How to Get a Natural Summer Glow (without the sun!)

I think most people agree, one of the best things about summer is the warmer days, the longer nights and the feeling of the sun on your skin after months of rain and a chill in the air. It’s me. I’m most people.

As much as I love the sun and the warmth, I often keep in mind how damaging the sun’s rays can be for your skin. In recent years, the rhetoric surrounding tanning and the effects of sitting in direct sun and UV rays for too long has become much more prominent, for me at least. Of course, some sun exposure is good (got to get that Vitamin D!) but gone are the days when I purposefully sit in the sun to try to catch a tan.

Now, I make sure to monitor how long I sit in direct sunlight, take more care to bring and apply sun-cream on warm days and never buy a face moisturiser without SPF! However, I still love that glowy sun-kissed look that screams “I’ve just been on holiday and I feel healthy and relaxed!” So, I’ve been trying my absolute hardest to recreate that as best I can without actually going in the sun, and I thought I’d share what I’ve been using to do this.

Of course, fake tan. I’ve never been a massive lover of fake tan. I don’t really like to use a mousse, quite honestly I’ve never really tried them and have nightmares of streaky skin. Instead, I prefer to go for a tinted moisturiser or a spray on tan. I don’t like the look of really dark tan on myself, I prefer the natural, healthy glow you can get from some lighter products.

Dove DermaSpa Summer Revived Self-Tanning Body Lotion Fair to Medium – I’ve only recently started using this tan but I love it for my legs. It gives a really natural glow and I only noticed it leaving marks on my ankles around 3-5 days after application. It was easy to remove and can be topped up to keep it looking fresh.

Tanologist Self Tan Water in Light – This was my favourite tan to use last summer. I wasn’t sure what to think as I was so against the idea of using a mousse, but with water in the title, it felt more manageable for me. I got a mitt with it and found it was easy to apply and, again, gave a natural glow. I liked the premise that you could decide how strong you wanted it by choosing how long you left it on.

Just like fake tan, bronzers are a great way to get a bit of a glow without the sun. I prefer a more matte bronzer but you can get plenty with subtle and more obvious shimmer for even more of a glow. I try to protect the skin on my face from the sun as much as possible, so bronzer is key to adding a bit of tan to my face.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer in Milk Chocolate – This is my absolute go-to bronzer – I never wear anything else. When I bought it, I thought £25 was so much money for one product, which I still think, but it has been worth its value and more!

Just like bronzer, a good highlighter can add a natural glow too. I like to change my highlighter up depending on what the rest of my make-up is looking like, but for summer, I love to go for more champagne or peach tones.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle – This is one of my favourites highlighters of all time. It doesn’t particularly ‘pop’, if that’s what you look for in a highlighter (though it is buildable!) but it adds such a subtle glow. On warm days, I also love to brush it over my eyelids instead of eyeshadow.

Becca Shimming Skin Perfector is Champagne Pop – As the name suggests, this highlighter really does pop! But it’s such a warm tone that it’s perfect for summer, especially if you can catch it in a picture at golden hour. This is one of the more pricey highlighters I own, but for that summer glow, it’s worth it.

So far into summer, these products have been working really well for me. I feel like I have a bit of a summer glow without getting burnt or exposing my skin to too many damaging rays. I’m always on the look out for new products, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments!

What do you use to get a natural summer glow?