How To Achieve Radiant Skin: Everything You Need to Know

Having smooth, radiant skin is a goal many (if not most) of us share. After all, it’s hard not to feel confident and beautiful when you know your skin looks great. However, achieving radiant skin—meaning skin that appears fresh and luminous—can take work, especially as you get older and your skin begins to lose its youthful glow. 

Thankfully, scoring a radiant complexion is possible at any age, so long as you adopt the right skincare routine and habits. If you’re looking to update your skincare routine but aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to assist. Ahead, we’ll explain how to get radiant skin and share our top tips for keeping your complexion looking fresh and luminous. 

Radiant Skin Tip #1: Wash Your Face Twice Daily

Cleansing your face helps remove dirt and debris that can dull your complexion or lead to other skin concerns, like clogged pores. As such, you can begin your journey to radiant skin in the shower by washing your face with an exfoliating cleanser, such as the L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Radiant Smoothing Cream Cleanser. The creamy formula helps remove all traces of makeup and impurities while gently exfoliating the skin to promote a brighter, more refined appearance. To use it, moisten your face with lukewarm water, then lather the cleanser up in your hands. Gently massage the vitamin C-infused formula onto your skin, then rinse your face and pat it dry with a clean washcloth. 

Radiant Skin Tip #2: Use a Brightening Facial Serum 

The next step in your radiant skincare routine should be applying a serum—specifically, one designed to help brighten the skin and diminish dullness. Here are a few options we love:

L’Oréal Paris Bright Reveal 12% [Niacinamide + Amino Sulfonic + Ferulic Acid] Dark Spot Serum

Dark spots and other skin discolorations can make your skin appear dull and uneven—the opposite of what you want. To help diminish the look of dark spots and boost radiance, reach for this gentle serum. The lightweight, non-greasy formula instantly leaves the skin looking luminous and fresh, while continued use visibly diminishes the look of all types of dark spots, including sun spots and post-acne marks. It’s suitable for all skin types and tones and can be used daily as part of your radiant skincare routine.

L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift 12% Pure Vitamin C + E + Salicylic Acid Serum

Vitamin C can be a powerful ally to those seeking glowier, more radiant skin. Incorporate the ingredient into your routine with this brightening facial serum, which also contains vitamin E and salicylic acid. The non-comedogenic formula targets three key signs of aging—tone, lines, and pores—and leaves the skin visibly brighter, both instantly and over time.

L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Derm Intensives Night Serum, 0.3% Pure Retinol

This nighttime anti-aging serum is formulated with our highest concentration of pure retinol. With every use, it tackles signs of aging like wrinkles and helps to smooth and brighten skin. If you’re new to retinol, it’s best to incorporate it into your routine slowly to allow your skin time to acclimate. Start with twice-weekly use and gradually increase the frequency as your skin allows. 

L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Serum

On nights when you’re not using your retinol serum, reach for this nourishing option to help replenish your skin. It contains a powerful antioxidant derived from bitter orange and works to smooth, firm, and hydrate the skin while boosting radiance. It also helps reinforce your skin’s natural moisture barrier while you catch your Zs.

Radiant Skin Tip #3: Apply an Eye Cream (or Serum)

Tired-looking eyes can easily bring down your visage—especially if they’re accompanied by dark under-eye bags. This is where an eye cream, like the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Skin Care Midnight Eye Opener, can come into play. This luxe formula contains a patented antioxidant recovery complex and helps target eight key signs of skin aging while you sleep. Pat the fast-absorbing formula around your eyes before heading to bed—you’ll be met with more lifted, younger-looking eyes once your alarm clock goes off in the morning. For daytime, swap out the cream for a brightening under-eye serum, such as the L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift 2.5% Hyaluronic Acid + Caffeine Eye Serum. The ultra-light formula hydrates, de-puffs, and visibly brightens the eye area to promote a more youthful, energized appearance.

Radiant Skin Tip #4: Don’t Skip Moisturizer

After applying your serum and eye cream, boost skin radiance further with a targeted moisturizer designed to hydrate, smooth, and brighten. Here are a few of our favorites: 

L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Triple Power Moisturizer with SPF 30

Give your morning routine a brightening boost with this multitasking moisturizer. The lightweight formula, which contains vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and pro-retinol, delivers up to 48 hours of hydration while helping to diminish the appearance of wrinkles, firm the skin, and boost radiance. Plus, it’s formulated with broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen to help protect your skin from damaging UVA and UVB rays.

