‘Dolphin Skin’ Is The New Beauty Trend And Here Is How You Get It

No, I didn’t say crocodile skin. This isn’t a scaly, rough, and gross trend — it isn’t one of those weird, over-the-top trends.

When you think of a dolphin’s skin, you should have visions of something plump, smooth, and sleek. When it jumps out of the water, a dolphin glistens and glows with that dewy, just-out-of-the-water look, and that is exactly what this beauty trend is about.

These days, the natural look is all the rage. People are opting to wear lip gloss instead of lipstick, a more natural brow instead of waxing to death, and neutral colored shadows instead of bright and bold colors.

This trend fits in just perfectly with the current direction that makeup and skin care are going.

I’m so excited to see the dolphin skin look trending and getting so popular, because I’ve always found youthful glowing skin that just enhances one’s own natural beauty to be timeless.

Mary Phillips, Professional Celebrity Makeup Artist, to CNN

Achieving ‘Dolphin Skin’ can be a process, but it is totally achievable. You just have to be intentional with your skin care routine.

Let’s start with the basics — skin care. You need to be doing it.

I’m not talking about just washing your face with a cleanser when you are in the shower. Your skin needs to be healthy and hydrated, not dry and flaky.

You need to be exfoliating your skin so the cells on your face can turn over. It is this cell turnover that gives you a natural fresh glow.

Start with a good retinol cream that will help with fine lines and wrinkles, will help diminish dark spots, and add a brightness to your skin.

You can get a drugstore brand like Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair — or — if you want something with a little more oomph, you can hit up Sephora for something like Drunk Elephant A-Passioni™ Retinol Cream.

These are both made for all skin types, and can be used on clean, dry skin every morning or night. (Start out using it once a week. As your skin gets used to the exfoliation, work up to using it every day.)

Next, you want to use a daily sunscreen on your face

The sun can be absolutely destroying to skin, and you want to protect it at all costs.

You can use something like CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen, or you can opt for something like Coola Full Spectrum 360° Sun Silk Drops Organic Sunscreen SPF 30.

A good facial sunscreen will help shield your face from sun, pollution, and that damaging blue light from your smart devices. (Make sure you are using at least a SPF 30 sunscreen.)

Now that you have gotten the exfoliation and the basic sunscreen protection going, you want to prep your skin before you apply that makeup.

Prep your skin for makeup application

Basically it’s about masking and moisturizing your face. You want your skin to stay as hydrated as possible.

Start with a fun facemask that will help with hydration and brightness, like this Luminous Dewy Skin Mask.

Follow your facemask up with a moisturizer that will help lock in that hydration. Drunk Elephant B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum will work great, and you can pick it right up at Sephora.

Apply your foundation

For this ‘Dolphin Skin’ look, you want to avoid anything that is too matte. Remember, you want to be dewy and glowing.

 It’s all about enhancing your natural skin and not covering it up.

CNN

You can go with something basic, like L’Oreal Paris Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation, or you can opt for something a bit more expensive, like Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation.

Focus on your cheeks

First you want to start with a contour that will “carve out the face.” This Westman Atelier Face Trace Cream Contour Stick works like a dream.

You want to follow your contour up with a pop of color that will add some life back into your cheeks. You can try this Palladio I’m Blushing 2-in-1 Cheek and Lip Tint.

Give your skin that G-L-O-W

One of the key components to this ‘Dolphin Skin’ is that dewy, glow-in-the-sun look. The way to get this flawless glowing face is to use a CREAM highlighter.

Though it’s probably not a staple in most makeup bags, it’s a game changer when it comes to achieving that natural-looking glow without layering on powder.

CNN

You can use something like the L’Oreal Paris Infallible Longwear Buildable Highlighter Shaping Stick. Or, you can go a bit more high end with something like the Milk Makeup Glitter Stick.

Finish up by setting your makeup

Now, you don’t want all your hard work simply sliding off your face as the day goes on. You want to set your makeup by using a setting powder, like this Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, or a setting spray, like Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray.