Glow Recipe's Dew Drops Will Give You Highlighted Skin

We put Glow Recipe's Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops to the test after receiving a complimentary sample from the brand. Keep reading for our full product review.

Glow Recipe is known for creating effective, superfruit-powered skincare products in cheeky packaging. And with the launch of a "highlighting serum" within the watermelon family, it has officially dipped its toe into the shallow end of the makeup category. Joining cult favorites like the Pink Juice Moisturizer and Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask is the brand's Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops ($34). Completely free of glitter, mica, and pearl, this is a pigment-free highlight formulated as a serum. 

(You can actually use your Dew Drops three ways: as a primer, as a serum, or as a highlight on the high points of the face). Curious what this makeup-skincare hybrid looks like on the skin? Same—I got my hands on it so that I could spill all of the (very juicy) details. Keep reading for my thoughts on Glow Recipe's latest addition to the beauty world.

About My Skin: Combination, but dry in the winter

For the bulk of the year, my skin can be classified as combination. It's typically dry around my cheeks, forehead, under-eyes, and jawline, but oily between my eyebrows, on my chin, and around the corners of my nose. In the winter, things take a turn toward the dryer side, with my oilier areas becoming dry and flaky.

The Feel: Thin, slightly tacky viscosity

This product is very thin and doesn't feel heavy on the skin, but it's also not quite watery. Featuring a thicker viscosity than the brand's Pink Juice Moisturizer ($39)—but thinner than the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask ($45)—this goes on like a serum but dries to a slightly tacky texture. It's definitely not a sticky feeling—it's closer to the texture of a gripping primer; the tacky texture helps the serum stay in place so it can truly operate like a highlight.

The Ingredients

• Watermelon: Watermelon is the star ingredient in the Glow Recipe family, and is known for containing potent vitamins A and C, as well as delivering a plumping effect to the skin via amino acids.
• Niacinamide: Niacinamide is a well-known ingredient with antioxidant properties, and is formulated into skin care products to help even out skin tone and illuminate dullness.
• Hyaluronic Acid: HA is one of the most powerful hydrating ingredients currently understood in the dermatological field. It's a lightweight ingredient that miraculously holds 1000 times its weight in water.
• No mica, pearl, or glitter: While this isn't a specific ingredient callout, it's worth noting that this product is free of pigment, mica, pearl, and glitter, which means it goes on completely transparent on all skin tones and won't settle into lines or create unwanted texture.

How to Apply: As a primer, a serum, or highlight

This is a versatile product, and you have a few options when it comes to application. The first, according to the brand, is to use the product like an illuminating primer under your foundation (or to mix it into your foundation for a more dewy finish). On no makeup days, you can also use this serum on the high points of your face, applying it just like you would a true liquid highlight. (If you choose this application method, the brand recommends this be the last step in your skincare routine). Finally, you can use this product as a normal serum and layer it under your moisturizer morning or night.

The Results: It truly looks like I'm wearing highlight

I played around with all of the different ways you can use this product and found that my favorite method was to use it as a highlight. Just a few tiny drops on the high points of my face gave me a juicy, illuminated finish. And it dries down and stays in place (at least for a few hours before slowly getting absorbed into the skin). It genuinely looks like I packed on an expensive highlight, without having to apply makeup.

As mentioned earlier, if you choose to use this product as a highlight, the brand recommends you apply the drops as the final step in your skincare routine. But I found that when I applied SPF under these drops, a sunscreen I've used for years that has never pilled... pilled. I had a much better finish when I applied my sunscreen on top of the drops as the last step in my routine (which is what dermatologists recommend, anyway). Layering SPF on top didn't interfere with my glow—but as always, to each their own.

The Value: Priced fairly

At $34, Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops are priced similarly to the rest of the products in Glow Recipe's watermelon collection. For such a versatile product with ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, this is a pretty standard price point.

What to Look For: Texture and finish

Glow Recipe's Dew Drops are lightweight and layer-able, which is what makes them a triple-threat: illuminating primer, highlight, and serum. They can be worn pre- or post-makeup application and will stay put—even on oily skin. How you use this multi-purpose product will affect your final look, but you can bet that it will be bright and dewy.

Similar Products: You have options

Glossier Futuredew: Similar to Glow Recipe's Dew Drops, this product delivers a makeup-level glow in a skincare product. But unlike Glow Recipe's, the texture of Futuredew is much oilier and tends to slip around on your face. Glow Recipe wins as far as more targeted, highlighter-like application techniques, but Glossier's pick is $10 cheaper.

Ilia Liquid Light Serum Highlighter: This product produces a very similar result to Niacinamide Dew Drops, but this serum-highlighter hybrid definitely leans more makeup than skincare. For starters, there's pigment in these highlighters and they create a more pearlescent finish. This option also lacks the niacinamide found in Glow Recipe's highlighting serum and is a more expensive option at $42.