The Ultimate Guide to the Dewy Makeup Look

Fresh, luminous skin has become a timeless beauty trend – the essential companion to your chicest outfit, favourite fragrance or most adored accessory. The allure of a dewy makeup look lies in its ability to create a youthful and radiant complexion that you can confidently wear all year round.

Donning the coveted dewy makeup look is simple: all you need is the right technique, hydrating skin prep, and a handful of radiance-boosting products.

To guide you through every step, we’ve put together this expert tutorial to help you achieve a dewy makeup finish that radiates unparalleled lustre and brilliance.

What is a dewy makeup finish?

A dewy makeup look refers to the natural, luminous glow that is most often associated with healthy and hydrated skin. This captivating skin-like finish is characterised by a fresh-faced appearance that’s amplified by light-reflecting products.

Unlike a matte finish, which presents with a more non-reflective, powdery or velvety texture, a dewy finish celebrates and enhances your skin's innate hydration.

A dewy look is perfect if your skin is on the dry side, since it imbues the skin with moisture, counteracts dullness, and helps smooth over rough patches.

How to achieve the dewy makeup look: 7 expert tips

To achieve its infamous glow, makeup for dewy finish often relies on natural oils and humectants – water-loving ingredients that draw moisture into the skin. These elements collaborate with your skin’s hydration to reflect light, thus unveiling your skin’s inner glow. Below, we’ve curated seven expert tips for a natural dewy makeup look that you can use as a roadmap to achieve a fresh, glowing complexion. .

1. Start with nourishing skincare

Dewy makeup starts with a nourished, luminous base. So, ensure that your skin is well prepped with the right skincare products:

• Purify your skin with the Clean Reboot Mousse, our gentle, non-drying cream-to-foam cleanser.
• Plump and hydrate the skin with the Pure Shots Lines Away Serum. Infused with hyaluronic acid and micro-filling technology, this serum creates a ‘second skin’ effect to smooth out the complexion and boost skin elasticity over time – perfect for a fresh-faced, dewy finish.
• Seal in moisture with the Pure Shots Perfect Plumper Nutri-Cream. Suitable for all skin types to improve radiance and support the skin moisture barrier.

2. Apply a hydrating primer

After your skincare prep, a hydrating primer is going to amplify your luminosity and give your dewy makeup the hold it needs throughout the day.

With combined advanced technologies that work to even the look of skin tone, blur pores and fine lines while supporting makeup longevity, the Touche Éclat Blur Primer Gold is a powerful addition to your makeup kit. Its transparent gel-like texture supports light diffusion to instantly illuminate your complexion while visibly reducing pores.

To apply, pump one pearl on the back of the hand and gently massage onto your skin using a sweeping motion. Leave to melt into skin for ten seconds prior to applying foundation.

3. Use a foundation and concealer with a dewy finish

A foundation with a dewy finish that maximises glow is essential for your final look. Promising a full day of coverage, YSL’s Touche Éclat Le Teint Liquid Foundation is infused with mallow flower and glycerin to hydrate your skin for up to 24 hours, preventing any dryness and dullness. The enriched formula of marigold and mallow flowers further work to strengthen that dewy makeup look by bestowing a natural, healthy glow on the skin.

To achieve a natural-looking, skin-like effect, we recommend applying foundation with a damp beauty blender for a seamless result.

When crafting your dewy look, it’s important to take a less-is-more approach to concealer application. Opt for a radiance-boosting concealer like the Touche Éclat High Cover Concealer Pen, which instantly brightens the under-eye area and delivers a natural, glowy finish.

4. Reach for liquid blush formulas

A dewy makeup look amounts to more than just your base products; you can also build on your finish with a liquid blush that melts seamlessly into the skin.

YSL’s Make Me Blush - Liquid Blush delivers a high colour payoff without settling into fine lines for a truly weightless feel. For a lightly sculpted look, apply to the tops of the cheek bones and sweep upwards and outwards. If you’re seeking a rosy, sun-kissed flush, blend into the apples of the cheeks and across the bridge of the nose.

5. Add luminosity with liquid highlighter

Light-reflecting products are a must-have in your arsenal of dewy makeup products. Liquid highlighter can be used to effortlessly illuminate the high points of your face.

Enriched with micro-lightening pigments and marigold extract, the Touche Éclat Illuminating Highlighter Pen gracefully sculpts your facial features while providing eight hours of hydration for a truly refreshed look. Its light-infused pigments delicately brighten your complexion, combating dullness and fatigue while smoothing away fine lines and wrinkles.

Apply onto the high points of your face: the bridge of your nose, the brow bones, above the brow, and on the tops of cheeks. This will give your skin a natural-looking, light-reflecting quality that complements your dewy finish.

6. Tie together with dewy lips

Dewy lips are the final flourish to tie your dewy makeup look together. For this step, you’ll want to opt for a glossy or luminous finish over a matte lipstick. Below are three of our dewy lip essentials:

• For a lipstick finish – YSL Loveshine is our wet-shine lipstick that delivers up to 24-hours of hydration for a juicy, dewy finish. Lips look luscious and radiant, and you can build up your colour as desired.
• For a glossy finish – for a tinted glossy finish, we suggest the YSL Loveshine Candy Glaze. This lip gloss stick enhances your natural lip colour and cares for your lips with a blend of nourishing ingredients.
• For a natural finish – if you’re paring back your dewy makeup look, the YSL Loveshine Candy Glow offers sheer colour and a healthy glow. The perfect tinted butter lip balm for daily wear.

7. Opt for a setting spray over powder

And to bring your dewy makeup look to its flawless conclusion, indulge in the perfect finishing touch – a facial mist that not only hydrates and rejuvenates but also helps stabilise your makeup and strengthen your visage.

YSL's Top Secrets Setting Spray is infused with the skincare powerhouses of hyaluronic acid and glycerin to ensure that your skin stays nourished and comfortable, while locking your dewy makeup glow in place.

The Top Secrets Setting Spray’s dual-purpose design also allows you to keep spritzing throughout the day whenever you need to refresh your dewy finish.

Now that you’ve unlocked the ultimate secrets to dewy makeup, it’s time to learn how to achieve a natural, ‘no makeup’ look.