Golden Hour Glow is a TikTok beauty trend you’ll never want to the sun to set on, and we’re covering exactly how to nail this luminous look. We spoke with celebrity and editorial makeup artist J Guerra to learn how to capture the radiance, amp up the light and own your glow.
Meet the Beauty Expert:
A makeup artist known for his work on everyone from Bethenny Frankel to Matthew Gubler, J Guerra has made a name for himself both on screen and in print. Self-taught, Guerra has gone from assistant to industry giants to a coveted makeup artist with multiple Paris Fashion Weeks under his belt.
What is Golden Hour Glow?
If you’re familiar with professional photography, you might have heard this term before. If you’re like me and just like to take pictures for fun, you’ve probably noticed on your own that photographs look amazing right around sunrise and sunset.
“In professional photography, Golden Hour is the period just before sunset or shortly after sunrise,” Guerra explains. “That’s when the sunlight is soft, even, and has a warm golden hue.” You can think of Golden Hour as a natural beauty filter, Guerra says.
“It’s highly visually appealing. Golden Hour is the most diffused and flattering light, the sun’s rays create a natural beauty filter over the skin,” Guerra explains. “And it’s the perfect light for photos.”
What does that have to do with makeup?
“The Golden Hour Glow makeup trend is a look that captures that warm and glowing light at sunrise and sunset,” Guerra says. “The final look is ethereal; it’s a magical play on light with how it illuminates makeup and skin-care products and brings these reflective textures to life. The lighting does all the work for you.”
Bringing this element of radiance to your skin will also leave you looking rested and youthful.
“The look is ephemeral, romantic, and so aesthetic,” Guerra says. “It creates more than just the perfect photo—it creates a real feeling of warmth. It makes skin look youthful, balanced, and healthy. This look epitomizes the trend of natural, sun kissed, beauty.”
How to Get the Glow on Your Own
This look is all about putting your skin front and center, so Guerra suggests beginning with a solid skin-care routine that prioritizes radiance. “Start with a refreshing skin spray, and layer skin-care products to maximize the skin’s suppleness and glow,” Guerra says. “Moisturizers and serums with hyaluronic acid will give you the best sheen.”
Remember, we’re trying to catch the light here, so minimizing extra texture is important.
“Foundation should be sheer, and concealer used sparingly to brighten areas without adding unnecessary texture,” Guerra explains. “Cream products give the best results for this trend, including blush, bronzer, and even eyeshadow.”
Since achieving glow is the point, Guerra advises against using setting powder on the entire look. “Instead of setting your entire makeup, only add powder in areas you want to minimize texture and shine, where ‘glow’ could look ‘greasy.” Guerra says. “That would be areas like the center of the forehead, around the mouth, nose, and chin.”
To solidify that sun-kissed look, you can add a warm bronzer in just a few key areas.
“You can create a halo effect in the center of the face using a lighter foundation shade or concealer for brightness and adding bronzer to the outside perimeter of the face, defining your cheekbones as well,” Guerra says. “Blush can be under-painted to just barely show through the bronzer. You can also bring warmth into all areas of the skin by incorporating bronzer into your eyeshadow. Sweep it under the lower lash line for soft definition or blend it through your crease for natural depth before your eyeshadow.”
The rest of the look is all about marrying warm, neutral tones with those pops of shimmer and glow.
“Choose eyeshadows in natural brown tones with sparkle textures,” Guerra advises. “Lips can be softly defined with skin-tone liners in slightly deeper shades and topped off with golden lipgloss or a lip oil. Creamy lipsticks in tones of honey and molasses can be used instead for a softer shine.”
Can Anyone do Golden Hour Glow?
Absolutely. “This look is also super inclusive!” Guerra explains. “It can be adapted to various skin tones and features, allowing a wide range of users to participate. This inclusivity encourages more people to try the trend, share their unique takes on it, and recreate that beautiful, ethereal glow on their own faces.”
You’ll be looking for monochromatic, gilded neutrals to complete this look, so you’ll want to adjust your shades to best compliment your skin tone. Golds, coppers, and bronzes are all great choices to bring Golden Hour to your skin.
“Think dewy skin, highlighted cheekbones, and soft, warm eyeshadow tones,” Guerra adds. “Your lips should be ultra-hydrated in neutral colors. Everything looks like it’s been brushed with honey.”
No matter your skin tone, you’ll need to access to light to make this look work. That way you can see exactly where to place your products.
“While doing your makeup, be sure to have plenty of natural light to see how placement affects the visibility of shimmer in your makeup products,” Guerra says. “If natural light isn’t available, take the lampshade off a lamp—the direct light from an incandescent bulb is a great substitute for sunlight. Avoid fluorescent lighting as the color temperature will be too cool to read warmer tones.”
The most important part is to have fun. You can amp up Golden Hour Glow for an extravagant evening or festival-vibe, or you can dress it down for that natural-looking glow.
“It’s a light show!” Geurra says. “It’s the definition of sunkissed. If adding shine on top of your complexion products looks too intense, try under-painting your highlighter underneath your foundation for a softer, everyday look.”
Expert Product Picks for a Golden Hour Glow
