Most of us have been riding the summer wave for so long with our glorious Autumn, blue skies and trips to the beach seemed to just keep on going. Now June has arrived and I don’t know about you, but I can definitely feel that cold chill in the air!
Winter is upon us and that means so are the beauty trends…
Our skin may become a little dryer, we may layer more clothes, but it doesn’t mean we have to dull out our makeup; in fact winter is time to be a bit creative!
Just as we layer our clothes to keep warm and add different textures in fashion through the colder months, this is what can be done with makeup.
Layering eye shadows to create different effects is a fave of mine, sticking to the contouring, highlight and shade, philosophy of makeup artistry.
You may have a deep base colour, but then layer another shade over the top and the two shades create a different take on what you thought the two separately could look like.
Add a metallic over a matte and you create volume compared to a flat surface where the matte would lie, it’s all about trying different things and mixing textures together, as long as there is balance and the shades are correct for your skin tone, you will have a winner!
MB PRO TIP: Gone are the days where winter makeup shades were only smokey greys and wine lips…
It’s fun to change it up and use rich tones in winter, but to suit all skin tones, red lips and golden tones across the eyes give a little brightness to what could be a dull winter look.
For the fair skins out there, winter may of scared you in the past…
Having pale skin with a pink undertone can mean traditional winter shades, smokey grey eyes and wine lips, could have turned your look into a Goth inspired makeup… It didn’t uplift and almost made you look paler.
It’s important to still wear colours that uplift your skin tone, no matter what season it is…
Fair skin can add warmth to their look by still wearing rich golds, bronze, copper eyes and stained red, chocolate, or even mix the two for a brick style lip.
Stay away from pinks as your skin may get pink with the cold weather and an orange lip, lets just keep that for summer!
Olive skin tones can wear winter shades very well…
Blue base wine style lips are perfect for the yellow undertone running through the skin. Smokey grey shades also work well for your tone, but maybe change it up and add some plum, navy or khaki to the eye, so it is not always a charcoal base… Of course you two can wear coppers and bronze, but if your eye colour is also brown, this will not create a great contrast, therefore not bringing out your eye colour.
A few of my fave Winter Beauty Trends are;
Bold Brows – adds frame, definition and can be anti-ageing for women with large or puffy lids.
Graphic Eyes – bringing back the liquid liner flick is bold, fierce yet feminine, but also lifts your eyeline.
Strong Cheekbones – Its winter, our nose and cheeks can go red, less blush and more contour for shape,
Deep, Bold Lips – This is the season to vamp it up… Show off your lips, especially if your fashion shades are dark.
This image ties all of these into one…
Let’s break it down…
Complexion
Our skin can get a little dryer in winter, so it is important to put all that energy you may have had into shine control in summer, into add moisture and ‘Spend Time on the Prime’ in winter.
A good skincare routine is vital, but also a primer that is moisturizing will work a treat to make sure your foundation lasts all day.
MB PRO TIP: When foundation disappears throughout the day, it is often caused by dry skin.. The skin is sucking in any oils or moisture possible to feed its need and therefore the foundation suffers from this and disappears.
Foundation trends are traditionally semi-matte for winter and this still is the case today. Dewy or really shiny foundation only works when the overall makeup look is light, or when using fresh tones.
Because in winter the tones applied to the face are rich and deep, the skin is not as big a focus as in summer.
Eyes
Using a matte base colour in a taupe/caramel/bronzer style shade is perfect, as always, to apply across the entire eyelid, especially into the socket area and lower lash line.
This base colour actually does so much as it becomes the base frame and ‘sculpting’ stencil for the eye, making it easier to apply any other shade over it.
In winter, I love to use rich metallic shades on the mobile lid only – these shades do not enter the socket as they are metallic, they can attract light in an area we want to recede and lift – this will add light and volume to the mobile lid, contrasting from the matte socket and I use shades such as rich gold, copper, bronze or light metallic plum.
The lash line should always be deeper than the rest of the eye area..
If a liquid line is not your style, a kohl pencil drawn across the lash line, then slightly smudged is also a great look…
Don’t be afraid to add colour here, especially if your eyes are brown – a rich navy, plum or even green can work wonders on contrasting your eye colour to bring it forward.
For the perfect winged eye, it needs to be stenciled out while the eyes are open… This does make sense, as you do not walk around with your eyes closed, so apply the line knowing how the skin around your eye sits when they open!
MB PRO TIP: Place your liquid liner or a pencil from end of your nose, to end outer corner of your eye, it should show a diagonal line…. This is your angle of winged liner flick… When you close your eyes, some skin around the area can move, creating a dip if you do not trace, or at least start to apply the flick with your eyes open – this will get you the perfect ‘upward lift’ flick everytime.
Brows
Bold brows do so much and in winter they are everything!
I feel in summer they are carefree, filled in if gaps are present, but brushed up and natural. Winter is the rime to style your brows, adding more depth and shape, as they really can be the lifting effect every woman wants.
Having a styled, bold brow does mean you wear less eye makeup, so great for the time poor as they lift and shape for you, perfect balance when sporting a bold lip!
I apply a brow powder on any gaps in the brow, but mainly at the top of the brow, adding height and depth, then brush the hairs over the line drawn so it becomes less visible.
Lips
This look looks best with a bold lip…
From cherry reds to deep wines, they can all work on the right skin tone.
As mentioned above, fair skin should use a warm red, or cherry red, to not pale out the skin further and olive skins can go the real blood, blue base reds and wines.
As always, I apply my lipstick with my fingertip, pressing in the pigment to bond lipstick to lip immediately.
I then use a brush to define the lip further and only if needed use a lip liner to sharpen edges… The look at the moment is more of a stain effect, so looking not to placed for the lips is a good thing.
So style it up ladies, have fun with makeup in winter, layer textures and shades to create new ones and don’t forget you can wear colour, in small doses, during these cooler months.
