Going Viral: These 7 Beauty Products Have 'Glowing' Reviews On For A Reason
Within the last year, TikTok has slowly gained most of my attention when it comes to my preferred social media platform. While I’m still getting accustomed to the app and all that it offers, I'm learning that it’s a go-to resource for beauty hacks and product recommendations. Gone are the days of the long format YouTube product review, TikTok is the quickest way to judge whether a viral product or beauty tool is actually “For You” in 60 seconds or less. The new generation of social media influencers gives us access to real reviews at our fingertips from the girl next door excitedly sharing her recent discovery of relatable skin and beauty products you never knew you needed.
After asking my TikTok-obsessed friends and spending countless hours watching product reviews, I decided to include a list of summer beauty products everyone will love regardless of their skin’s texture and tone. Gone are the days of face palettes and full glam, the natural makeup trend is taking over and I’m absolutely here for it. No more cakey layers and complicated applications, these barely-there makeup products are receiving glowing reviews.
Let's face it, everyone's an influencer in their own right so stay camera-ready with these lightweight easy-to-apply products, no filter required.
1. Saie Beauty's Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Highlighter
@shadaenotadu Saie’s glowy super gel + the sun = an amazing glow ✨ #MyRecommendation #UnwrapTheDeals #fyp #beautyhacks
A lightweight multi-use illuminator, Saie Beauty’s Glowly Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Highlighter is the perfect solution for glowing dewy skin this summer. Wear it alone, under foundation, or as a highlighter using just 1-2 pumps. This beauty find is perfect for an all-over coverage glow on your face (and bare skin like chest and collarbones, shoulders and legs) with nothing more than a little sunshine for enhanced healthy looking skin. For even more facial coverage, use it as a base underneath a few drops of serum, tinted moisturizer, or your favorite foundation. Created for all skin tones and types, this product is definitely a game-changer.
2. Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter
@nenaschuurmans Everybody uses this and I get why, this is amazing @Charlotte Tilbury #charlottetilburymakeup #flawlessfilter #makeuptest #skinbynena #glowyskintip
Inspired by social media filters, Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter has proven to blur, smooth, and illuminate the skin for a stunningly youthful complexion. When on a mission for glowing dewy skin, this product seems to be absolutely worth the hype. Apply on its own, under a tinted moisturizer or foundation to achieve a radiant HD finish. Complete this everyday makeup look with Charlotte Tilbury’s Air Brush Flawless Setting Spray.
3. NARS Light Reflecting Foundation
@golloria ADD IT TO YOUR CART #makeup #beauty
NARS Light Reflecting Foundation is an innovative blend of makeup and skin care instantly blurs imperfections, smooths the look of textured skin, and helps conceal blemishes, dark spots, and redness. With claims to visibly improve skin’s clarity after six weeks of daily use with its advanced skincare ingredients, there’s no reason not to try this two-in-one product. For light to darker tones and for a range of skin types, including sensitive skin, this is intended to be 24 hour all day coverage with a natural finish.
4. Kosas Revealer Concealer
@kali.ledger using the @Kosas #revealerfoundation and concealer combo for an easy sculpted FLAWLESS base 😤✨ #kosaspartner #makeuptutorial #makeuphack #contouring
For a flawless base, Kosas Revealer Concealer does exactly what needs to be done. Concealer meets eye cream with this super lightweight and creamy formula intended for medium coverage, creating a smooth dewy finish. According to influencers across TikTok, this product not only enhances the look of their skin but the quality as well. This is another product that can be worn alone or mixed with your favorite foundation for a complete makeup look.
5. NYX Pore Filler Targeted Stick
@torilatise Is it worth the hype?! NYX Pore Filler Primer Stick. VC: @rocio.roses #makeuphacks #makeuptransformation #makeuptricks #viralproducts #viralmakeup
NYX Pore Filler Targeted Stick is pure magic, and that's no exaggeration. When I discovered this product, I couldn't believe my eyes as pores, fine lines, oil, and shine were blurred, seemingly disappearing with a few subtle swipes. For the best results, use NYX Pore Filler Primer, followed by the NYX Pore Filler Targeted Stick to target areas that need extra blurring, finishing with makeup application. Run, don’t walk to try this inexpensive instant blur while it's in stock.
