The Skincare Glossary: a Guide to Beauty Buzzwords
Welcome to skin school – from slugging and snacking to skinimalism and strobing, decode the beauty terms of the moment
Read more
The Skincare Glossary: a Guide to Beauty Buzzwords
Welcome to skin school – from slugging and snacking to skinimalism and strobing, decode the beauty terms of the moment
By: Maddi John
Keeping up with the ever-growing list of skincare terms and beauty buzzwords is no easy feat, especially when new trends pop up on our social feeds every single day. We hear terms like ‘beauty snacking’ and ‘skin flooding’ all the time, but what do they actually mean and are they worth bringing in to our skincare routines? And why are we asking our facialists and manicurists for glazed donuts? Read on to find all the definitions you could need in our beauty buzzword glossary below...
Read More: We translate the language of fragrance in our perfume glossary
Skin Flooding
Skin flooding, as the name suggests, is all about flooding your skin with ingredients that optimally hydrate the skin. It might sound simple, but there’s more to it than just lathering yourself with any old moisturiser. When trying out this viral technique you need to layer moisturising skincare products in the right order to ensure longer-lasting hydration is achieved. The four simple steps include: gently cleansing your skin, spritzing on a mist, applying a serum or two, and lastly, moisturising your skin.
Read More: How to figure out your skin type
try...
Sunday Riley
C.E.O Vitamin C Rich Hydration Cream 50g
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Augustinus Bader
The Rich Cream 50ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
B3Adaptive SuperFoods Stress Repair Face Cream 60ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Kiehl's
Ultra Facial Cream 125ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Sisley Paris
Hydra Global Intense Anti-Ageing Hydration Serum 30ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Rose Inc
Hydration Replenish Microencapsulated Moisturiser 50ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
111SKIN
Molecular Hydration Mask 75ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Beauty Snacking
While we wish this meant enjoying your favourite snacks while slathering on your morning moisturiser, beauty snacking is actually a little more constructive. Beauty snacking, or skincare snacking, refers to the bite-sized moments of self-pampering you do throughout your day, designed to boost your mood. Created during the (dare we say) lockdown, beauty snacking adds a touch of joy to your daily routine by breaking it up with short beauty breaks, like a 3pm face mist or a Gua Sha massage in front of the TV, that leave you and your skin feeling refreshed.
try...
Biologique Recherche
Masque Vivant 100ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Kiehl's
Avocado Nourishing Hydration Mask 100ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Trish McEvoy
Correct and Brighten Advanced Brightening Pads
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
The Light Salon
Revive and Repeat LED Facial Set
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel 30 Pack
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Sisley Paris
Black Rose Cream Mask 60ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Slugging
If you’re a frequent viewer of BeautyTok, you may have noticed the period of time where everyone was dousing their faces in Vaseline. Albeit a tad strange, these early adopters were practising the art of slugging – a technique originating from the K-beauty world. While the name suggests otherwise, slugging has nothing to do with the creepy crawly. Instead, it is the process of applying petroleum-heavy emollient, like Vaseline, to the face after completing your night-time skincare routine. The idea is that you then sleep in it in the hopes of sealing in moisture before washing it off in the morning.
Read More: How to get glowing skin, according to these skincare experts
Skinimalism
If the glowy/dewy aesthetic is your desired effect, you’ll know all about this simple highlighting technique. Strobing is when you put highlighter in strategic spots on your face without contouring to give you a bright and healthy finish without caking on too much product. Typically, highlighter is brushed on the cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, below the arch of the brows and on the cupid’s bow to add lift and definition.
Strobing
If glowing, dewy skin is your desired effect, you’ll know all about this simple highlighting technique. Strobing is when you put highlighter in strategic spots on your face without contouring to give you a bright and healthy finish without caking on too much product. Typically, highlighter is brushed on the cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, below the arch of the brows and on the cupid’s bow to add lift and definition.
try...
Westman Atelier
Lit Up Highlight Stick 5g
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Rose Inc
Solar Radiance Hydrating Cream Highlighter
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
UOMA Beauty
Salute to the Sun Highlighter 20ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Bobbi Brown
Highlighting Powder
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Hourglass
Ambient™ Lighting Infinity Powder 9.6g
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Veronique Gabai
The Goldie Highlighter 9g
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
SUQQU
Shimmer Liquid Highlighter
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Microdosing
Skincare Microdosing is the concept of using potent and powerful skincare ingredients regularly but in small amounts. Why? Because some ingredients, such as retinol and skincare acids have a tendency to cause sensitivity or other adverse reactions when first used or when used in large amounts. Microdosing, on the other hand, allows you to build up tolerance over a longer period of time.
