Spring Beauty: Highlighters, Self-Tanners, and a Brooklyn Esthetician’s Favs

Epi.logic Total Package Moisturizer
“I layer on this moisturizer,” which is filled with peptides, niacinamide, and bakuchiol, “because it plumps and strengthens my skin.”

Tula Protect + Glow Daily Sunscreen Gel Broad Spectrum SPF 30
“I love the Tula Protect sunscreen because it has probiotics in it. It’s great for a natural glow in the summer.”

NuFace Firming + Smoothing Super Peptide Booster
“This is really nice. I especially like to use this after the previous steps because without proper hydration, those ingredients can tend to dry the skin out.”

Uoma Beauty Double Take Contour Stick
You get two great things in this one stick. On the one end is a creamy contour stick, the other a highlighter in a complementary shade. It comes in six shades for various skin tones, and it’s a Black-owned businesses created by entrepreneur and activist Sharon Chuter.

Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face Liquid Highlighter
If you want the surface of your skin to resemble a “glazed donut,” this high-shine highlighter will get you that glass skin you desire. Its formula is 50 percent gloss, 50 percent pearlescent sheen, which ensures your skin looks 100 percent reflective. It comes in five shades ranging from Crystal Clear (your go-to if you want to be glazed) to more bronze-y rose-gold options if you want to look more sun kissed or fresh faced and flushed.

REFY Gloss Highlighter
This highlighter from Refy truly lives up to its name. The ultra-glossy formula is perfect for a natural but high-shine finish. With just a hint of shimmer, the real star here is the cream formula that dries down to a glasslike finish.

b.tan Self Tanner Mousse
This tanning mousse comes in five shades that will even suit darker skin tones. Tanned AF, one of the top reviewed shades, promises bronzy skin in just an hour and a deeper color after eight hours (proving the shade lives up to its name). This is also the rare body tanner you can use on your face.

St. Tropez Self Tan Express Bronzing Mousse
While no self-tanner smells as pleasant as James Read’s coconut oil, St. Tropez’s new continuous mousse is a close second. The company called upon the fragrance noses at Givaudan to create a powdery floral aroma that doesn’t make you want to hold your breath until it’s time to shower. After misting and blending it with a mitt, you wait one-to-three hours before rinsing it off for a light, medium, or dark tan, respectively. It dries instantaneously, so feeling sticky is never a concern. Eight hours after you apply and rinse, the results are tanned skin without a single streak — like your own skin, only healthier. This is best for when you want to look really tan all over your body, and the mist makes it easier to reach back areas, which are difficult with a lotion.

Clarins Self Tanning Instant Gel
Self-tanner junkies who have tried them all rave about Clarins’s gel for its natural, long-lasting, streak-free color. Rather than rely solely on DHA, this formula contains another ingredient, called erythrulose. Whereas DHA darkens skin within hours, the latter develops two-to-three days later, helping to prolong a fake tan. The best thing about this gel is that it feels extremely hydrating while you apply it, not sticky like some lotions. And it gets bonus points for being one of the few you can use on your face, too.