For many of us, the idea of our skin having a “glow” left about the same time as menopause arrived. For me, menopause showed-up like a freight train and left me with dry skin, 25 extra pounds, and puffy under-eyes. Oh, joy.

Having said that, it also gave me a delicious addition of, “I really could give a (insert adjective/expletive) what you think.” Taking the good with the not so pleasant, let’s delve into helping your skin return to its lovely dewy texture.

Gut Health Is Skin Health

Beauty is both inner and outer, and the state of your skin is a direct reflection of your gut health. Because our foods contain triple the amount of toxic chemicals since the 1950s, your guts have taken a beating. To off-set the enormous quantity of chemicals in our diet, I recommend taking a very proactive approach to gut health.

In a recent video, I spell out what supplements I take for great skin, including 2400 mg twice a day of Omega 3-6-9 oils, 1000 mg of Vitamin C at 3 times a day, as well as spring water, organic food, and great skin care.

Even though these strategies help, in this article I’m going to focus on foundations, but keep in mind that no foundation can make up for skin issues due to a suffering gut.

Start with Primer

As you work on your inner wellness, externally there are wonderful tricks you can use to add glow to any face. Primer is one of those tricks, and it will not only help your foundation last longer, but also can add a luminescence to your appearance.

My personal favorite is Jane Iredale’s Smooth Affair Facial Primer and Brightener. You can use it under foundation or mix it with your product for a lighter coverage. In the video below, I show how to take any foundation and add luminosity to its impact.

If you want a new foundation that delivers a lovely dewy finish, here are my top 5 choices.

Georgio Armani Luminious Silk Foundation

I first tried the Luminous Silk Foundation because an on-camera talent I work with asked to try it. The foundation looked gorgeous. For the past 13 years, this luminous foundation has won the InStyle Best Beauty Buy award for Best Liquid Foundation, and there’s a reason for all that applause.

It’s lightweight, buildable, improves texture, and blurs imperfections. It’s one of the most expensive on my list ($64 – yikes!), but if you love foundations, it’s a winner.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

I had the good fortune of working for Chanel during a break in my independent career. Their products are luscious and have an unmistakable Chanel quality that stands out in the crowded cosmetic marketplace.

Their Vitalumiere Aqua ultra-light makeup with Broad Spectrum SPF 15 has a water-light texture and light to medium coverage. It also contains hyaluronic acid that helps to maintain moisture and the “High Definition Light” pigments help even out skin tone and leave your skin looking and feeling dewy and natural.

Jane Iredale Liquid Minerals Foundation

For my personal stash, I use clean beauty products, including this beautiful Liquid Mineral foundation by Jane Iredale. Liposome beads break when mixed before application and provide sheer to medium coverage. It is hydrating, diminishes fine lines and wrinkles, and evens out skin tone. In most of my videos, you’ll find me using it.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

Many years ago, I freelanced for Laura Mercier, and the Tinted Moisturizer foundation was my absolute favorite. It delivers a flawless, dewy, no-makeup makeup look, and blurs imperfections with a light coverage.

It includes a Broad-Spectrum SPF 30 and uses tamarind seed extract to help prevent water evaporation. Plus, it has antioxidant vitamins C and E to reduce the damaging effects of the environment.

Koh Gen Do Moisture Foundation

I arrive at #5 through the recommendation of some makeup artist friends. This Korean brand is making big leaps forward in the US market and is known for its skin-pampering ingredients that enhance your natural luster. Lightweight and moisture rich, the Koh Gen Do foundation also blurs fine lines and large pores. It’s next on my list to try!

Bonus Advice

Here’s some bonus advice for applying foundation. Use product only where you need it and not necessarily all over your face. Sometimes just using it in your T-zone while building coverage around your under-eye area can be all you need for a soft daytime look. In most cases, I recommend the old adage that “less-is-more.”

We can’t change menopause, but we can be smart about how we care for our bodies, the foundation brands we use, and how we apply the product. I hope this has been helpful and please comment down below as I love to hear from you!

How did the menopause affect your skin texture? What are you doing to negate the effect of no-glow? How do you care of your skin from the inside? Do you use foundation on the outside? Which brand is your favorite and why? Let’s have a chat below.