Foundation is hard enough without having to worry about “Winter Face.” It’s what becomes of our faces six months out of the year— the dryness, dullness, inexplicable oily patches, blotchiness, and flaking that result from getting slapped in the face with freezing winds outside and having the moisture sapped from your skin by dry, stale, heated air inside. Even worse, when you apply foundation in an effort to hide all that horribleness, it can often accentuate those dry patches and end up looking weirdly cakey. Is wintry weather wreaking havoc with your looks? Don’t despair—with these tips and tricks, your makeup can withstand everything the season throws at it.
Starting with moisturized skin is like keeping your car oiled it’ll be easier to run foundation over it when you get ready. Powerful masks provide deep, intense hydration with nourishing ingredients. Use them once a week and see how much your face needs it.
Skin care prep comes from washing your face every day. Go for something gentle which removes makeup, tones, and cleanses without rinsing or letting water dry out your skin — or First Aid Beauty’s Milk Oil Conditioning Cleanser, which removes makeup and dirt while smoothing skin with avocado and coconut oil.
The last step before grabbing your makeup is obviously using a great moisturizer. Makeup artist Suzy Gerstein suggests looking for “products with moisturizing and anti-inflammatory ingredients to combat the flakiness and irritation that characterize winter skin.” If you have oily skin, try a gel product that absorbs immediately and minimizes pores. You don’t need a primer if you’ve followed all of the above steps, but it doesn’t hurt.
When your lips get dry and you’re out having fun, don’t touch up with lipstick! “If you’ve done a bold matte lip for a night out, rather than touch up with the lipstick you’ve used, which can start to feel dry and yucky as the night goes on, throw a tinted lip balm into your bag in a bright shade and touch up with that instead.
With your skin so sensitive and dry, it’s better to ease up on product use in the winter. A little blush or bronzer on your cheeks will do, but really, the rosy redness from the cold weather will go a long way naturally. Focus on your eyes, using waterproof mascara. Using a setting spray is always the perfect finish.
