‘Luminous’ is a word to describe an object that reflect or emits light, or to glow. In the beauty world, the term brings joy to some and stress to others. Jennifer Lopez is probably one of the best references in the world of beauty in regards to luminous skin. In fact, Lopez ‘glow’ has been so coveted, she has been able to capitalize on her luminous skin and signature ‘glow’ with her line of fragrances.

There are many reasons why luminous skin is always ‘in’, for one having glowing skin has often been referenced as a sign of health and fertility. In photos and appearances Jennifer Lopez always appears to be glowing from within whether she uses shimmer to appear luminous or goes for a matter look that still shines from within.

However, one should use caution in knowing luminous does not mean piling on glitter like Ke$ha or being overly frosted like a moon (At least not for most occasions). I actually like Ke$ha, and believe she is even aware of when it’s time to be an ‘Animal‘ and when it’s time to ‘Take it Off’.

A luminous makeup look is most successful and wearable when you feature specific areas of your face to highlight such as cheeks, lips, eyes, or other areas you would like to appear more prominent. This is why we use a highlighter sparingly, because just like in our textbooks, if we highlight everything then the focus becomes everything in a very confusing way; thus, taking away the intention of highlighting in the first place. In addition to Jennifer Lopez; Jennifer Aniston and Christina Aguilera also know how to put their best face forward with a little ‘glow factor’.Carefully placed highlight whether from a powder, cream, or moisturizer helps your skin shine in a good way. See how Megan Fox and Hayden Panettiere glow standing next to Brittany Snow and Vanessa Hudgens. Luminous, glowing skin is great for everyone, whether you are blonde, brunette, or any color in between.

Smashbox has some really great products for your face, although Photo Op is an undereye brightener, the product can be applied to your fingertips and rubbed onto your cheekbones and brow bone for a soft luminous look. Also Smashbox’s Artificial Light is a luminizing lotion that amps up your glow factor as well.

When going for a luminous look, these phrases should come to mind:

• Your skin looks like it’s glowing.
• Your face looks soft and dewy.
• You look healthy and fresh.
• Your skin looks surreal like a dream. What kind of moisturizer do you use?
• Did you just come back from vacation? Your skin look luminous like you’re glowing from within.
• Jessica Alba and Mary J. Blige: You two might be wearing the same dress, but I couldn’t tell because I was admiring the glow of your skin.

When going for a luminous look, there phrases should NOT come to mind:

• Your skin looks greasy.
• Your face looks like a disco ball.
• You look like you just ran a marathon.
• You skin looks very shiny. What kind of sunblock do you use?
• Did you just eat a bucket of fried chicken and wipe your face with the paper inside while getting ready for a Ke$ha concert by bathing in glitter?
• I love you Renee, and think you are beautiful and talented. I also think this look may be great for a magazine shoot with different lighting, but this is not your best daytime look.
  

If you want to make your face appear luminous all over then you should in the back of your mind say “I want to feature my skin today”. This means at the very most you should only apply a little mascara and some chapstick and maybe some concealer where absolutely needed. This is because, if you pair a smokey eye or red lips with luminous skin, people looking at you won’t know where to draw their eyes, making your overall look appear like it’s ‘too much’. Even at the Victoria’s Secret fashion shows, makeup artists who create luminosity to the skin, tend to go for softer and lighter colors for a smokey eye that doesn’t compete with the glow of the skin. For this route, I suggest laying off on the shimmery approach and go for a freshly moisturized or dewy look with maybe a shimmery highlight on the eyelids, brow bone, and cheekbones. I generally refrain from this look unless it’s on a day where my skin is absolutely perfect; this is because when you highlight your whole face you also highlight any raised blemishes or scars as well. I love Lustre Drops $18.50 from MAC, they usually have additional colors that range from pink to gold and bronzey tones with different collections like ‘Style Warriors’ and ‘To The Beach’. You can mix in a few drops to your foundation or moisturizer to create a luminous finish to skin.

You shouldn’t be afraid of a luminous glow either. Strategically placed, a simple glow can help disguise fine lines and wrinkles, giving you a younger fresher look. However, done wrong or excessively, you may add on ten to twenty years by making wrinkles appear more obvious as product sinks into lines. Kim Kardashian is the new Beauty Ambassador for FusionBeauty and promotes Illumifill which is supposed to fill lines and boost radiance while highlighting targeted areas of the face.

Honey Hint: If you are going for an all over pearlescent finish to your face, think about skin tones so colors aren’t competing, if you consider yourself tan, dark, ebony or olive-skinner go for products that give you more of a golden look and compliment bronze and peachy tones. If you consider yourself pale or light in the skin tone spectrum go for a silvery highlight that compliments pink tones to your skin.

The face is not the only part of you that you can highlight. There are a range of products out there that give you body a healthy and luminous glow. Luminosity creates a certain amount of depth and dimension to the appearance of your body, particularly when light reflects off your arms, shoulders, and legs. This is why many celebrities rave over Scott Barnes’ Body Bling $38, Nars Body Glow $59 and Nars Body Oil. If you add a tan to boot, you could appear up to 10lbs lighter as well as more toned and defined. You should note, adding luminosity to your skin doesn’t create new curves, it highlights ones you currently have.

Honey Hint: Want to enhance and create more definition to your bust like Beyonce? Rub a little body oil or shimmer to highlight the curves of your breasts. Make sure if you are going for the a shimmery approach, use a product like Scott Barnes Body Bling; it has smaller light reflecting particles which allow you to subtly show-off your assets without looking like you sprayed on Body Glitter which could send a more ‘obvious’ message.

Honey Hint: Have you been working out and not seeing any definition? Rub a product like Nars Mono’i Body Glow II, and take a photo. Like what develops? You may not see as much definition as model Tyson in the above ad campaign for the product but you would at least have a photo to map out where you are at the moment giving you time to modify your workout until your next impromptu photo-shoot.

For a cheaper alternative without any shimmer I like Neutrogena Body Oil in the light sesame version. It gives your skin a dewy glow without leaving a greasy and heavy feeling onto your skin, in addition to moisturizing your skin.