My go-to routine for prepping skin before a full face of glowy makeup

There's a particular kind of confidence that comes from a glowy base, the sort that looks lit from within rather than layered on top. After more than a decade of testing every primer, serum and slick of balm under the sun, I have narrowed my pre-makeup ritual down to a reliable sequence that survives long shoot days, humid Brisbane arvos and the kind of dry cabin air that wrecks my face on flights to Sydney. This routine is not about chasing perfection in a single jar. It is about giving the skin what it actually needs so foundation sits more like a second skin than a mask, and so the glow I see in the mirror at 7am is still there when I am scrubbing off my makeup at 11pm.

Living in Australia adds a few wrinkles to the process. Our UV index is unforgiving for most of the year, our tap water swings wildly between hard (hello, Adelaide) and soft, and the climate can switch from sticky subtropical to icy desert wind in a single weekend. I have to factor all of that in when I am laying down my base, which is why my pre-makeup ritual leans on hydration, barrier support and SPF long before the first drop of foundation touches my face. If you have ever wondered why your glowy makeup looks chalky by lunchtime, the answer almost always sits in what you did, or did not do, in the ten minutes before picking up a brush.

This is the exact sequence I lean on when I want a full face that catches the light without looking greasy. It is layered, it is not fast, and it has been road-tested through wedding mornings, work events and those chaotic days when I am filming content from morning till night. Read on for the steps, the products I trust, and the small tweaks I make depending on where I am in Australia.

Starting with a proper cleanse, not a quick splash

The first mistake I see over and over is reaching for makeup on top of last night's moisturiser. Even if you washed your face before bed, your skin has been producing sebum, shedding cells and absorbing pollution for eight hours. A single splash of water does not cut it. I double cleanse every single morning I plan to wear a full face, starting with an oil or balm cleanser to break down any residue, followed by a gentle water-based cleanser to leave the surface truly clean.

In Australia, water hardness plays a bigger role than most people realise. If you live in Perth or parts of regional South Australia, the water is soft and your skin will feel balanced after washing. Move to parts of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, however, and you are dealing with hard water that can leave a film on the skin and stop your serums from absorbing properly. When I am travelling or when I know the local water is harsh, I keep a bottle of micellar water in my kit as a final pass. It takes the mineral residue off without stripping the skin.

Cleansing is also where I do a quick mental check on what the rest of the routine needs to do. If my skin feels tight, I know hydration is going to be the priority. If it looks a bit dull, I will spend extra time on the exfoliation step that comes next. The point is to read the skin, not follow a script blindly.

Sloughing off the dullness with gentle exfoliation

Exfoliation is the single biggest reason glowy makeup either works or falls flat. Dead cells on the surface scatter light in every direction, which is the opposite of the smooth, lit-from-within effect we are after. I am firmly in the chemical exfoliant camp these days, since physical scrubs can micro-tear the skin and make foundation cling to dry patches. A leave-on lactic or mandelic acid treatment does the job without any scrubbing.

My current favourite is an Australian-made liquid that uses a low percentage of lactic acid alongside some hydration boosters. I apply it onto dry skin after cleansing and wait a minute before moving on. On days when my skin feels a bit reactive, I skip this step entirely and lean on a soft silicone cleansing brush instead. The goal is to clarify, never to sting or flush.

Australian weather can complicate this step. In humid Queensland summers, my skin sheds faster, so I exfoliate two or three times a week. In dry Perth winters, I drop it back to once a week and focus on hydration instead. The mistake is treating exfoliation as a daily habit no matter the season. It is a tool, and like any tool, it has to be used with a bit of sense.

Layering in hydration with serums and essences

Once the skin is clean and a touch smoother, this is where the real work begins. Glowy makeup is built on hydrated skin, full stop. Foundation looks luminous on a plumped-up surface and cakey on a dehydrated one, so I never skip the serum step. Hyaluronic acid is my non-negotiable ingredient, and I keep two or three different textures in rotation depending on the climate.

In humid Sydney summers, a light watery essence layered twice is plenty. In dry Melbourne winters, I reach for a thicker serum with glycerin and squalane to seal everything in. I press the product into damp skin rather than rubbing it, which helps the humectants pull water into the surface rather than evaporate off. A small detail, but it makes a real difference to how foundation sits an hour later.

