This Is How Everyone Is Getting That Sun-Kissed Look (No, It's Not The Sun)

Hopefully, we're all more familiar with the lingering damage of tanning. If you're not, research indicates that up to 90% of visible aging can be attributed to UV exposure1 accumulated over time. So, in pursuit of an enviable summer glow during weekends tanning on the beach, we're signing up for a future of dark spots, fine lines, sagging, and worse. 

The good news is that there are other ways to get that sun-kissed glow—other ways that don't break down collagen or incur an onslaught of free radicals.  

Including one of the buzziest beauty products in recent memory: bronzing drops, sometimes also called glow drops or hue drops. 

Bronzing serums, glow primers, hue drops—whatever you want to call them, these little jars are liquid gold. Instantly hydrating and effortlessly silky, the formulas slide onto my tired complexion, turning dull skin luminescent. I cannot get enough of them. 

First introduced last year while testing loads of products for the mindbodygreen Beauty Refresh Awards, I was immediately sold on Glow Recipe's Watermelon Glow Niacinimide Hue Drops. The bouncy serum is made with niacinamide to address dark spots, hyaluronic acid for supple hydration, Centella asiatica to soothe irritation, and watermelon extract for a splash of antioxidants. (In and of itself, that's a formula to get excited about.) But with the addition of the pigments, it becomes a standout.

I use the serum as a stand-alone product, applying it on fresh-faced skin for when I don't want to pile on makeup, which is most days in the summer, if I'm being honest. While it's not giving me coverage, it's still elevating my complexion so I look more refreshed and summered. 

"It provides a beautiful warmth and glow to the skin," celebrity makeup artist Lisa Aharon told us about the product, about how she uses it. "It's a great addition to my makeup routine."

Underpainting is a classic makeup artist technique that delivers a more subtle, softer look—making the bronzer look more natural and lived in. All it takes is applying the bronzing drops before your tinted moisturizer or concealer of choice. 

Well People's Bio Bronzing Priming Serum makes that easy. It's a lightweight makeup primer that gives a lit-from-within glow when worn underneath a light tinted moisturizer. 

"Add a few drops to your foundation until your desired level of post-vacation glow is achieved," makeup artist Alexandra Compton, product development manager at clean beauty retailer Credo, once told us about how she uses glow drops. 

For this route, opt for a customizable drop, which allows you to play with intensity. Versed Mood Lighting Luminizing Glow Drops in Sheer Bronzed are made to blend seamlessly into your foundation. It's made with nourishing vitamin E and the plumping polyglutamic acid. 

Or my personal fave, e.l.f.'s Bronzing Drops come in three shades (depending on your skin tone) and are buildable. They're infused with antioxidant-rich vitamin E and sunflower seed oil to nourish the skin and offer free radical protection.