Similar to how you make the switch from your summer to winter wardrobe, makeup sometimes needs to be swapped or slightly adjusted when temperatures drop to meet your skin’s demands during the coldest season. If you’re still doing your makeup the same exact way (and using the same exact skin creams and serums), you may be missing out on an opportunity to look your freshest best. Similarly, you could be buying into old myths about what winter makeup should look like — but the shades and tones that you’re using may not work for your skin tone. These winter makeup mistakes are adding years to your face, according to makeup artists. But they’re also incredibly simple to correct.
You Reach For Dark Makeup Colors
Winter makeup may evoke thoughts of deep berry lips and chocolate eyeshadows, but outside of the pages of magazines, these colors do not always work on all skin tones.
“It can be tempting when winter comes to switch to darker colors to go with the season, but if you have a lot of wrinkles, doing so (especially with lipstick) can exacerbate the issue, because it makes an uneven lip line (due to wrinkles) even more obvious,” said Mandie Brice, a makeup artist with celebrity experience, as well as the author of a makeup book and creator of an online makeup course. Be careful not to fall for the romanticism of dark winter makeup and instead choose shades that complement your skin tone.
You Aren’t Adjusting Your Foundation & Concealer Shades
While on the topic of makeup shades and undertones, another winter makeup mistake often made is not adjusting your foundation and concealer color, says Makeup Artist Brandi Boulet. “Many people continue to use the shades of foundation and concealer they used all summer, but most people tend to change shades during winter months,” Boulet said. “This leads to makeup looking like a mask, and you will notice a stark difference between the face and neck color. The best solution is to have a winter foundation match and a summer foundation match. That way you have two colors that suit your skin throughout the season, and you can mix them to match your skin for the in between time.”
You Aren’t Adding Warmth To Your Face
“Another makeup mistake that I see is not ‘warming up’ your face,” Boulet said. “Many people tend to lose their summer glow after the winter months settle in. This can lead to looking pale or ashy. Make sure to warm up your face with either a wipe on tan or some bronzer. This will bring back some of that summer glow we all love.”
And if your skin tone is on the lighter side and bronzer doesn’t suit you, a cream blush can bring back your eternal summer glow.
You’re Not Adjusting Your Skincare Routine To Colder Weather
You can have the greatest makeup routine in the world and the best products to boot, but if you aren’t starting out with soft, smooth, hydrated skin, you aren’t going to achieve the glow of your dreams.
“I think the biggest mistake that I see people making is not adjusting their skin care routine to accommodate up for the cold and dry winter months,” Boulet said. “When we don’t adjust our skin care routine, our skin can look dry and dull. This can lead to makeup looking uneven and can stick to dry spots and make it look more cakey than it should.”
Boulet suggests adding extra moisture to your skin to prevent your makeup from looking dry, dull and cakey on your face. “Depending on your skin, this could mean adding a more intense moisturizer or doing a few sleep masks a week,” Boulet said. “Another great trick is to get at least one facial with dermaplaning, where they will scrape the top layer of dead skin off of your face to reveal a fresher you.”
You’re Applying Too Much Powder/Makeup
There is too much of a good thing when it comes to makeup. And there’s one makeup product that will almost assuredly age you if not used sparingly (especially in the winter when your skin tends to be drier): powder formulas.
“In the summer, we tend to shy away from caking it on but as soon as the cold weather comes we feel we need to cover our ‘paleness’ with layers of makeup and more specifically, powders,” said Krysta Lewis, a professional MUA and founder of Aisling Organics. “This isn’t a great decision as in these chilly months, our skin tends to be much dryer than normal, so adding too much powder makes our skin appear dull and can accentuate dry, dead skin cells that lay on the surface.”
The better method would be to exfoliate at least once a week to remove the dead skin and flakiness, hydrate well with priming serum (Lewis suggests the Aisling All-in-One Priming Serum) and apply makeup as if it were the summer (only powder on the areas that tend to get shiny or a light set all over the face).
“For most people, creams tend to work better and are more flattering to the skin no matter the season,” Lewis said. “I often see mature women who only use powder or primarily use powder and I advise against it as when we age, we lose some of the luminosity in our skin. So adding layers of powder won’t make our skin look more youthful but yet instead older. I suggest only applying a thin pressed powder (such as the Green Tea & Rice Setting Powder by Aisling Organics) to the “T zone” or where you tend to get shiny.”
With a few swaps and tips, your winter makeup look can go from dry and cakey to radiant and glowing.
