5 makeup artist-approved foundations to wear this winter
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Regardless of your skin type, we all fall victim to the moisture-sucking tag team of winter air and rising central heating temperatures. While obvious woes include visible discolouration, texture and dryness, those with oily to acne-prone skin can also experience a flux of breakouts thanks to excessive oil production.
I’m someone who feels strongly about switching up your skincare routine to match your environment. As an oily-skin beauty editor who gets both small sebum-filled bumps across her forehead and dry patches around my nose and cheeks during the coldest and driest weeks, I’ve learned to successfully target dehydration-caused acne and flaky skin a little bit differently.
Rather than spot-treating with drying lotions and AHAs, I’ve found that using both a light, hydrating serum and a rich moisturizer (I typically avoid creamy moistures throughout most of the year) magically soothes and eliminates all irritations caused by dehydration. In addition to modifying my skincare routine, I like to swap out any mattifying foundations during the winter for lighter formulas to prevent a cakey finish.
According to Toronto-based makeup artist and content creator Stephanie Valentine, better known as Glamzilla, the key to a healthy-looking complexion during the winter months is picking a foundation that works best for your skin condition.
“If you are someone who has dry [and thirsty-looking] skin, look for hydrating and nourishing foundations with a creamier and lightweight consistency,” says Valentine. “Your makeup is only as good as the skin underneath it.”
In addition to switching up your foundation, Valentine also suggests regular exfoliating to get rid of dead skin cells and to avoid patchy makeup applications.
“By the same token, make sure you’re quenching your skin’s thirst by using a good moisturizer...and your skin will surely shine through to give you a healthy glow” she adds.
If you’re on the hunt for a new winter foundation, here are Valentine’s top picks.
L’Oreal Infallible 24H Fresh Wear Liquid Foundation
Worth the hype, this breakthrough longwear foundation provides medium-to-full coverage that lasts all day while still allowing your skin to breathe. Its ultra-thin liquid consistency glides on smoothly to give a fresh, healthy-looking complexion. Colour stays true and blends in evenly, so your makeup looks fresh all day without transfer.
Non-comedogenic and formulated with SPF, this foundation is suitable for all skin types and is available in 30 versatile shades for every skin tone.
Shop it: Amazon, $17
Maybelline Fit Me! Dewy + Smooth Foundation
Available in 24 shades and perfect for normal to dry skin, this cult-favourite foundation hydrates rough patches and smoothes skin texture to leave a naturally luminous finish. For extra protection, it’s also infused with SPF 18.
For the best results, apply onto skin and blend with either your fingers or a blending sponge.
Shop it: Ulta, $11
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Skin Perfector
Makeup meets skincare with this luxurious tinted moisturizer. Offering a sheer tint of coverage for an effortless, no-makeup look, just a dollop of this lightweight formula delivers a dewy finish while improving your skin over time. Made with a hydrating complex of macadamia and kukui seed oils, it helps increase the skin's moisture levels for up to 24-hours while reducing the signs of visibly dry skin.
Available in 20 flexible shades.
Shop it: Sephora, $59
Nars Sheer Glow Foundation
Adored by celebrity makeup artists everywhere, this foundation offers buildable coverage for a finish that enhances the look of skin, without masking the natural complexion. Powered by the NARS’s Complexion Brightening Formula, (vitamin C and turmeric), it brightens and enhances the skin’s radiance, diminishing the look of discolouration and dullness.
In an independent consumer study over the course of four weeks, 96% of people said it evened out skin tone, 92% said skin felt moisturized while another 92% said their skin looked brighter and more radiant.
Best of all, it’s available in 40 shades.
Shop it: Sephora $63
Becca Cosmetics Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation
A flexible, liquid foundation made from pigments that blur and perfect skin tone for light, buildable coverage and a radiant finish. A little goes a long way with this foundation — a weightless drop of fluid imparts subtle luminosity that blurs imperfections while leaving a soft-focus glow.
The foundation features a curated array of nine shades that flatter almost all skin tones.
Shop it: Sephora, $58
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