In summer we are all about fresh, glowy skin. Here’s how you can achieve the look no matter what your skin type.

My boyfriend rarely comments on my make-up, so when he was intently gazing at my face the other week I was surprised. Quickly realising it wasn’t a gaze of loving devotion I became convinced there was lipstick on my teeth. Turns out he was wondering why my face looked so damp (his words not mine) and said it looked like I’d rubbed a wet towel over my face.

Related: Melting? Here are 3 foundations that won’t slide off in the heat

Of course, he thought I was nuts reacting as I did (I said ‘thank you’ after his comment very sincerely with a smile) as he didn’t quite mean it as a compliment, but I was delighted. I’m forever on a mission to achieve glowing, glassy-looking skin, and in summer, this mission is ramped up a notch or two. The wet towel comment was confirmation I had achieved my optimum glow levels.

In the heat and sunshine, our skin naturally looks a little dewier (it’s sweat FYI) and this look is what I am aiming to achieve with the products I use. It can be a fine line between glowy and sweaty which is why it’s all about the right products in the right places. So this is our pick of the best four to help you achieve fresh, glowy skin all summer long without looking like you’re doused in glitter.

If you have oily skin, it can be a tricky balance trying to achieve that fresh dewy look. Most glow-inducing products can make you look greasy and you may still need to powder certain areas for longevity. Enter MAC Fix +, a long-standing hero of the make-up world as there is very little it can’t do.

This is a setting spray so it’s designed to help keep your make-up in place all day. But the added bonus is that it gives your make-up a gorgeous, dewy finish. I often need to powder my T-zone as I get quite oily there, but this spritzed on top of the powder neutralises any chalky dryness and leaves skin with a luminous finish that still stays put.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter; €40.00 at brownthomas.com

This is one of those amazing multi-tasking products that can be applied under foundation as a glowy primer, mixed in with foundation to give it more of a sheen or placed directly on top as a highlighter.

Tilbury really knows what she’s doing when it comes to highlighters, as hers give skin that ‘lit from within’ look. No chunky glitter — instead, it has a warm candle-lit glow that looks soft and luminous. This comes in seven shades, so suitable for pale and deeper skin tones.

Glossier Haloscope Highlighter; €21.00 at glossier.com

My personal favourite is Glossier’s Haloscope Highlighter. Now a cult classic, I always have one in my bag and a back-up at home as I can never be without it. This comes in three shades; I wear Topaz which has a pearly sheen to it as I’m very pale.

Glossier and glowy skin go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that this product will give your skin that glassy, dewy finish we’re all craving. The product itself is in stick form, and has pigmented highlighter on the outside ring and in the centre, a clear, waxy balm. The latter will give you that wet look and the pigmented part an iridescent glow. This will make your skin look so juicy and healthy in the most natural way.

Weleda Skin Food 30ml; €9.05 at hollandandbarrett.ie

I really need to stop talking about Weleda Skin Food (it’s becoming a problem) but since the first time I watched Katie Jane Hughes use it, I’ve been smitten. I’ve already written a whole piece on its myriad of uses, but one of them is the glowy look it gives to the skin. I pat a small amount onto the high points of the face, (cheekbones mostly) on top of my foundation.

As this isn’t a make-up product, there is no pigment or shimmer in here. The rich moisturiser leaves a glow on the skin that light will bounce off in the most flattering way. The simplest (and cheapest) way to achieve glowy, summer skin — just make sure to put SPF on first!

Header Image: @katiejanehughes