I will dedicate another post for this but meantime, let your mama shine today without highlighters!

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Brands have their own quirky way of naming this not-so-new makeup trend. Burberry call theirs Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base, making us think that it's a primer with luminous consistency. Chanel has Soleil Tan Sheer Illuminating Fluid, making us guess it's for ladies who want to rock bronzed skin. Then there's my perennial favorite By Terry Cellularose Brightening CC Serum, trying to convince us that it's skincare first and foremost. Claims vary, ingredients differ, but when you apply them on the face, all produce a glowing effect depending on the intensity, formula and more importantly, the technique you use.

Retailing for $48, Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base is available in two variants, No. 01 Nude Radiance (as photographed) and No. 02 Golden Radiance. According to the website, you can use this in multiple ways: (1) apply directly on the face as is or as base for foundation (2) for sheer wash of color, blend with eyeshadow (3) as highlighter, smooth on cheekbone, cupid's bow or nose bridge. The packaging as always brings in a certain wow factor, what with Burberry's iconic plaid print set in mirrored gunmetal top alongside the architectural acrylic pump bottle. Chic and fancy for mommy but did it perform just the way it says? Let's cut to the chase. It goes on smooth like a moisturizer, is unscented, and although it appears to be shimmery based from the swatch below, the dewiness as I hoped for, when blended onto the skin as base makeup, did not meld nicely with my combination skin. It only made my face look oily and worse, affected the usually long wear time of my holy grail foundation Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place. When mixed with foundation, the shimmer dissipates. In short, this product did not impress me enough.

If you tan during the summer or if you want to switch up a rather dull complexion (no thanks to winter), Chanel Soleil Tan Sheer Illuminating Fluid will make you glow like J Lo. It only comes in one shade which is Sunkissed so if you're white as snow and you apply it straight on your face, it will be off by ginormous proportion. My face is naturally darker than my neck-down but with proper blending plus dusting a little bit of bronzer and sheen on my décolletage, I feel like a million bucks whenever I wear this. My favorite technique is to mix it with foundation, let it sink in for few minutes, do the rest of my makeup, then dab a bit in areas I want extra luminosity. Nothing carved in stone because makeup in general should allow you to experiment beyond your imagination. Don't like the way it looks? there's a reason why makeup wipes are invented, haha! The only downside to this product is the packaging. It has no pump so expect wastage as you try to control the liquid coming out from the mouth. Gotta make your $48 last, it's Chanel darling!

Finally, here comes By Terry Cellularose Brightening CC Serum, the priciest at $91. Sold in three variants, I have Apricot Glow and Sunny Flash. CC as you know stands for color correction and the way this product works per website description is "for dull and dehydrated skin in need of radiance boost, this serum imparts subtle veil of light reflective pigment that creates a radiant and even-toned canvass". So is this makeup or skincare? I say both and that will depend on how you use it. I know we all instantly correlate serum with skincare, marketing at its finest for you. But as a fan of By Terry Cellularose Moisturizing CC Cream (I have repurchased it multiple times already), the addition of Apricot Glow and Sunny Flash further cemented my love for this brand. So far, this is the only product which really renders the glow-from-within effect I am going for. Skin but better. Makeup like there's none when applied and blended nicely with foundation. I use the two shades interchangeably, Apricot Glow for normal days, Sunny Flash when I want radiant bronzed makeup. Whenever I wear this either as base or mixed with foundation, my face looks healthy. It does not settle on pores and as the day progresses, it melds even more nicely without affecting the longevity of my foundation. Notwithstanding price because By Terry categorically is luxury makeup, the only downside is the strong rose fragrance which isn't cut for everyone's olfactory sense. But if that doesn't bother you, you have to give this serum-slash-makeup a try.

My technique to achieve a glowing from within look: Begin with skincare (apply as you normally would). I start with Vitamin C, moisturizer, followed by By Terry Cellularose Brightening CC Serum. Apply foundation with damp beauty blender. The goal is to keep it light to allow the "radiance" to peek. Apply concealer as you normally would. Skip setting or mattifying powder, it defeats the purpose. Finish the rest of your makeup. For my look below, I skipped blush or bronzer so you can see how By Terry looks when layered over matte foundation. I also did not apply concealer so you can focus on the product on its own. It looks radiant depending how light hits your face but offhand, this is how mine translates.

Edit 1/30/17: I bought the two shades of By Terry Cellularose Brightening CC Lumi Serum at Beautylish. If you pay close attention, the bottles I have featured here don't have Lumi in it. I was advised by Beautylish (c/o Diana) that the packaging was updated, the brand dropped Lumi in its label. I am awaiting feedback from By Terry.

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