6. Pixi Beauty On-the-Glow Cream Blush
@karinawaldron Can we talking about the best drugstore blushes? The pixi blush stick, is if black girl friendly? Lets try @Pixi Beauty #pixiblushstick #pixiblushreview #drugstoredupe #affordablemakeupproducts #makeuptips @karinawaldron
If you’re like me and always on the hunt for an easy and inexpensive beauty product, then this On-the-Glow Cream Blush by Pixi Beauty was made for you. Paraben-free and comprised of ingredients like aloe vera, ginseng, and fruit extracts, this is a tinted balm providing a hint of natural color while hydrating and conditioning the skin. Use one shade on both the cheeks and lips with one sweep to instantly pull your look together. You’ll be sure to find your preferred match as there's a range of colors that compliments everyone.
7. Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
@natseleen_ The Berry colour 😍 which one would you try? #diorlipglow #diorlipglowoil
The Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil is an ultra-glossy cherry-infused lip oil that deeply protects and enhances the lips, bringing out their natural color. With the cherry-infused ingredients, it's a genuine lip care treatment that nourishes, protects, softens, and revitalizes your lips in an instant. I love the subtle pop of a rosy natural color that is still able to maintain its non-greasy, non-sticky oil texture while also creating a magnifying, mirror-shine effect. A multipurpose lip makeup, Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil can be worn on its own, as a lip primer under your lipstick, or as a top coat for volumizing shine.
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'Queen Charlotte' Star Arsema Thomas Worked At The United Nations Before Landing Her Breakout Role
Actress Arsema Thomas (Arséma Adeoluwayemi Hamera) may be new to the acting scene, but the star's standout performance in Netflix's limited series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is already leaving a lasting impression among many.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, a prequel to Bridgerton, follows the young queen's life as her marriage to King George of England sparks an epic love affair and a societal shift.
In the drama, Thomas portrays the role of a young Lady Agatha Danbury, a close friend and confidant of Queen Charlotte, and it also depicts Lady Danbury's journey.
The series showcases the struggles Lady Agatha Danbury experienced in her lifetime. The list includes being forced to partake in a loveless marriage to a former African king Herman Danbury, becoming a widow, and possibly losing her estate and title following her husband's death.
Since Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story debuted on Netflix earlier this month, it has dominated the streaming service's top ten charts and piqued fans' interest in the show's stars, including Thomas.
Although many may not know a lot about the Atlanta native, who goes by she/they pronouns, and how she became one of the breakout stars in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, still, with the recent promotional tour Thomas has been doing for the show, she has shared some shocking details about her life.
Thomas' revelations within the past several months include details about her educational pursuits, previous work experience, her African culture, the steps she took to prepare for her role as Lady Agatha Danbury, and many more.
Arsema On Her African Heritage
Thomas, who is Nigerian and Ethiopian, is the daughter of diplomats.
The 28-year-old's parents, consisting of an Ethiopian mother and a Nigerian father, worked in the government to improve Africa's economic development.
Due to her parents' professions, the actress moved around a lot and lived in various countries like Kenya, Benin, Comoros, Uganda, and India, which exposed her to social issues. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Thomas opened up about having conversations about politics and government at a young age.
"Dinner table conversations were about politics, about African governance. I realized that in a lot of the countries I lived in, the effects of colonialism and imperialism were so blatantly obvious. That became the driving force for what I thought I should be doing as an adult," she said.
Later Thomas would ultimately reveal that her parents' work had inspired her to become a "doctor or something" because she wanted to make them proud.
Arsema Attended Carnegie Mellon University and Yale University
Prior to pursuing acting, Thomas revealed to Shondaland that she was a college graduate.
