Honey Skin Is K-Beauty's Most Popular Look: How To Get The Glow In 6 Steps

Add this to the growing list of K-beauty looks to try: honey skin, perhaps the most popular of them all. But rather than glazing some Manuka honey across your face (which might have its own benefits, actually), this makeup look is all about the hydration. So how do you get your skin to resemble the gorgeous bee sap? Here's a step-by-step guide, from makeup artists themselves.

The key difference with honey skin is texture: "Glass skin and dumpling skin are reflective and multidimensional looks, whereas honey skin appears semi-glossy, plump, and poreless, like a baby's skin," Compton adds. Think of the supple texture of honey rather than the radiance of glass or the three-dimensional feel of a dumpling. Consider it another skin care metaphor to add to the roster—one that emphasizes the dewiness of a dollop of honey, not necessarily the golden color of the nectar. Again, a hydrated texture is the goal here.

While honey skin may overlap a bit with the other K-beauty looks, there are some slight nuances in order to create that subtle glow. Let's dive into it:  

Celebrity makeup artist AJ Crimson is partial to a silky moisturizer to add some sheen, so you don't have to add as much highlighter later on. "I like to use a great moisturizer that has a lot of slip to create that fresh, beautiful look," he says. 

If you do opt for foundation, here's a celebrity makeup artist hack: Crimson routinely glazes a thin layer of baby oil (like this gentle option) across the high points of the face before applying any base makeup. That way, any product you build on top maintains that natural dewiness and sheen.  

Grab your dewy concealer and place it only where you really need it, says Crimson—usually, that's the T-zone, under the eyes, as well as around the nose and mouth area. "You don't want to powder down the skin so much to where you're losing all that sheen you've created with the skin care products." Just where you may be facing some discoloration, or perhaps a blemish here and there. As Compton agrees, you want to "achieve a hyper-even skin tone."

Here's where honey skin is most unique: You may want to go easy on the blush to achieve the aforementioned polished skin tone. If skipping the color is simply not an option for you, Compton says you can mix a liquid or cream blush with a bit of moisturizer or sunscreen before applying. "It creates a sheer, barely there wash of color," she says. 

Try Crimson's trick: Take a clear or slightly tinted lip gloss, applying the goop on a beauty sponge before tapping it in. "It gives you this really great highlighter effect without using high levels of mica and shimmer." It is the year of multipurpose beauty looks, after all. 

A nonnegotiable for honey skin, as you want to keep your skin looking hydrated all day. Rather than reaching for a powder to freshen up your look, a facial spray can help absorb excess oil from the skin, says Compton (a toning mist, in particular, can be extra balancing). Crimson agrees: "It makes your skin look and feel very dewy, hydrated, and refreshed." Which is exactly what honey skin is all about, no? 

If there's one overarching theme for honey skin, it's that less is more. "It's really easy to go overboard with product and into the realm of oily and sweaty," Compton explains. So keep it simple: A hit of concealer or two and a wash of color here and there is really all you need on the makeup front. The kicker is keeping your face fresh and hydrated all day long, so your skin can resemble the sweet, glowing nectar.