How to Use Makeup to Get Flushed Winter Cheeks and Lips

Cheek and lip stain

Sometimes, your best accessory is a glowing complexion. If you don't have the time for a complicated makeup routine yet still want to look your best with the changing seasons, you are in luck with the arrival of chilly weather. During this time of year, cheeks and lips get naturally redder with exposure to cold air. You can perfect the look by making sure nothing but your cheeks and lips are ruddy. Although you won't be heavily made up, you'll certainly appear polished enough to make a winter style statement.

Things You'll Need

• Oil-free moisturizer
• Makeup primer
• Foundation and concealer
• Large fluffy brush
• Translucent powder
• Brow color and grooming tools
• Double-duty cheek and lip stain
• Lip balm

Instructions

1. Prep face for makeup with a non-greasy moisturizer. After moisturizer absorbs into skin, dot and blend on a makeup primer to give skin a smooth finish.

2. Apply foundation and concealer as usual to give your natural-looking winter flush a clean base. Any redness and unevenness in skin tone should be concealed. With a large fluffy brush, dust translucent powder over face to matte skin by getting rid of excess oils. Groom and fill brows in with color to create a clean frame for eyes and face. You don't want scraggly hairs or sparseness in your brows to pull the focus from your glowing cheeks and lips.

3. Find a cheek and lip stain in a shade slightly deeper than your natural coloring. Using one product for both cheeks and lips ensures color harmony that prevents you from engaging in guesswork. Dab a thin layer of the product on the apples of your cheeks and blend with clean fingers before it dries. You'll know that your end results are professional by how your blush appears to seamlessly emanate from within instead of sitting on top of your face with evident telltale streaks.

4. Moisturize lips and allow balm to seep in before proceeding. Lip stains, which are long-wearing, can be drying so you want to make sure your lips are protected when you use them. Pat lip stain onto the center of both top and bottom lips before blending outwards towards your lip line. This technique creates an aptly named stained effect, which you can get when you use any highly pigmented lip color. Since a lip stain has a flat--not glossy--texture, it is an ideal tool to use to make lips appear flushed from a walk in the winter cold.

5. Step back to check on the finished product. If you think your cheek color is too strong, tone it down with a light dusting of translucent powder.

Tips & Warnings

• For nighttime events, you may pat highlighter on the tops of cheekbones for subtle shimmer.

Resources

• Making the most of your complexion during winter
• Light makeup application for winter