The Best Glowy Skin Tips From Meghan Markle’s Makeup Artist

As soon as the royal wedding was announced, we speculated about what Meghan Markle’s wedding makeup was going to look like—and she did not disappoint when she rolled up in her Rolls, sporting her signature glow. It was rumored that she might do her own makeup (as she often does), but in the end she asked her longtime friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin to help her out. Lucky for us, Glamour, too, has been a longtime friend of the Dior brand ambassador and Honest Beauty creative color consultant, so we rounded up the best insider tricks he's given us about glowy skin over the years. Here’s how to get it right.

Hydrate your skin.

Even the fanciest foundation with major moisturizing and illuminating properties in the world won’t look good on dry skin. Before any kind of makeup, you need to “wake up your complexion” with a nongreasy moisturizer, says Martin. (Try Dior Hydra Life Hydration Rescue Intense Sorbet Creme.) Smooth on a pea-size amount, then massage your face for a few minutes to plump things up and boost circulation. Ditto for your eyes. “Hydrate with an eye balm or eye cream first to build up resistance to the layers it takes to cover up dark circles,” he says. (We love Honest Beauty The Depuffed Eye Gel.) Once your skin is properly hydrated, anything you put on top—foundation, concealer, powder—goes on a lot smoother and lasts longer.

Don’t underestimate the power of a primer.

If you want to go one step further, Martin suggests a primer to give your skin a clean slate. He swears by Tatcha's The Silk Canvas because they're not regular makeup primers; they're skin-care primers. As in, Martin recommends incorporating them into your skin-care routine—whether you follow up with makeup or not. To make sure your cells soak up all of the primers' protective ingredients, Martin says, "the trick is to work it in with your hands" by rubbing the product into your skin via facial massage. That way, it operates like "more of a magnet than a primer" and "keeps the longevity of whatever you put on top of it." Another tip? Use the primer on your lips. "It adds hydration underneath lipstick" and works especially well under liquid lipsticks, says Martin.

Color-correct a touch.

Sure, sheer makeup is the goal, but sometimes a girl needs a little coverage. And to do that in the most natural way possible, you need to neutralize—not just camouflage—spots and discoloration. “Unbalanced undertones and uneven skin texture are distracting," he says. "The benefit of color-correcting products is being able to put your skin tone back to a blank-canvas state.” To cancel out pimples and uneven patches of redness, try applying a whisper of green-tinted cream like Dior Fix It 2-in-1 Prime & Color Correct in Green on bits that need evening out. If you want to counteract sallowness or hyperpigmentation, lay down a thin layer of peach color corrector like Dior's Fix It in Apricot. “Once your canvas is treated and prepped, you can use less of everything else,” says Martin.

Stipple (don’t swipe) on foundation.

Smearing foundation over your color-correcting handiwork will only make a mess. Instead, “lightly buff and swirl your makeup brush dipped in foundation over your skin to create a flawless, diffused finish,” suggests Martin. “Think of it like waxing your car—minus the pressure. When you use light, short circular motions to achieve coverage, it ends up looking seamless and not streaky at all.” His three must-haves for no-fail blending: Dior Backstage Blender Sponge, It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Magic Eraser, and the Sigma F64 Soft Blend Concealer Brush that he uses as a foundation brush.

Spackle a zit with eyeshadow primer.

What’s worse than a big zit? A big, flaky zit, which is usually what happens when you use a spot treatment and then dump on a ton of concealer over the top. Trust us: When it comes to hiding a pimple, more is not more. His pro move for making an angry spot look less noticeable? “First, treat the inflammation with either a cortisone gel or redness-reducing eye drops. It really gets the red out,” he says. Wait a few minutes for the swelling to go down, then dab on some clear eye shadow primer. It works twofold, says Martin, by creating a smoother, less permeable surface (so bacteria stays out) and helps everything else stick and stay put.

Highlight strategically.

The quickest way to glow up, says Martin, is to dust a shimmery gold highlighter (or gold eye shadow if you’re feeling wild; watch him break down his best shadow hacks, below) all up on your cheekbones. But don’t just put it anywhere. For a believable glow, concentrate the color underneath your eyes and along your cheekbones to “brighten the complexion and add a nice radiance to the face without looking too much.” Add a dab of gloss and you’re good to go.

Shop his top picks, below:

Dior Hydra Life Sorbet Creme

Honest Beauty DePuff Eye Gel

The Liquid Silk Canvas

The Silk Canvas

Dior Fix It 2-in-1 Prime & Color Correct in Green

Dior Fix It 2-in-1 Prime & Color Correct in Apricot

Dior Backstage Blender Sponge

Sigma F64 Soft Blend Concealer Brush

Watch Daniel Martin share his best makeup advice:

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