L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Skin Care Rosy Tone Moisturizer

This pink-toned moisturizer is among our favorites for those with mature skin. The baby pink face cream boasts a blend of lipo-hydroxy acid (a salicylic acid derivative) and imperial peony extract and provides gentle exfoliation to help brighten dull, sallow-looking skin. Because it contains an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), we recommend using it once per day to avoid over-exfoliating your skin (more on that in a bit).

L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Skin Care Hydra Nutrition Honey Day Cream

Dryness can make the skin appear dull and flat (it also exaggerates the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles). To combat dryness and boost skin radiance, reach for this rich, honey-infused moisturizer. It provides up to 24 hours of non-greasy hydration and leaves the skin feeling smooth and supple, with a fresh, healthy-looking glow.

L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Skin Care Cell Renewal Midnight Cream

If you have dull skin, you won’t regret adding this luxurious (and celeb-approved) moisturizer to your evening skincare routine. The antioxidant-packed formula melts into the skin, providing up to 24 hours of hydration while helping to replenish the skin’s natural moisture barrier. The result? Smoother, firmer-looking skin that appears more radiant over time.

Radiant Skin Tip #5: Target Dullness with an At-Home Peel

Professional chemical peels can be great options for those looking to boost skin radiance, but they’re expensive and often require a bit of downtime. If you can’t make it to the dermatologist’s office for a pro peel, achieve similar results with an at-home option like the L’Oréal Paris Bright Reveal Dark Spot Exfoliant Peel. Formulated with three types of chemical exfoliants (AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs), this powerful peel brightens the skin in just one use. With repeated applications, expect to see less noticeable dark spots, a smoother skin texture, and dramatically brighter-looking skin. One thing to note: This isn’t a treatment you want to use every day. We recommend reaching for it four times per week at most to achieve (and maintain) a bright, radiant complexion.

Radiant Skin Tip #6: Enhance Your Glow With Makeup

Updating your skincare routine isn’t the only thing you can do to keep dull skin at bay. The right makeup can be useful, too. For example, consider swapping out your foundation for a dewy skin tint, such as the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Glow Skin Tint, for breathable coverage with a smooth, softly-lit glow. If you can’t part ways with foundation, opt for a radiant-finish option—for mature skin, we’re partial to the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Radiant Serum Foundation with SPF 50. A bit of well-placed highlighter can go a long way toward giving your skin a radiant look, too. Swipe the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Glass Highlighter Stick onto the high points of your face and blend the creamy formula out with your fingers for a believable lit-from-within radiance. If you’re not quite sure how to apply highlighter properly, we break it all down in the article How To Use Cream Highlighter for Radiant Skin.

Radiant Skin Tip #7: Take Off Your Makeup Before Bed

Common Mistakes That Can Contribute to Dull Skin

Knowing how to get radiant skin isn’t just about figuring out which products to use—it also means steering clear of habits that can tarnish your glow. Here are a few common skincare mistakes that can lead to a dull, lackluster complexion: 

• Over-exfoliating: While exfoliation is essential for glowing skin, overdoing it can damage the skin’s natural barrier, leading to irritation and dullness. Stick to gentle exfoliants and use them as directed to avoid overdoing it.
• Skipping sunscreen: Research shows that sun exposure accounts for up to 80% of facial skin aging. Over time, repeated exposure to UV radiation can leave the skin wrinkled and dull, with more visible dark spots and discoloration. To help protect your skin from the sun, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 every day (yep, even if it’s cloudy). To double up on skin benefits, reach for the L’Oréal Paris Bright Reveal Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Daily UV Lotion, which contains vitamins C and E and helps brighten the skin while protecting it against damage. 
• Using the wrong products for your skin type: Choosing products that aren’t suited for your skin can disrupt your skin’s balance, leaving it feeling dry, oily, or irritated. Make sure your skincare routine is tailored to your skin type for the best results.

Next Up: 13 Must-Try Tips for Glowing Skin

Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris