Makeup Tips for Winter’s Bold New Face

To look beautiful in the winter, you have to use a makeup strategy that’s different from the one you use in July. Sticking with summer’s bronzer just looks fake.

Winter’s light is whiter and less yellow than summer light, so it’s apparent your color boost came from product rather than the sun. What’s more refreshing and modern is giving winter its own signature face.

This year, the frosty shades and tinsel-like shine of winters past are gone. Elegant matte texture has taken their place, and lips and cheeks are swept with bright pops of candy color. Yes, it’s a bold statement that can look Cirque du Soleil rather than chic if you get it wrong. Here’s how to get it right!

1. Add richer moisturizers to your skin care regimen. Those whipping winds outside and dry heating indoors can leave your skin parched and chapped. Matte foundation can catch on these dry patches, so you need to make sure your skin is plumped up and well-hydrated.

Applying a thick moisturizer in the morning can add sheen to a matte face; instead, hydrate before bedtime with a luxurious extra-emollient night cream.

2. Go matte with minimal product. Yes, you need a new foundation for winter. Stick with the dewy base you used in summer and you’ll have to layer on lots of powder to dull the sheen. Instead, choose a matte textured foundation in your exact shade and apply sparingly. Set it with a light dusting of translucent powder applied with a large, loosely bristled powder brush.

3. Flatter your eyes with subtle makeup. Winter’s bold, bright look is focused on lips or cheeks. While you don’t want to overlook your eyes, you will want to enhance them with neutral makeup.

First, give them a bit of a boost by applying a thin black line with a cream or liquid liner very close to the lash line. Define the crease of your lid with a neutral shade of brown or gray shadow.

Apply with a crease brush in a half-moon shape. Curl your lashes, and then apply two coats of black mascara.

4. Choose between your cheeks or lips for the bold pop of color. If you have full lips with pout to spare, go for an assertive mouth. If your cheekbones are high, do an amazing blush flush. Pick only one area or you’ll look overdone.

For your color choices, think flowers and fruit rather than jewels – juicy red, rosy pink, ripe peach. Fair-skinned ladies look best in cooler pastel shades, while darker beauties should choose warm, blue-based shades.

5. If you’ve chosen your lips for that extra oomph, apply a matte lipstick straight from the tube. You’ll want to skip the liner so the look is soft. A nice bonus: Matte lipstick lasts longer than satin textures, so you won’t need to touch up for hours. Balance a bold mouth with a soft, natural blush along the cheekbone.

6. Playing up your cheeks? Moderation is key. Apply too much color and you’ll look like you have windburn. Apply too little and the effect doesn’t pack enough punch. Most cream formulas have a sheen finish, so choose a powder blush, which layers beautifully over matte skin.

With an angled blush brush, apply the color right along your cheekbone. Building up color slowly as opposed to heaping it on will keep you from looking clownish. Finish with a slight touch of color to lips.

Embrace bright color this season and you’ll beat the winter blahs gorgeously!

Tasha Reiko Brown is a celebrity makeup artist who helps get young Hollywood radiant for photo shoots and countless red-carpet events, including the Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes.