In 2015, in a bedroom in Essex, England, a woman named Jade Elliott started a makeup brand. By 2018, Bluegem's own release says, it was an Instagram native brand, bought by Bluegem II LP, with Elliott staying on as a minority shareholder, founder and creative director. Three years from a bedroom to an acquisition is fast, and it tells you what kind of brand this is: one that was built where people look at faces, on a phone.

That is why I rate ICONIC London for what it is. The brand calls itself world-famous for its glow-giving products, and says it draws on busy city life in vibrant London. It says everything is cruelty-free and the brushes are vegan, and the hero of the range is the Illuminator, a liquid highlighter in drops. The US site lists four shades: Original, Blush, Glow and Shine, ranging from champagne shimmer to pink pearl to terracotta bronze. It is the product the whole line is built around, and the one I would start with.

The trick is to read Grid 1 as a face, top to bottom. The Super Smoother Blurring Skin Tint goes on first, and the Sheer Bronze Liquid Bronzer and Instant Sunshine Bronzing Drops add warmth. The Blurring Blush Cream to Powder Lip and Cheek Stick does cheeks and lips in one move, and the Illuminator goes on the high points last. Then the Prep-Set-Glow Hydrating Glowy Setting Spray finishes it, with the Lip Plumping Gloss and Liquid Brow Silk Max Hold Gel to tidy up. It is a short routine.

Put your primer on, wait a full minute, then look at your skin in daylight. If it is still tacky, your base will slide later, and no powder will fix that.

The Underglow Blurring Primer launched alongside the Super Smoother skin tint around August 2022, per industry press, so the two were introduced as a pair. The Velvet Blur Translucent Setting Powder is the next step for a shine-prone T-zone, and the Filter Fix Prep Set Blur Setting Spray is the lighter way to lock it all in if powder feels heavy on you. Together they make a soft-focus finish that still looks like skin.

For colour, the Rollaway Glow Highlighter is the ICONIC London pick for a fast touch-up, and the highlighter I would carry in a bag. The Soft Touch Buildable Blurring Blush is for people who want to build cheek colour slowly, and the Lustre Lip Oil and Cloud Kiss Matte Lip Mousse are two opposite lips: one glossy, one soft and matte. The Triple Threat Mascara is the eye step that finishes the face.

A pairing I like: the Lustre Lip Oil pressed over the Cloud Kiss mousse. It softens the matte edge and gives you a wet centre without a full gloss.

What I would skip: powder over the whole face if you are using the liquid highlighters. Set the T-zone and leave the cheeks alone.

Swatch a liquid highlighter on your cheekbone, not your hand. The hand always looks gold, and the cheekbone is the truth.

If you like the idea of the Illuminator, this grid is how you compare. Gitti's All Glow Liquid Highlighter and Chantecaille's Liquid Lumière Highlighter sit at the quiet end of the category, and Surratt's Artistique Liquid Highlight is the one for people who want a more polished, artist-style finish. Marc Jacobs' Money Shot Multi-Use Illuminating Gel Highlighter is a gel, so it feels different on the skin, and REFY's Gloss Highlighter blurs the line between highlighter and lip gloss.

Charlotte Tilbury's Beauty Highlighter Wand is the most familiar wand format here, and Valentino's V-Lighter Illuminating Face Primer and Highlighter does two jobs, which is handy if you are short on time. Drunk Elephant's B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops with 5% niacinamide is the skincare-minded one, and I would use it on days when I want a light glow under foundation, not on top.

What I would skip: a thick shimmer on skin with texture or visible bumps. Put it only on the high points of the cheekbone and the brow bone, and leave the rest.

Hold the setting spray at arm's length and close your eyes. Two or three mists is plenty, and anything more just makes foundation streak.

Setting sprays are the last step, and the Prep-Set-Glow from the first grid has plenty of company. Saie's CitySet Lightweight Hydrating Setting Spray with 16-Hour Wear and Milk Makeup's Hydro Grip 12HR Dewy Setting Spray With Hyaluronic Acid + Niacinamide are the two I would try first for a dewy finish. Too Faced's Peach Mist Hydrating Setting Spray is the playful one, and MAC's Fix+ Stay Over Alcohol-Free 24HR Hydrating + Multitasking Setting spray is the old-school, multi-use one.

Glowy blush is the natural next step. Huda Beauty's Blush Filter Soft Glow Liquid Blush and MAC's Strobe Beam Illuminating Liquid Blush with Buildable Coverage bring shine with the colour, and Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is the one that goes the furthest from a tiny dot. Summer Fridays' Blush Butter Balm is the creamy one, and my pick for dry skin.

What I would skip: a liquid blush over a finished powder base. Apply it before powder, or use a cream blush over a bare patch.

Honestly, I would buy the Illuminator first and the skin tint second. A liquid highlighter changes a face in one drop, and the tint gives it something smooth to sit on. If you like what happens, add the Prep-Set-Glow mist and stop there, because the rest of the grids is optional. Keep one blush in the drawer for the days the glow feels too cool, and one brow gel for the rest.

Jade Elliott started in an Essex bedroom with a phone and an idea. You have a mirror, a window and two dots of glow on your cheekbones. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The ILIA Skin Tint and Six Lip Tints and Ciele Skin Tint.