Lifestyle: The year perspiration got hot - Worcester Mag

I’ve heard it called “brilliance,” “incandescence,” “luster” and “glow,” but I’ll be straight with you. When I say things like, “I want a dewy dumpling sheen,” what I’m really hoping to achieve is the illusion of perspiration. Scrupulous sweat is this year’s top beauty trend.

What happened? Girls used to hand out Neutrogena face blotting sheets likes sticks of gum in the hallways of Doherty Memorial High School. Now, I smear my face with a grease stick as part of my morning routine.

I’m no stranger to actual sweat. I run, hike and suffer through the occasional hot yoga class; however, attaining a lasting shiny complexion turns out to be nothing short of supernatural.

The first time I witnessed the misty makeup phenomenon was two years ago on a trip to San Diego. No matter how fancy the restaurant, I found table after table occupied by athleisure-clad women with faces of glass.

The look originated, like most other trends of our day, in South Korea. Pulling off “chok chok” skin means that women resist powdery foundations and painted contours in favor of slick highlighters and glosses. Emphasizing skincare is also a crucial part of the chok chok ideal. Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize.

If you’re still struggling to visualize the look, no American exemplified chok chok more clearly this year than Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala. She appeared to have been dipped in olive oil. Kardashian was not just lustrous — she was wringing-wet.

Before you dunk your head in a tub of Crisco, consider some alternatives. Brands like Glossier (pronounced gloss-ee-yay) dominate the slippery makeup market. Apply the Balm Dotcom salve, the Bubblewrap plumper, or the Super Glow serum to join the club. Products aim to enhance women who are already beautiful. Spoiler alert: we all are.

This natural ideology extends beyond our cheekbones, or rather, atop them. It’s time to toss the tweezers. The down-to-earth brow is a key component to looking like the lushest versions of ourselves.

There are a lot of “dewy dumpling” makeup tutorials from young Youtubers, but I’ll be the first to admit that while teenage girls may be the most accurate predictor of trends, it can be demoralizing for a grown woman to learn how to do her makeup from someone half her age.

Might I suggest instruction from a local professional? NKD Waxing, Lashes & Makeup offers a 90-minute service for $90 with a licensed makeup artist to teach flattering application for day or night. Even better, $30 of the price is redeemable in new product. If you’ve already got more product than you know what to do with, book a “product haul” for $35 to help you cull through your current cosmetics bag.

NKD reopens in a new location at 301 Grove St. in The Worcester Trolley Yard during the second week of January 2020. Until then, I recommend celebrity makeup artist Nam Vo’s tutorial for Byrdie. If that doesn’t work, try the Crisco thing and let me know how it goes. Who knows, we could be sitting on the glossiest goldmine in cosmetics history.