A Changing Of Seasons... For Your Makeup?

Ah, seasonal changes... Going from summer to fall brings us pumpkin-spiced goodies, mugs of warm tea, time to spend with loved ones, and... swapping out your makeup? It seems that changing out your skincare or makeup products by season is a universal thought -- often backed by bloggers, fashion magazines, and perhaps even your own family!

In my most humble opinion -- no matter what season you're in, the type of foundation you use (whether it's a cream, liquid, a tinted moisturizer, or a BB cream) really depends on your preferred coverage. Our skin certainly changes with different weather conditions, but should makeup even be involved? If you're concerned about hydration, sun protection, and pore minimization it would seem that any changes in your skin from one season to the next should be taken care of with quality skincare products.  

I've never really been a fan of using makeup as skincare considering that makeup products are designed to sit on top of the skin and not penetrate, where as skincare products are supposed to penetrate. Another way to look at makeup-as-skincare is that if foundation (that is not supposed to penetrate the skin) has skin-enhancing ingredients, how much effect is it actually going to have?

Coming back to the matter of makeup coverage -- I find that most clients usually want lighter in the summer; brighter in the winter when it comes to their foundation performance. Since my skincare speciality is with Adult Acne, I can recognize that the foundation coverage needs for your skin might be different than for someone who can get away with not wearing much makeup in the summer. (The same goes for the wintertime when wearing a little more makeup is not as uncomfortable.)

In the end, instead of spending money on new 'types' of makeup for each season, the focus should really be about how to get the clog-free foundation coverage and feel needed in any season.

Here are a few ideas:

• A good talc-free, pure loose mineral makeup can be worn over a non-clogging concealer for versatile coverage. 

The mineral foundation can be dusted on with a large powder brush (as though it were a medium-coverage setting powder) or it can be applied in a more intense amount with a kabuki brush. For makeup coverage that minimizes your pores, a non-clogging primer can help, but I recommend using AHAs in your skincare product routine. Also make sure that nothing in your skincare or makeup routine is pore clogging, otherwise pores will get engorged and look larger than they really need to. The benefit is that you can use the same products all year round with the only change being how much coverage you get with which makeup brush.

• You can actually make your own BB Cream!

Using that same talc-free, pure loose mineral makeup but in a shade darker than your skin, mix a small amount into your hand along with a hydrating, non-clogging SPF moisturizer. 

By combining your SPF with your mineral powder foundation, you can actually make your own personalized BB cream that's safe for acne-prone skin!

This way you can have a non-clogging, comfortable, and hydrating BB Cream with coverage you can completely control without causing further breakouts.

The only difference between this DIY BB cream and a store-bought version is that the DIY cream would not have a built-in primer.

In my opinion, the only people who need primer built into their makeup products are those with very large pores (think: orange peel) and those with deeper fine lines. 

If this describes your skin type or pores, feel free to reach out and we can talk about how to improve the look of your skin without the use of primer.

If you do experience extreme dryness in the winter more than in the summer, you can apply an acne-safe liquid foundation over your nighttime lotion, but only after you've applied your SPF. It's also possible that your morning skincare routine is simply not hydrating enough. 

In this case, the question we need to answer and solve is: Why are you drier in the winter and how much coverage do you need?

I'm available at any time to answer your questions about makeup coverage and hydration or oil control needs. Leave a comment below or send me an email if you'd like to discuss your skin further!

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