Shine OnAsk a makeup artist: How to winterize your beauty routine
I have cake face right now — and I’m going to bet you do too. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just a reality of life as a girl living in a polar vortex.
Cake face (or chalk face) is what happens when you apply foundation and concealer directly over severely dry, flaky skin, inadvertently giving yourself the Donatella Versace makeover special.
Celebrity makeup artist and hairstylist Tami El Sombati, who has worked with clients like Drake, Justin Bieber, Lauren Collins and Cody Simpson, sees her fair share of dry, flaky skin in the winter. For her, good skin care is the first step to reclaiming summer’s dewy glow.
"I find I need to exfoliate more often, and follow up with toner and moisturizer,” she says. “You need to prep your skin before applying any makeup so it doesn’t sit on flakes or cake in the more dry areas. I also moisturize overnight with something richer than I would typically use year round. Making sure you’re drinking enough water and staying hydrated from within is super important as well!”
Aside from flakiness, El Sombati sees far too many women adding insult to injury when tans have undoubtedly faded, making for some awkward makeup lines.
“Make sure you’re using the right shade of foundation, and your concealer should be either a shade or two lighter than the rest of your base,” she says. “The easiest way is to try a little swatch on your jawline and take a look at it in the natural light.”
Even in this weather, she’s responsible for making clients look like they just emerged from a moisturizing cocoon in the middle of a jungle paradise. For that, she says that makeup products with moisturizing properties are key.
“Try something nourishing, like a BB cream or you can mix some moisturizer in with your foundation to make it more of a tinted moisturizer. This will help your skin stay hydrated throughout the day. Cream blushes are great as well, especially if you find you need to reapply, since you can just throw them in your purse.”
Winter makeup application also calls for a little more attention, so forget about that extra five minutes of hitting the snooze button.
“I like to apply foundation and concealers with my fingers in the winter,” she says. “I find it warms up the product, and really helps you work the product into the skin.”
“You do have to be careful not to apply product too heavily, so you can always use a dampened beauty blender to absorb any excess product, build or lighten coverage and make sure everything is blended well. I apply cream blush with a duo fibre brush but you can also use your ring finger to lightly build colour.”
So we’re curious, what are some of Drake’s sometimes makeup artist’s favourite winter products?
“Since my skin gets drastically lighter in the winter months, I try to find more affordable makeup for myself when I’m still experimenting with shades and formulas. I really like Maybelline FIT Me! Concealer and FIT Me! Matte + Poreless Powder.”
As for the skin care products, “I also am a huge fan of Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. It’s a staple in my kit. It really helps in the winter months if you experience any kind of dry, red, even chapped or cracked skin. I use it on my lips too”
And for all you DIYers, El Sombati has a little exfoliating skin potion you can brew up right in your kitchen.
“I like using baking soda as an exfoliator,” she says. “Just mix some baking soda with water and a couple of drops of vitamin E to form a paste. After you’ve cleansed, rub the paste in small circles for a few minutes, rinse it off with warm water, and follow up with a toner and moisturizer.”
What are your tips for avoiding cake face this winter?
