Everyday Makeup for Winter

It's been a long winter up north. We've gotten so much snow, though luckily the temperature hasn't dipped too far this year!

Despite my best efforts, every winter my skin ends up looking dry, pale, and when I'm walking to class in a snowstorm, patchy. I also work in an indoor pool so I have the chance to sweat off my makeup, too! For the past few months I've been constantly changing my makeup routine to try and withstand the weather, and I think I've finally found a combination that I love for the colder months that I can also wear to work!

Nyx Angel Veil Primer
I've found that a smooth surface really makes my makeup last all day! This primer is smoothing and controls my T-zone, which can get oily, especially during work. It's a total dupe for the Hourglass Veil Mineral primer, too!

L'Oreal Pro Glow
With my skin at it's absolute palest, and this being my lightest foundation, I was sure to use it a lot even if it didn't work so well. This is my favorite drugstore foundation and if you have dry skin or love a glowing finish, definitely check this out! It gives medium coverage, feels and looks light on the skin, and truly gives a luminous look. If you have oily skin you may prefer the Pro Matte or the newest Total Cover foundation, but for the winter this is my go-to.

Bareminerals Bareskin
I was on the fence about this concealer at first, but it has become one of my favorites. It doesn't have the greatest coverage but it blends seamlessly into the skin and it has a yellow tone that helps brighten my undereye area. It's super hydrating so I do like to set it immediately, otherwise it tends to crease!

Elf HD Setting Powder
The Pro Glow foundation leaves my skin a little tacky, so before applying my other powder products I like to set it with this translucent powder. It leaves a little bit of a white cast but it's nothing I can't manage.

Wet n Wild Contour palette in Caramel Toffee
The ashy-toned contour side of this duo is one of the best contour colors for my skin tone. The powder blends out really well and this is just the easiest compact to use! You get a tone of product in here as well, and if you make a mistake or use too much of the contour side you can lighten it up with the matte highlighting powder.

NARS Laguna
This bronzer is a staple for me. It's not too warm or cool, it's shimmery, and it basically does everything I want a bronzer to do. I wish I could put it all over my body so that I won't look like such a ghost in the winter!

Benefit Rockateur
Usually I prefer pinky/coral blush shades, but this rose gold has stolen my heart and I absolutely love it! Benefit's blush formula is one of my favorites, it's pigmented but easy to blend. This color doesn't look too bright for the season, either. To be honest the cold makes my cheeks so pink that I probably don't need blush at all!

Trestique Maldives Luminescence + Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone
I added this mini Trestique highlighting stick to my Project Pan challenge so I've been using it more often than I regularly would. I prefer cream highlighters when my skin is dry, I don't think they emphasize texture as much and they make my skin look really dewy and hydrated. If I want my highlight to really pop I'll add a powder, like Becca's Moonstone, on top.

Swatches from left to right: Caramel Toffee, Laguna, Rockateur, Maldives Luminescent, Moonstone

Rimmel Stay Matte powder
To keep my T-zone from getting oily (not usually a problem, but four hours in a pool takes its toll) I love this affordable matte powder! It's traceless and gets the job done.

Wet n Wild photofocus primer + Maybelline Linen
Long school days and eyeshadow don't really mix, so I've started strictly using a primer when I'm out for more than a few hours. I haven't had a single shade crease on me wearing this! I pat on the primer, focusing it on the crease, and then I set it with a cream-colored Maybelline shadow in Linen before going it with my other eyeshadows.

Anastasia Makeup by Mario palette (review)
I feel horrible mentioning this palette because it's no longer available, but it's all I've been using the past few weeks. I had taken a break from it to try out some new palettes but after I finished reviewing them, it was straight back to Anastasia. The colors are wearable but not boring and the formula is perfection. The matte shades are pigmented and easy to blend, and the shimmers look so beautiful on the lids.

Swatches from left to right: Hollywood, NYC, Kim, Muse, Marina Claudia

Swatches from left to right: Lula, Isabel, Violeta, 5th Ave, Bronx, Paris

L'Oreal Telescopic liquid eyeliner
I used to be a felt-tip pen kind of girl, but I think this is much easier to use for a wing and it stays in place all day, no matter what kind of snowstorm Michigan decides to throw at me. I think because you dip the fine nib into the pot of liquid liner, this is much blacker than a traditional pen liner.

Maybelline Colossal Big Shot*
I got this from Influenster a few months ago and I've really enjoyed it for nights out! The original Colossal mascara is my all-time favorite, but this one gives more volume and depth to the lashes. It's a little bit more clumpy than I typically go for but I've enjoyed experimenting with that sort of look.

Covergirl Sultry Sienna lipstick
I'm so done with matte finishes. My lips are dry as hell so even if I did reach for a matte shade it would look horrible. I've stuck to darker, creamy nudes like this recent discovery from Covergirl! Don't get me wrong, my liquid lipsticks and matte products will come back into play soon, but for now my lips need all the hydration they can get.

Swatches from left to right: Bare Linen, Telescopic eyeliner, Sultry Sienna

What products do you need for winter?
Xx Katie

An * denotes a product I was sent in exchange for an honest review!