The beauty products you need to maintain a summer glow all year round, as recommended by experts

From skincare to make-up, these are the must-haves for a radiant complexion

The change in seasons does not mean you have to succumb to dry, dull skin – simple additions like exfoliators, hydrating serums and glowy highlighters can make a world of difference (iStock/The Independent)

In the blink of an eye, summer seems to be over and autumn is on its way.

Thankfully for most of it, aside from the odd thunderstorm, we were blessed with sunny skies and scorching temperatures that topped up our tans and gave us that sun-kissed glow we’d normally seek out of a bottle.

This bode well for the many of us who were limited to staycations in the UK this summer, as the pandemic continues to impact travel plans.

However as the season changes, and sunshine becomes less hot and frequent, our summer glow will fade and the risk of dry, dull, lacklustre skin ensues.

In a bid to keep our skin radiant all year long, we’ve consulted the experts, from dermatologists to make-up artists, to find out exactly how to maintain a luminous complexion.

The products recommended below contain ingredients that really work, in both your skincare regimen and make-up routines.

Read on for our guide to the ultimate glow-up, no matter the season.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

Skincare

According to Dr Justine Hextall, a dermatologist at La Roche-Posay, achieving a radiant complexion is about making sure the texture and tone of your skin are as even as possible.

“Incorporating acids and vitamin C into your routine are a great way to achieve this. As an all in one I recommend trying a low strength retinol such as La Roche-Posay retinol B3 (Boots, £38). This will work on renewing the surface of your skin as well as evening skin tone over time."

Retinol is widely considered the gold-standard anti-ageing ingredient that will give you an even skin tone, the perfect starting point for radiant skin (Boots)

Apply it in the evenings two to three times a week on cleansed skin and it will tackle dehydration, repair the moisture barrier, hydrate and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles without irritating sensitive skin.

Dr Ewoma Ukeleghe, a medical and cosmetic doctor and founder of SKN DOCTOR, advises making sure the skin is exfoliated, citing chemical exfoliants that contain mandelic, lactic and azelaic acid as the most effective way to get skin glowing.

These ingredients will slough away dead skin cells, leaving your complexion radiant while reducing texture.

This Pestle & Mortar lactic acid toner (Pestle & Mortar, £28) is one of our favourites. It's a powerhouse product that will even skin tone, reduce hyperpigmentation and most importantly brighten.

Lactic acid will brighten skin and reduce areas of hyperpigmentation (Pestle & Mortar) (Pestle & Mortar)

It also contains black tea leaf extract, which has a high-caffeine content that works to de-puff and soak up moisture for supple, smooth results. Just what we need for cold and dark autumn mornings. Soak a cotton pad and swipe over a clean face before your moisturiser.

Dr Ukeleghe explains that as the weather gets colder, you might find that your skin becomes drier and more irritated, which is not ideal in the pursuit of radiant glowing skin.

If this is the case, seek hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin and ceramides to prevent water loss and retain moisture.

Hyaluronic acid retains moisture and reduces water loss (Cult Beauty)

She recommends the Niod multi-molecular hyaluronic complex (Cult Beauty, £38), a lightweight, but versatile serum that plumps and hydrates skin. It also contains antioxidants that protect from environmental aggressors and is anti-inflammatory.

“If your skin isn’t acne-prone, you can also add a couple of drops of a nourishing oil for extra glow,” says Dr Ukeleghe.

It's best to avoid oils if you are acneic, as they are often comedogenic, meaning they can block pores and cause breakouts. But for others, they can be a great way to pack hydration into the skin.

She recommends the Elemis superfood facial oil (Elemis, £45) which also took the top spot in our guide to the best face oils.

Apply this facial oil before bed and wake up with plump, glowing skin (The Independent)

It contains antioxidant and omega-rich broccoli, flaxseed, carrot and rosemary oils, plus multiple nut oils for skin that feels protected and supple.

“It's quite a heavy oil so will sit on the skin for a few hours before being completely absorbed, but you'll have plump and glowy skin come morning,” our reviewer said.

Dr Hextall’s also stresses the importance of using SPF daily to not only protect skin from UV rays but to also maintain an even skin tone. It's a vital step in your routine all year round, not just during the summer months.

The easiest way to incorporate it if you don't already is through your moisturiser.