Read More: AHA vs BHA: The battle of the skincare acids
Skin-Cycling
Adopted by multiple TikTok beauty gurus, skin-cycling is a term you’ll want to know (and try). It involves using active ingredients in your nighttime routine only on certain days, with ‘rest’ days between, to allow skin to build up tolerance and avoid upsetting the all-important skin barrier. One of the more popular rotations is to do a four-day cycle using active ingredients like AHAs – two days on and two days off, and then repeating.
Glazed Donut
While the glazed donut trend was made popular by Hailey Bieber in 2022, it’s here to stay. Glazed donut skin is exactly what it sounds like – dewy (but not greasy) and glowing (but not shiny) skin that embraces natural marks like freckles and beauty spots, rather than covers them. Similarly to skinimalism, this ‘glazed’ finish is achieved with a few strategic products that encourage hydrated and smooth skin. The trend even branched out to nails, with 'glazed donut’ and ‘chocolate glazed donut’ nails taking the salons by storm – which is essentially a nude or brown gel color with a chrome powder finish over the top.
try...
Bobbi Brown
Brightening Blush 6.6g
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Dr. Barbara Sturm
Glow Drops 30ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Jones Road
Lip and Cheek Stick 8.4g
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Sunday Riley
C.E.O Glow Vitamin C and Turmeric Face Oil 15ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Votary
Natural Glow Day Cream 50ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Hourglass
Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder 10g
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Medik8
Press & Glow Tonic 200ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Blue Light
A term not so loved in the beauty (or everyday) world, blue light refers to the rays emitted from your electronic devices or the LED light bulbs in your home. It’s believed to pose certain risks to both your eyes and skin, which has meant a slew of skincare formulas have hit shelves, designed to combat the negative effects (skin damage, discoloration, inflammation and a weakened barrier) of blue light.
Read More: Which facial is best? Liberty has the answer
try...
Ultra Violette
Lean Screen SPF 50+ Mattifying Zinc SKINSCREEN™ 50ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Kiehl's
Ultra Light Daily Defense SPF 50 Lotion 60ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Sarah Chapman
Eye Insurance SPF 30 15ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Dermalogica
Prisma Protect SPF30 50ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Trish McEvoy
Beauty Booster Anti-Fatigue Cream SPF 30 55ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
QMS Medicosmetics
Active Glow Tinted Day Cream SPF 15 30ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Dr Sebagh
Sun & City Protection SPF 50+ 50ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Barrier Repair
The skin barrier, or scientifically the stratum corneum, is the outermost layer that protects against the harsh outside world, responsible for keeping the good things (like moisture) in, and the bad things (like pollutants) out. Protecting your skin barrier is important, mitigating the risk of redness, dryness, itching and flare-ups. Enter: barrier repair products. These formulas work to rebuild or fill-in gaps within the skin barrier, helping to improve its built-in shield.
Skincare Acids
Put simply, skincare acids are ingredients that are commonly used for exfoliation and hydration. They are usually categorised into two groups: alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) like glycolic acid and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) like salicylic acid. Some loosen the bonds between dead skin cells and the upper layers of the skin, while others help to clear out pores, leaving you with a brighter, smoother complexion.
try...
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Alpha Beta AHA/BHA Daily Cleansing Gel 225ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
LIXIRSKIN
Night Switch BHA/AHA 10% 15ml Serum
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Paula's Choice
Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant 118ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
REN Clean Skincare
Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic 250ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel 5 Pack
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Sunday Riley
Good Genes Glycolic Acid Treatment 50ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Aesop
B and Tea Balancing Toner 200ml
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Free UK Standard delivery within 5 working days on all orders over £100
Cloud Skin
Now we know glowing skin will always be in – nothing beats a glass-skin glow in summer – but as of recent, cloud skin has become the next beauty craze on TikTok and making us consider whether we ought to ease up on our highlighter. The new trend offers a soft-matte alternative to sheeny complexions, thanks to strategically mixing skincare and makeup to achieve an ethereal, cherub-like glow rather than a wet-like gleaming finish. It's the best bits of dewy, glowing and matte skin rolled into one look.
