Has 2020 got you less than glowing in the skin stakes? Yes, me too. Stress takes its toll on skin and shows up in myriad ways with breakouts, dryness, irritation and just a general lack of glow all too commonplace amidst the anxious. Happily, there’s a path through it. Here are some pointers and products I have loved, that might work for you also…

Trinny London Bff De-stress

We all love a bit of Trinny. Her enthusiasm for everything she does is entertaining at least, and contagious at best. I’ve been known to scroll through her Instagram laughing at her turn of phrase and madcap raves about various Zara items she finds. And the beauty bits she films in her bathroom are just gorgeous in their application - everything a bit slapped on, not too precise (she needs glasses to see what she’s doing, as I do too now), and generally lashed on for the love of it! Most lately, I’ve been hooked on the Trinny London concept - I love the premise - quick, easy, no faff products that work. Holy Grail, no? And her drive to create complexion products that make you less tired-looking whilst also treating the problem of dull skin - well, hook it to my veins, friends, I am IN.

So I made my purchase of the original BFF Cream (SPF30 with a teeny bit of complexion coverage) and I paired it with the new BFF De-Stress, as she advises to do. I also threw in an order of the Lip Glow for good measure, after falling fully foul to their marketing ploy. But you know, no regrets. Life is shit, buy the lipstick and all that…

I was quite giddy on receipt of my silver and white tubes and lip pot and rushed to try them on. I must preface this by saying I have worked in beauty and media for a long time, I have been lucky enough to try A LOT of products over the years- many are great, but equally many are not too great - experience allows me to tell the difference.

This duo though, I love.

BFF Cream is smooth, smells gorgeous and slides over the skin leaving a magical film of coverage - but not weight - behind. To me, there is nothing worse than an SPF that lets you know it’s there, either via a white cast on the skin, or a gloopy, sloppy feel. This has neither; just a nice looking finish with high protection levels. She calls it a ‘skin perfector’, which may be a stretch in terms of language, but it certainly is a ‘skin do-er up-er’ extraordinaire.

The ‘perfection’ she cites becomes a clearer prospect when paired with its new pal, the BFF De-Stress. Now, this is where I leaned further into the mirror (bloody eyesight) to really get a look at what was going on. BFF De-Stress is essentially a tinted serum, but this one has added hyaluronic acid and an ingredient called Neurophroline which work together to deliver a glow to tired skin. No, I didn’t know what Neurophroline is either, but a quick Google search told me that it works to control cortisol (ageing) and release endorphins (feel-good stuff).

So far, so good, right? But how does it look on the skin you ask?

Very, very nice indeed. I truly like what they do to my skin. Now, for the record, I hate the look of foundation, and I always prefer something more skin-like. MAC Face and Body foundation with its watery consistency has been my go-to for many years, as all else just feels, well, foundation-y, if you get me. This Trinny duo made my skin look bright and clear, with the right amount of glow - a hint, not an oil-slick.

(oh, and the lip balm pot is lovely but far too expensive at €18.50 in my book).

Glossier FutureDew

This is an oil/serum hybrid from millennial uber-brand, Glossier. If you’ve been on Instagram at all over the past 18 months, you’ll have seen it scrolling past you in all its perfectly pitched pink branding. They claim it to be a short-cut of sorts - a product you can apply to make you look like you have just completed a complicated seven-step skincare routine, when, in fact, you’re knackered, so you’ve barely washed your face that day. Ingredients-wise, it’s a mix of oils (jojoba, grape seed, evening primrose and rosehip) with some added glow-giving, light-reflective minerals - just to be sure, I guess.

And FutureDew does what it says on the tin. The glow is undeniable. I found it a little much for my bare skin and so took to using it pressed over my foundation if I was feeling a bit dry. Dispensed onto the palm of your hands and pressed over the face, it adds a lovely healthiness, which I liked.

bobbi brown extra illuminating moisture balm

This is another star in the heavens of glow-getting. It’s a slightly tinted moisture product with added illumination that works to really invigorate the look of a flat complexion. The Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm, with its pearly finish and plumping extracts, sits really nicely on the skin. Bobbi Brown doesn’t get the credit the brand deserves anymore I think. It’s a bit of a midlifer in terms of makeup. Born in the ’90s, perhaps it’s more of a Gen X proposition overall, but it’s one so worth your recall. In full disclosure, I am attached to it as I was the brand’s first head makeup artist in Ireland when it launched back in 1995, but all nostalgia aside, this is a great, innovative beauty brand with a consistently excellent offering. Bobbi herself has left the brand, and recently started up Jones Road, a clean beauty brand, which I will get my hands on and let you know about as soon as I can.

biologique recherche Creme pigm 400

This cream by the Grand Madame of French skincare, Biologique Recherche, is a wonder cream for lifting dullness. I have used three pots of it and can attest to its skin lightening and brightening credentials. It also contains some pearlescent elements for an immediate glow, but know this: this cream, as with all of this range, is highly potent and very effective, so it works on levels with real results, more so than those creams that only add a cosmetic effect. This brand works, I am an absolute devotee.

So there you glow (sorry). And if you’re just not feeling it in terms of beauty bits and bobs, remember, there’s going to be a woman in the White House soon, that’ll get your glow going!

Ellie Balfe, November 2020.