In our guide to the best SPF moisturisers, we loved this Perricone MD photo-brightening moisturiser SPF30 (Perricone MD, £59). The fast-absorbing formula leaves you with a dewy glow that we found to be a great base under make-up.

This fast-absorbing cream creates a dewy, natural-looking base for make-up (Perricone MD)

Alongside its instantly brightening effect, it’s oil-free with a broad-spectrum sunscreen, meaning it protects skin from both UVA and UVB rays.

It also contains vitamin C, which reduced discolouration on our tester's eyelids and centre of the cheeks. We found it to be very lightweight and didn’t leave a greasy residue.

Last but not least in the skincare realm is fake tan, as the saying goes, fake it ‘til you make it. It may seem a little daunting to apply this kind of product to your face, but using a serum or moisturiser that features tanning properties rather than a straight-up fake tan will give a more natural-looking, even finish while offering hydrating benefits.

One of our favourites is this Tan-Luxe super glow hyaluronic self-tan serum (Space NK, £35) which was highly rated our guide to the best hyaluronic acid serums.

Customise your tan by applying between four and 12 drops, the more you use, the darker your tan will be (Space NK)

Giving you hydration and a sun-kissed glow all in one, we loved these drops for their moisture-boosting properties and the healthy, lightly bronzed glow they impart.

“The tanning actives make up just four per cent of the formula, which means you can use it daily without risking doing a Ross from Friends (though we’d still recommend washing your hands after use),” said our reviewers.

Make-up

Of course, for a fast, superficial glow, make-up is a game-changer and with a few tweaks to your beauty arsenal, you can easily get that coveted lit-from-within glow.

Pablo Rodriguez, Illamasqua's director of artistry, shared his top-tip with The Independent, saying, “As we head out of summer and into a new season, my suggestion for a more subtle autumnal glow is to mix your favourite highlighter with your foundation – preferably a sheer coverage formula for a dewy and radiant finish – to maintain the summer glow throughout the seasons.”

His favourite highlighter to use is the Illamasqua beyond liquid highlighter (Illamasqua, £24).

Mix a liquid highlighter with your foundation or primer for a dewy glow (Illamasqua)

“The trick to keeping the look super radiant with a glass-like skin finish is to apply the highlighter before your foundation, so the glow appears to come from within,” says Rodriguez.

“You can mix the foundation and highlighter on either a palette or the back of your hand to get the right consistency.”

The Mac strobe cream in Pinklite (Asos, £26) is a cult favourite in the beauty sphere and is a versatile product that can be used in multiple different ways to achieve a glowy finish.

Whether you want a subtle, radiant finish or an all-out brilliant highlight, this cream does it all (Asos)

You can use it underneath make-up for a dewy base, mix it with your foundation or use as a cream highlighter.

The "pinklite" shade is pink-based to provide luminosity across all skin tones.

For a lightweight product that adds subtle warmth to your complexion, this Oskia nutri-bronze adaptive sheer tinted serum (Beauty Bay, £58) is a tinted skincare hero.

Aside from imparting a healthy glow via slight coverage, the formula contains bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol that is kinder to sensitive skin, and milk peptides to smooth texture. It also works brilliantly when mixed with your make-up and other skincare products.

Don't be put off by the colour, this serum adds a sheer wash of bronze to make you feel sun-kissed all year round (Beauty Bay)

If you want to ditch the foundation to save it rubbing off beneath a mask, apply a couple of drops of this to your SPF and blend together for a but subtle glow with a sheer finish.

Most of us look to bronzing products first when trying to achieve a summer glow, but a blusher will add a flush of colour to your complexion that can look just as sun-kissed. It's an unmissable step for fresh, healthy skin.

For a sheer lip and cheek duo, we’d recommend using the Pixi on-the-glow blush tinted moisture stick in ruby (lookfantastic, £18) for the perfect finishing touch to your make-up look.

Dot onto the apples of cheeks and on the lips for a natural wash of colour (lookfantastic)

The roller stick style product is infused with ginseng, aloe vera and fruit extracts to hydrate skin while adding a wash of colour that can be applied using your fingers, brush or directly from the stick applicator. It blends seamlessly into skin for a flushed complexion.

You can also use it on your lips for a sheer pop of ruby red that can be easily topped up on the go and won’t stain a face covering.

For more beauty and make-up must-haves, read our review of the new Charlotte Tilbury pillowtalk mascara and the £180 Victoria Beckham Beauty face serum that David Beckham swears by