Photo courtesy of Lorenzo Mazzega/The Licensing Project

How to Get a Just-Had-an-Orgasm Glow

Sex doesn’t just make you feel good; it also noticeably improves how you look: flushed cheeks, bright eyes, especially radiant skin, deep-tinted lips, and hair with a tousled je ne sais quoi, for starters. The secret to approximating the look involves less makeup and more skin care than you might imagine, along with a few great hair tricks.

1

Start by exfoliating.

Sweeping away dead skin cells, deep-cleansing pores, and stimulating your skin with physical or chemical exfoliation boosts glow quicker than (almost) anything we know. We do a deep overnight peel once a week, then maintain the luminosity with a scrub every few days that combines both chemical and physical facial exfoliation.

2

Vitamin C works on every skin type.

Start your morning routine with vitamin C serum and people will inevitably start asking what you’re doing with your skin. Topical vitamin C noticeably brightens, smooths, and clarifies your skin; it’s also a powerful antioxidant that helps fight damage from sun, pollution, and more. It works as well for people with breakout-prone skin as it does for those concerned about the signs of aging, and this one in particular is mixed with hyaluronic acid, so you boost moisture, too.
goop Beauty GOOPGLOW 20% Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid Glow Serum goop, $125/$112
with subscription
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3

Moisturizing makes a real difference in glow.

Supple, firm, plump skin looks healthier and more luminous, full stop. Wait a few minutes after applying vitamin C before putting on your moisturizer of choice – face oil, hyaluronic acid, lotions, or creams.

4

Push all the nourishment into your skin.

This vibrating roller helps get all the skin-boosting ingredients deep into your skin; it also lifts, smooths, and plumps your skin—and the effects last all day.

Jillian Dempsey Gold Sculpting Bar goop, $195
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5

When your eyes look bright, your whole face looks more luminous.

Start with eye cream, spot-treat dark areas with concealer, and flick on glossy-black mascara.

6

The main event—blush—is great on cheeks, lips, and even the brow bone.

This is why we love lip-and-cheek formulas: The idea is a healthy, natural-looking flush—repeating the same color on lips as well as cheeks makes it look even more natural. For the bold, a bit of the same shade just under the brows on the outer corners of the eyes can be super flattering.

7

Extra: Bronze or highlighter.

Depending on your skin tone and appetite for color, bronzy tints (or straight-up self-tanner) can enliven a pastier complexion, while highlighter can ramp up glow even further.

8

Spritz your skin after makeup.

This is a makeup-artist trick that really works: It helps settle any pigments into your skin, so the look is natural and fresh as can be. This particular spritz is ultrahydrating and full of antioxidants, and it smells like heaven.
Pholk Beauty Honeysuckle
Rose Face Mist goop, $20
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9

Bedhead is as sexy as it gets.

The key to making it look chic instead of messy lies in getting the texture right. The goop secret formula: a new preshampoo glow serum, followed by a clean shampoo and plenty of conditioner. Depending on your hair type, add hair oil, frizz cream, or volumizer for more texture.

10

The real thing really does make a difference.

If you can sneak a little actual sex in, by all means, make it happen! Exercise gives a similar effect, as does a sauna or a hot bath: We once arrived at an event straight from a particularly intense yoga class, only to have a world-famous makeup artist demand to know who’d done our makeup.

Bonus: Stating the Obvious

If ever a perfume could contribute to a postcoital glow, it’s this one.
goop x Heretic This Smells Like My Orgasm Roll-On goop, $45
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