How to achieve dolphin skin: The new glowy beauty trend of note in 2020

Heads up, beauty community. There's a new beauty trend that's taking social media by storm, and it combines two of our favourite things ever: a glowy complexion, and...dolphins. Coined by celebrity makeup artist Mary Philips, dolphin skin is the latest trend that has everyone buzzing. Thankfully, dolphin skin does not actually involve harming any dolphins. Instead, it's all about mimicking the sea mammal's sleek, glassy look when it pokes its bottlenose out of the water. And whilst the search for a luminous complexion is nothing new, we love this ocean goddess-esque look for its easy replicability. Unlike the K-Beauty glass skin trend which focuses primarily on skincare, dolphin skin centers around just about everyone's favourite item: the highlighter. Read on to find out how to achieve the glassy, wet look that mimics a beach vacation glow.

Prep + Prime

Like any other glowy look, skin prep is essential for great results. Start with an ultra-hydrating moisturiser to achieve a dewy base. To avoid looking as if you'd just dunked your face into your entire pot of moisturiser, start with a dime-sized amount and introduce more layers as needed. This prevents the excess moisturiser from sitting on your face and creating a greasy look. After moisturising, prime the skin with an illuminating primer. This helps keep things luminous whilst diminishing the appearance of pores and fine lines.

The base

After your skin is prepped and primed, it's time to work on the base. Steer clear of any foundation that has a matte label, and instead choose a liquid foundation with a hydrating finish. Hot tip: mix in a couple of liquid highlighter drops into the foundation to achieve that lit-from-within glow. Choose a foundation that's lightweight and fresh so as to blend the highlighter seamlessly.

Glow time

Once your base is set, it's time for the fun part: the dolphin shine. Start out with a liquid or cream pearlescent highlighter for a smooth and natural radiance. In order to get the dolphin shine, you have to strategise your highlight placement — you want your skin to look fresh and slick, not sweaty and oily. Focus on the high points of your face such as your brow bones, temples, nose bridge and most importantly, cheekbones. Work in layers so as to not overdo the highlight all at once.

Finish the look

For the ultimate dolphin skin look, dab on a sheer liquid or cream blush. This helps add extra dimension and a natural flush of colour to the cheeks. To pull the entire gleaming look together, swipe on a lip gloss that provides high shine and a subtle tint of colour. Finish off with a spritz of setting spray to enhance the radiance and lock all your hard work in place.