When I have a long day of filming ahead, I sometimes add a niacinamide serum into the mix to balance out any redness and to refine the look of my pores. Niacinamide plays beautifully with glowy makeup because it smooths the canvas without flattening the natural light reflection. The key is to give each layer a minute to absorb. Rushing the serum step is the fastest way to end up with foundation pilling on the back of your hand before it even touches your face.

Locking it in with a moisturiser that does the heavy lifting

A moisturiser is not optional in this routine, even on the oiliest of skin types. The job of this layer is twofold: it seals in everything underneath, and it gives the foundation something emollient to grip onto. I look for formulas that hydrate without leaving a heavy film, because a slick of grease under a luminous foundation will turn the glow into a shine within an hour.

My everyday moisturiser is a mid-weight cream with ceramides and a touch of squalane. It is comfortable across most Australian climates, and it layers well under both silicone-based and water-based primers. On days when I am flying or in air-conditioned offices for hours, I press a facial oil on top of the moisturiser to seal everything in. Squalane oil is the one I trust most because it is non-comedogenic and it never leaves a greasy cast.

Moisturiser also doubles as my barrier repair step. The Australian sun, the air-con, the long-haul flights, the windy afternoons in Margaret River — they all chip away at the skin's protective layer. A solid moisturiser helps rebuild that barrier overnight, which means tomorrow's makeup sits even better than today's. It is one of those compounding habits where the payoff builds quietly in the background.

Priming, SPF and the first layer of glow

SPF is non-negotiable in Australia, and it is also my secret weapon for a glowy base. Modern Australian SPFs are so sophisticated that they double as luminous primers. I reach for a fluid SPF 50 with a subtle radiance finish, and I treat it like the final skincare step before makeup. It needs to be applied generously, so I use about a half teaspoon for my face and neck, and I let it set for a few minutes.

Once the SPF has settled, I apply a separate primer on top, choosing the texture based on what the foundation needs. For radiance finishes, I use a silicone-free hydrating primer. For long-wear matte foundations, I use a blurring primer with a touch of grip. The primer step is where I decide whether today's makeup is going to be sheer and dewy or more polished and sculpted. It is the bridge between skincare and makeup, and it deserves its own minute of attention. If you have ever struggled to find your true shade without the stress of in-store swatching, my detailed foundation-matching tips walk through undertones, lighting tricks and the easiest way to test formulas from home.

The other thing SPF does is protect the work I have already done. If my skin gets sun damage, it gets pigmented, dehydrated and textured. None of that helps glowy makeup. By wearing SPF every morning, I am essentially protecting the canvas so tomorrow's base looks just as good as today's. It is unglamorous and repetitive, but it is the single most important step for keeping the skin looking luminous long term.

Setting the canvas so the glow lasts

The final pre-makeup step is setting the canvas so the radiance stays where I want it. I mist my face with a hydrating setting spray before foundation, which helps the pigments melt into the skin rather than sitting on top. This is a trick I learned from a makeup artist in Melbourne, and it has changed the way my foundation wears throughout the day.

Then, after foundation, concealer and a light dusting of powder in the T-zone, I finish with another fine mist. The first mist helps blend, and the second mist sets everything in place without dulling the glow. I avoid heavy mattifying sprays because they kill the dewy finish I have spent the last twenty minutes building up.

The last little habit is keeping a hydrating mist in my handbag for top-ups throughout the day. In our climate, a quick spritz at lunchtime refreshes the skin, settles any powder that has gone a bit flat, and keeps the glow visible until I am ready to take it all off. It is a tiny step, but it makes the difference between glowy makeup that survives the afternoon and glowy makeup that fades by morning tea.

Quick adjustments for the Australian climate

• In humid Brisbane or Darwin summers, swap your rich moisturiser for a gel-cream and skip the facial oil to avoid pilling
• In dry Perth or Adelaide winters, layer a hyaluronic acid essence twice and press in a few drops of squalane before moisturiser
• On long-haul flights, sheet mask at the gate and use a hydrating mist under your moisturiser to combat cabin air
• If you live in a hard water area, finish cleansing with micellar water to remove mineral residue before serum
• For events where you will be outdoors, choose an SPF with a luminous finish so it doubles as your primer

If you have been struggling to get your glowy makeup to last, drop a comment below with your hero product or your biggest frustration, and I will do my best to troubleshoot in a future post. If you want to balance a glowy base with a bit of lip drama, I have also rounded up the plumpers that actually work for every budget. Subscribe to the blog so you never miss a routine drop, and follow along on Instagram for the day-to-day swatches and Face of the Day looks straight from my bathroom mirror.