The confusing thing about having oily skin is that when it gets cold out, your complexion can still get extremely dry while still producing excess oil. I say this as someone who looks like a greaseball at the end of the day if I don’t stay on top of it. So imagine my surprise the other night when I looked in the mirror and saw my nose flaking.
Of course, this led me not only to add two more hydrating sprays to my already revamped winter skincare routine, but also to reevaluate the makeup products I’ve been using this season. Considering the first point (I have oily skin), I can’t exactly cut out my mattifying products entirely; however, I did take a closer look at many of the complexion items I've been using lately. Some were mattifying, others were self-setting, and I noticed that quite a few of them accentuated the flakiness that the cold New York City weather exacerbates every winter. This made me realize that I don’t necessarily need to double up on oil-wicking products, so I swapped out a few for some of my favorite makeup products for dry skin.
In addition to switching up my foundation to a more hydrating formula or two, I also swapped out my color correctors and concealers, and I have to say, I think I’ve found my go-to winter complexion makeup. If you’re in a similar boat, keep reading for the products that made the cut, from one oily girl still struggling with winter dryness to another.
Color Correcting Cuties
As someone with dark circles and hyperpigmentation almost everywhere, I always use a color corrector in my makeup routine. The ones listed below not only have a gorgeous shade range, but they’re ultra creamy and feel more like eye creams than makeup.
Kosas finished its “Revealer” series with this color corrector, and it’s one of my favorite launches from the brand. This product has that gorgeous serum-like texture similar to the concealer, but it comes in a lovely range of shades that can be used as a true color corrector (I use Fantasy) or a brightener on top of your concealer.
In a similar vein, Caliray’s Hideaway color corrector glides on like butter and comes in a jaw-dropping 10 shades, so there's a color for everyone. I find this to be a bit more pigmented than the Kosas one, and a mix of the shades “Glowy Rays” and “Sunset” basically blends into my skin tone, so sometimes I just use them in place of concealer.
Concealer, Please
Whether I’m doing a full beat or a five-minute face, concealer is a nonnegotiable for me. The two below are perfect for anyone with dry undereyes who also doesn’t want to compromise on coverage.
This concealer is new to my collection, and I'm shocked by how good it is. Not only does the Bright Spot concealer offer an incredible shade range, but it is also full-coverage. I'm talking, you’ll look like you have newborn baby skin, full coverage. The best part? It feels moisturizing and pliable on the skin and doesn’t make my face look cakey or feel heavy.
Glossier’s Stretch Concealer is one of my favorite OG hydrating formulas. Points off for the pot packaging, but otherwise it’s pretty perfect. It offers buildable, medium coverage, and legitimately feels like you have nothing on your skin. If you hate the feeling of makeup, add this to your collection.
Skin Tints or Bust
Skin tints will always have a place in my makeup bag. Lightweight and breathable, the two below are perfect to layer over moisturizer and feel like an extension of your skincare routine.
This skin tint genuinely makes me feel like I’m slathering my skin with a gel moisturizer that has a bit of pigment. It’s perfect for anyone with oily skin who doesn’t want to layer a thicker moisturizer under a dense foundation. Plus, the pump packaging keeps everything super hygienic, which I love.
I firmly believe that the Lisa Eldridge Seamless Enhancing Skin Tint is one of the best complexion products on the market. It’s made of 78 percent skincare, and when you put it on, you can tell. It feels as if you were to mix hyaluronic acid into your foundation; it doesn’t significantly affect coverage, but it just thins out the formula. The result is a tint that glides onto the skin effortlessly and can be built up in specific areas for more coverage.
Only Dewy Foundations, Darling
For my full beat queens, yes, there are dewy foundations out there that can help your skin thrive in the winter. The two below are the ones I’ve been reaching for the most this season.
I wasn’t sure about this foundation at first, but it’s become one of my favorites this year, and it definitely deserves its spot. I thought it might be too dewy for my oily skin, but especially around this time of year, it’s been a godsend for my makeup routine. The stunning glass packaging doesn’t hurt either.
Natasha Denona’s Hy-Glam Foundation is another foundation launch that shocked me this year. It comes in 35 shades, and the formula is a dewy foundation lover’s dream. The luminosity it imparts makes this formula perfect for people with dry or mature skin, and it hugs the face like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
For the Luxury Lovers
Luxury beauty lovers, I haven’t forgotten about you. The foundations below dominate the prestige category and are more than worth the splurge.
It took a second launch to find my correct foundation match, but I love this Dior formula so much that I was actually using the lighter shade (4W) as concealer until my true shade (4.5N) came along. Besides my beloved Ami Colé formula (RIP), I have never experienced a stick foundation that glides onto my skin so easily. While this one in particular is my favorite offering from Dior, pretty much all of the foundations that I’ve tried from the brand are phenomenal.
Ever since I learned that this Chantecaille formula is the foundation that Zendaya used on the set of Euphoria, I’ve been locked in. The brand relaunched the line earlier this year, adding a plant-based retinol alternative and Chaga Mushroom extract for even more skincare benefits. It’s a light to medium formula (and on the higher end of the cost spectrum), but trust me, it is worth every single penny.
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