Your step-by-step guide to dewy skin

Ignore the hype, because no one product will give you a beautiful, lasting skin finish – it just doesn’t exist. “When you want a specific dewy, glossy or matte complexion in real life (not for Instagram), it’s a combination of your skin type, the skincare you use and then the makeup,” explains London-based makeup artist Valeria Ferreira, whose regular clients include Victoria Beckham, Jodie Comer and Lily James. From which the products to use, to the right way to use them, here is her step-by-step guide to achieving beautiful skin.

This is not the best finish if you have open pores – it would be better to go for more of a glow than a ‘glass’ texture. It’s really for those with great skin who hardly need to wear foundation.

Prep clean skin with a hydrating hyaluronic-acid serum – the Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum (part of The Healthy Skin Set) gives a really nice dewiness – then use a rich moisturizing cream such as La Mer’s Crème de la Mer or Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream. Mixing a bit of oil into your moisturizer gives that great ‘glass’ effect, whereas if you just put the oil on top of your cream, you can leave fingermarks that spoil the ‘glass’ finish. Alternatively, apply your cream and then use a blending sponge to almost airbrush a little oil on top.

A tinted moisturizer is more compatible with a cream and oil, as a foundation might pill; or just use concealer where you need it – it looks so beautiful on the skin. I use the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer or the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer; both are excellent. Use a smaller foundation brush with a rounder tip (not a flat brush) to apply it, then use a Beautyblender sponge instead of powder – holding the flat side on the sides of the nose, the chin and between the brows to suck up any excess oil. This look is about shine, but you don’t want to be super-shiny here. Finish with anything creamy, such as a cream blush. I use a balmy lipstick as blush, as it keeps that glowy texture going.

Either start with a lighter cream, like Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Face Cream, or a richer serum, but nothing heavy – and not an oil. For this look a sheeny primer is key, and you need to use it all over the face pre-makeup. Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter is amazing, as you get that glow; plus, it blurs pores and makes skin look so much nicer. Follow with a light foundation, as the prettiness of this look is that the skin is supple and radiant – and not covered in a ton of makeup. If you need more glow, highlight the highest point of the cheek bones, the brow bones and add the tiniest bit to the end of the nose. Don’t get carried away, though – it’s about using it in just the right place, not over the entire area.

Choose a face powder with added iridescence and be strategic about where you use it – it’s to help the look last longer rather than to mattify the skin. Hourglass’s Ambient Lighting Powder or Nars’ Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder are perfect. I call this micro-powdering, as you need a small brush, such as a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Press a little product only where needed (chin, nose, between brows), leaving everywhere else with a glow. Finish with a blush that has a soft shimmer, such as Westman Atelier’s Lit Up Highlight Stick, or Sisley’s Highlighter Blush.

The technique for this is a bit counterintuitive, but I use it for the red carpet and it works beautifully. Start by really massaging in a rich cream that has density, and then use a mattifying lotion over it on the T-zone (I use La Mer’s The Moisturizing Matte Lotion on the side of the nose, forehead, chin and between the brows). If you have an oilier skin, use something with a medium texture, such as Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Face Cream. You need a really good cream to properly hydrate and moisturize, and to get that plump, cushiony texture, which you don’t get from a lotion or a lightweight cream. The end result is skin that looks beautiful and glowy but matte where you want it.

A good cream also makes a good foundation base, and for this look I use a stick base (which is more creamy and velvety than dewy) with a luminous, not matte, finish – Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick, Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick and Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick are all great.

Powder is really important for this look, too, but it’s about micro-powdering small areas where needed, not dusting it all over the skin. Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish Micro-Powder is amazing.