In 2016, she received her bachelor's degree in biophysics from Carnegie Mellon University. Following her graduation, Thomas interned at a mobile health clinic and a refugee camp in Kenya for over a year.
Around the same time, the star would continue her education by getting her master's in epidemiology and health policy at Yale University. Thomas disclosed that despite the educational success that she has achieved, acting became her main priority when she realized that this is something she could envision herself doing "100 percent of the time." This decision led Thomas to relocate to Paris, South Africa, and then to London to study drama.
"I packed up everything and moved to Paris because I wanted to do acting 100 percent of the time," she stated. "It was always something I had wanted to do, [but] I didn't think I would be able to. I thought it was going to be a hobby or a thing that I'd have to suppress in myself for the rest of my life."
Thomas would land her first role in 2021 as a guest star on the television series One Touch. Shortly after, she would participate in the 2022 film Redeeming Love as the character Rebecca. The rest would be history because, around that time, Thomas would receive the life-changing role of Lady Agatha Danbury in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Arsema On How She Prepared for Her Role In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
When the opportunity for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story came along, Thomas took various steps to transform into Lady Agatha Danbury.
The actress, who has admitted to never seeing Bridgerton in the past, told Cosmopolitan UK's Up Close series that because she wasn't familiar with the fictionalized character, she decided to find things that she thought Lady Agatha Danbury would resonate with.
It includes reading books about women by well-known female authors who have made history in their own right, creating a Spotify playlist with music that Lady Agatha Danbury could listen to, and having waist beads made for her character.
"There was a lot of stuff I needed to get into this role because the character is fictional. So I read a ton of books about women or by women, that I thought that Agatha Danbury would resonate. So I read 'Ain't I A Woman' by Bell Hooks. I read Angela Davis' autobiography. I read Assata Shakur's autobiography, 'Tar Baby' by Toni Morrison, 'Eyes Are Watching God,' and 'Vaga Bonds' by Eloghosha Osunde. I made an extensive Spotify playlist, and I got waist beads made for Agatha," she explained.
Further in the interview, Thomas mentioned that she had waist beads made for Lady Danbury and wore them throughout the filming process because it helped ground her as she portrayed the character whom she described as entirely different from who she is as a person.
"It was a Nigerian woman threading these beads, and I asked her to thread beads specifically for this character, and I wore it throughout the entirety of filming," she said. "Because it was just kind of was a physical grounding point to this woman that is really, really actually far from who I am as an individual."
Thomas shared that talking to her grandmother, who had a similar background to Lady Danbury, such as having an arranged marriage at a young age, also helped her prepped for the role.
"I also talked to my grandmother a lot. I didn't realize how similar she was to this character. Because she was also married off when she was quite young," she revealed. "It was really interesting to kind of talk to someone in my life who I've known, who’s gone through something that is essentially the stripping away of their freedom, and someone who doesn't have any resentment or harbored anger towards the situation."
Arsema Worked At The United Nations
Thomas' work experience is an interesting one. Despite interning at three different health organizations, she previously worked at United Nations Population Fund, according to her Linkedin profile.
United Nations Population Fund's site states that the organization is part of the United Nation's "sexual and reproductive health agency." The gathered information on Thomas' profile says that she was an associate for the company from 2017 to 2018.
Some of Thomas' responsibilities included conducting "policy analyses" for United Nations Population Fund's sustainability and "supporting the regional desk specialist" in the program's division.
Arsema Speaks Five Languages
On top of Thomas' overwhelmingly impressive resume, the actress also speaks five languages.
According to the African publication Bella Naija, Thomas speaks English, Amharic, Yoruba, French, and Spanish. Although Thomas hasn't publicly talked about what inspired her to become multilingual, many can assume it is because of the various locations she has lived in throughout her life and her interest in learning.
Thomas may be a rising star now, but with the facts provided above, the actress has displayed through her work ethic and drive that she can soon become a household name.
Thomas' latest work Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, is now streaming on Netflix.
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