The instructions for Pat McGrath’s Skin Fetish: Glass 001 Artistry Mask are deceptively simple: use a tapered brush to apply it in thin, even layers, allowing each?to dry before moving on to the next. Why am I trying to look like a porcelain doll??

I’m attempting to recreate a catwalk look made famous by McGrath last year for the Maison Margiela SS24 couture runway. Hyper-glassy and super-glossy, the models’ faces looked both artificial yet mesmerising, and the look has since proliferated into the mainstream as the #glassskin trend. McGrath’s commercial version recently debuted, and I am curious to find out if it works in real life.?

I squeeze some of the gel-like substance on to the back of my hand and do as McGrath says. Four layers later, the result is amusingly cyborg-esque: I look embalmed, yes, but in a decidedly futuristic way, and the peel-off process is satisfying.

It took McGrath a year to develop?the mask as a commercial product, but she’d been toying with the idea for longer. “For many years, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of radiant, glass-like skin, and have been testing products to perfect the phenomenon,” says McGrath, adding that the outsized response to the Margiela look accelerated the release of what might have seemed a niche catwalk product. A broader pipeline of radiance-boosting products is expected to follow this year.?

Learn from the Koreans and layer shine-boosting skincare for a dewy, rather than merely shimmery, finish

McGrath’s peel-off mask sits at the theatrical end of the spectrum, but her inspiration lies in the dewy complexions of South Korea. According to New York-based dermatologist Jane Yoo, Korea’s sky-high beauty standards have for centuries glorified flawless glass skin. The look as we know it gained traction in the 2010s, when Hallyu – the Korean cultural wave – propelled Korean make-up artists and, by association, their favourite beauty brands, to global fame. Enter 10-step skincare routines, sheet-mask fridges and techniques such as “slugging”, where a layer of petroleum jelly is applied before bed. Popular “glass skin” products in the K-beauty canon include COSRX, Aestura and Beauty of Joseon.

Charlotte Palermino, co-founder of Dieux Skin, was introduced to glass skin eight years ago while working as editorial director at Snap Inc. Today she makes videos about (and is often complimented on) her glossy complexion – the result of consistent use of exfoliating retinol and hydrating products including Experiment Beauty’s Super Saturated Serum and Dieux’s own Instant Angel Moisturiser. According to Palermino, who for years struggled with dry, rosacea-prone skin, the phenomenon is simply “hydrated skin with a refined-pore look”. She has found a dew-enhancing routine far more comfortable than matte, powdery finishes.??

COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, from $9 for 30ml

Experiment Super Saturated Barrier Support Serum, $28 for 40ml

Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream, ￡18.19 for 80ml, amazon.co.uk

Then I Met You Rosé Resurfacing Facial Mask, ￡46 for 50g

Often the skin you’ll see online is the work of “a lot of filters”, warns Palermino, noting that in Korea especially, topical products are just the tip of an iceberg encompassing beauty supplements, high-tech injectables, lasers and invasive procedures. But the right products can give your skin a plumper, more refined texture. Palermino suggests seeking out pore-refining niacinamide (see Dieux’s Deliverance Serum), encapsulated retinols such as IOPE’s Retinol Expert, and Medik8’s Crystal Retinal to increase skin cell turnover and skin tone-evening glycolic acid (Dr Shereene Idriss’ Flash Mask and Then I Met You’s Rosé Resurfacing Facial Masks are two favourites).

And while a good highlighter can also up the shine factor, learn from the Koreans and layer shine-boosting skincare for a dewy, rather than merely shimmery, finish. Viral hits such as d’Alba’s First Spray Serum and the Kahi Wrinkle Bounce Multi Balm work thanks to their moisturising oil-infused formulas, which hydrate the skin while adding a glossy layer. Reapply on top of make-up throughout the day for glass skin that lasts.?

As for my own experiment with glass skin: the look isn’t one I see myself adopting – as an oily-skin girl, my life’s goal has been to eliminate, not amplify, my skin’s reflectiveness. Even for fancy-dress parties, you’d have to stay expressionless for it to stay pristine. But as an exercise in extreme glassiness, it’s fun, painless and contains glycerine, rosewater and other hydrating and soothing ingredients, so it might do my skin some good.