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When glowy skin doesn’t seem to come naturally, an illuminating primer or a glowy moisturizer is what you want to reach for. Well, at least that’s what I do. It’s one thing to have clear skin. But it’s a completely different story to have radiant, glowing skin. So I always test, try, stock up, and stash skincare and makeup products that give me the luminous finish I want. And one particular product stood the test of time and has been among my top recommendations I frequently mention here too. And that’s Erborian Glow Creme. And now that the summer is around the corner, I thought it was high time I did a deep dive into this K-beauty must-have. Read on for my honest review of Erborian Glow Creme and why you’re going to love it too.
The Product
Erborian Glow Creme is a multi-tasking skincare-makeup hybrid. It’s a white/pink colored daily glow moisturizer, a cream highlighter, and an illuminating primer.
And as unlikely as it sounds, it actually delivers in each of these categories but is exceptional as an illuminating primer.
On a side note, almost all Erborian products are like this. And I feel like they deliberately avoid labeling them and use vague terms like ‘complexion enhancer’ or in this case, a glow cream. But it makes sense when your products are this multi-purpose.
The Ingredients
Glow Creme features a blend of hydrating and skin-brightening ingredients. And the most notable of them are niacinamide, aka vitamin B3, and licorice extract.
These two help even out the skin tone, fade discolorations and illuminate the skin. And to moisturize, it packs squalane and amino acids.
But when it comes to its core, Glow Creme packs silicones, which is actually what makes it so effective especially when it comes to priming skin for makeup. More on that in a bit.
The Texture & Finish
Glow Creme is not like a regular moisturizer with a ‘wet’ feel or runny consistency. It’s not like a very thick, silicone-y primer either.
It has a firm, smooth consistency, and a velvety feel. It spreads out easily and layers beautifully on bare skin when you wear it alone, and underneath your makeup too. It doesn’t pill or rub off.
The finish of Glow Creme is what makes it super interesting. This is a white face cream with pink undertones. And it has a pearly, almost shimmery finish.
That’s what makes your skin look pearlescent and visibly glowy. At the same time, it has a matte feel, so it doesn’t leave any greasy residue on the skin in spite of that radiant finish.
The Fragrance
Glow Creme contains fragrance and does have a faint scent to it. It’s not overpowering, but it smells perfumey. I’m mentioning this in case you prefer fragrance-free products.
With that being said, I have sensitive skin because I have rosacea. And even though the majority of Erborian products I’ve used contain fragrance, I have never had any problems such as irritation, redness, or breakouts.
Different Uses
Since Glow Creme has different uses, I thought it’s best to review it separately for each of these uses. So whether you want to know what it’s like as a primer or highlighter, here’s what you can expect from it.
Primer
As a primer, Glow Creme is a great illuminating primer when you’re going for a radiant, dewy makeup look. I can wear it under a matte foundation and my skin still looks radiant because it shines through.
But that’s not it, it is also a blurring primer. It contains a satisfying amount of silicones that give the formula its velvety finish. And because of that, it softens the appearance of skin texture and makes your foundation look smoother and sleeker.
Moreover, it makes your makeup last crazy long and without patchiness whatsoever. When I wear it under foundations such as MAC Studio Fix, or Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place, my foundation looks as good in the evening as it does in the morning.
So as a primer, Glow Creme checks all the boxes: illuminates skin, smooths texture, and makes foundation last longer.
Out of its three uses, I’d say it performs best as an illuminating primer. If you have mature skin, textured skin, or oily skin, you can comfortably use it as a silicone-based skin blurring primer.
Highlighter
Much like a cream highlighter, Glow Creme has a non-streaky, smooth consistency. It’s not glittery. And concerning the shade, this would be a cool-toned highlighter with silver and pink undertones.
When I want to wear it over makeup to highlight the high points of my cheeks, I apply it with a dry beauty sponge. I get a bit of it on the back of my hand, dab the sponge to get it, and then pat it onto my cheeks.
If I apply it directly over my makeup using my fingers, I don’t have much control over it and it can move and actually pick up the underlying foundation. I use very little amounts and build slowly to avoid that.
It’s probably because it’s a moisturizer too that it can pick your foundation when you use it over makeup. It blends into the skin. A regular highlighter wouldn’t do that.
So as a cool-toned highlighter, Glow Creme illuminates the skin and leaves a pearly, pink tint on the skin. If you’re on the lookout for a natural-looking liquid/cream highlighter, you’re going to love it as long as you properly apply it.
Moisturizer
As a moisturizer, Glow Creme lacks humectants like hyaluronic acid that help plump up the skin. It mainly utilizes squalane and amino acids to hydrate and silicones to trap moisture in.
When I use it alone as an illuminating moisturizer, it doesn’t always feel as hydrating as I’d like it to be, especially when I use it in winter.
But for summer weather, it helps me look the part with its dewy finish but prevents my skin from looking greasy or sweaty all thanks to its matte feel.
So as a daily moisturizer, Glow Creme can work for all skin types, except for very dry skin that requires more hydrating and moisturizing ingredients.
The Verdict
Erborian Glow Creme is a true multi-tasker that I can use both in my skincare and makeup routines. I love wearing it as a daily moisturizer with a glowy finish on days when I don’t want to wear makeup. But more importantly, I love using it under any foundation when I want smooth makeup with a glowy finish. Just like any other Erborian product, Glow Creme is a hit that makes you do more with fewer products.
The selfie above is after I applied Glow Creme on my face as a moisturizer and primer. I’m not wearing foundation here. I applied concealer under my eyes and spot concealed redness on my face with the same concealer. Then I used a matte bronzer. You can visibly see the illuminating effect of the cream coming through the matte concealer. And here’s a quick tip. If you pay attention, you can see that my eyelids look a bit glossy too. It’s because I apply the Glow Creme under the brow bone. It gives you that dewy skin effect without using a shimmery eyeshadow.
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