Dry Winter Skin? Add Milk!
One of the things I like about the weather turning colder is being able to switch over to my creamy makeup products. Reinstating my daily uniform of long sweaters with leggings and booties is also a plus. From the vantage point of your Instagram feed, summertime in NYC might look like an intoxicating mix of rooftop parties, beach weekends, and sipping frosé whilst wearing oversized shades—in reality, it’s really more of a mad, sweaty dash from one sweltering subway platform to another, accompanied by endless tourists and the smell of hot trash in the air. While pulling your dripping t-shirt from its permanent cling to your cleavage, you might start to seriously consider getting Botox injected into every sweat gland on your body. But alas, the cold air has started to twist its way through the towering skyscrapers and down into the subway tunnels, bringing a sigh of relief from sweaty girls all over the 212.
The matte makeup style I tend to sport in the hot summer days, to help absorb oil and sweat (and the occasional tear) from my face, gets quickly replaced by my more creamy makeup formulas in the fall and winter. My skin gets dryer around my nose in cold weather, so I make weekly moisturizing masks my best friend (one of my favorites by Caudalie here). I also use a gentle peel once a week to help slough off some of the dead skin—but don’t be tempted to exfoliate too much! My esthetician recently told me that over-scrubbing dry skin will only weaken the skin’s protective top layer, allowing the elements to dry out your skin even more (try Dr.G Brightening Peeling Gel weekly—it will work wonders with peeling, flaky skin).
My two favorite creamy formulas from the Milk Makeup line, launched in 2016 by fashion and beauty industry veteran, Zanna Roberts Rassi, include their Matte Bronzer in “Baked” (don’t let the matte part confuse you—it just means it doesn’t have any shimmer but it’s still creamy) and the Lip + Cheek gel—my favorite and universally flattering shade is “Quickie” but they have a small range of colors from bright to subtle. I like to draw the bronzer on with the stick below my cheekbones, across my forehead, and at the edges of my jawline. I then use either a beauty blender sponge or this incredible brush by RMS Beauty, to blend the bronzer in. I then take my smaller blush beauty blender and pick up some of the gel blush from the tip of the applicator. I bounce it across my cheeks and blend it out to make it sheer and natural, building more as needed. The creamy formula of these two products help your skin to look more dewy and natural as your summer color fades and your skin loses its luster from the colder air.
When I use the Milk Makeup bronzer and gel blush, I notice my complexion looks more radiant and I love how it absorbs beautifully into my now dryer skin. If you prefer a more low maintenance makeup application, the stick formula glides on easily and you can just use your fingers to blend! Spritzing on some skin refreshing mist throughout the day can help your skin stay hydrated and refresh your creamy makeup with less need for touchups. My favorite is the Caudalie Beauty Elixir—I keep the travel size in my purse all winter!
