By Christina Flach, Celebrity Makeup Artist & Beauty Expert

I have a confession: as a makeup artist, my own makeup bag is surprisingly small. When you’ve worked on set with minutes to spare and applied makeup in cars, backstage, and on windy beaches, you learn very quickly what actually earns its spot – and what is just taking up space.

Fall and winter can be tough on skin. There’s cold air outside, dry heat inside, holiday parties, early mornings and late nights. Your makeup bag needs to work a little harder this time of year, but it absolutely does not need to get bigger.

So if I were standing next to you while you cleaned yours out – and yes, I would probably throw a few things away – these are the products I’d want you to keep.

1- Layer Your Moisture

Technically, moisturizer isn’t makeup, but during fall and winter it’s one of the most important parts of my makeup routine.

Cold air outside and dry heat inside can pull so much moisture from the skin, and once your skin is dehydrated, your makeup is going to show it.

Foundation can’t fix dry skin—it usually just makes it more obvious.

This is the time of year when I really believe in layering your hydration. Start with your skincare, follow with a beautiful moisturizer, and don’t be afraid to add a few drops of face oil when your skin needs something extra.

At night, I like to go even richer. This is when you can use your heavier creams and face oils and really let them work while you sleep. I always say, you almost can’t give your skin too much moisture this time of year.

And don’t forget your neck, chest and hands.

Whatever you’re doing for your face, bring it down.

Give everything time to absorb before applying your makeup in the morning. Your foundation will go on more smoothly, your skin will look plumper and fresher, and you’ll need less makeup to begin with.

Christina’s Pro Tip: If your makeup starts looking dry or crepey during the day, don’t immediately pile on more foundation or powder. That’s usually going to make it worse. Sometimes what your skin is asking for is moisture, not more makeup.

2- SPF – Yes, Even in winter

You knew I was going to say this.

Just because it’s cold and cloudy doesn’t mean we’re taking a vacation from SPF. UV exposure doesn’t disappear in winter, and if you’re skiing, walking, exercising outdoors or simply spending time near windows, sun protection still belongs in your morning routine.

Find an SPF you actually enjoy wearing. A tinted SPF can even give you a little coverage on those days when you don’t feel like wearing foundation.

Christina’s rule: If there’s one beauty product I want you wearing 365 days a year, it’s SPF.

3- A Hydrating Primer

I’m very happy primer is having a moment again because I’ve never stopped using it.
During the colder months, I love a hydrating primer that creates a smooth, comfortable base without making the skin feel heavy. And you don’t necessarily need the same primer everywhere.

If you’re oily through the T-zone but dry on your cheeks, treat those areas differently.

Makeup is not one-size-fits-all.

4- Foundation or Skin Tint That Actually Matches You

This sounds obvious, but I see the wrong foundation shade all the time.

Your foundation shouldn’t make you look lighter, darker, pinker or more tan. It should disappear into your skin.

Test your shade along the jawline and blend it toward your neck. When you’ve found the right color, you shouldn’t be able to tell where the foundation ends and your natural skin begin. That’s the goal: your skin, just beautifully evened out.

And remember, your winter shade may not be the same shade you wore all summer. I also tend to prefer lighter, more flexible coverage when skin is dry.

A skin tint or lightweight foundation lets real skin still look like skin.

5- A Creamy Concealer – But Please Don’t Use Too Much

A good concealer is one of the hardest-working products in my kit. Use it under the eyes, on the eyelid around the nose, on redness or anywhere you need a little extra coverage.

But don’t paint giant triangles of concealer underneath your eyes. You don’t need it. Start with a tiny amount, especially at the inner corners and wherever you actually see darkness, and build only if you need more.

Too much product around the eyes can make fine lines more noticeable.

Less really is more here.

6- Cream Blush

If I could put one product into every woman’s winter makeup bag, cream blush would be near the top of my list.

It brings life back into the face immediately. For fall and winter, I love warm rose, berry, terracotta, soft plum and rosy mauve. Tap a little onto the apples of the cheeks and blend upward toward the temples.
And please don’t be afraid of blush. We want you to look alive.

Cream formulas are especially beautiful when the skin is a little drier because they melt into the complexion instead of sitting on top of it.

7- Cream Bronzer

Just because summer is over doesn’t mean bronzer has to disappear.

We’re not trying to make you look like you just spent two weeks in Cabo.

We’re simply putting a little warmth and dimension back into the face.

Use a light hand around the temples, under the cheekbones and around the perimeter of the face. I want warmth – not an orange stripe.

8- A Great Neutral Eyeshadow Palette

You do not need 75 eyeshadow colors. Give me a beautiful cream, taupe, warm brown, bronze and maybe a champagne shimmer, and I can create almost anything.

Start by neutralizing the eyelid with a cream shade or even a tiny amount of foundation or concealer. That gives you an even canvas so your shadow colors look the way they’re supposed to.

Keep the lid lighter and put the deeper shade through the crease and outer corner. A lighter lid helps open the eyes. A neutral pallete, can be used to fill in brows, as eyeliner and in the crease.

9- A Cream Shadow Stick

This is one of those products I love because you don’t need to know how to do complicated eye makeup to use it.

Choose a bronze, champagne or warm copper. Swipe a little onto the lid and blend it with your fingertip.

Done.

Keep the lid light, add your warm brown liner and mascara, and suddenly you look like you made much more effort than you actually did.

That’s my favorite kind of makeup trick.

10- Warm Brown Eyeliner

If you’ve read any of my beauty articles lately, you already know where I stand on this one: warm brown eyeliner.

Black absolutely has its place, but for everyday makeup, brown gives you beautiful definition without looking harsh. Keep the line thin and close to the lashes. You can use it on the upper and lower lash lines and gently smudge it with a small brush.

Here’s another trick: press a little brown eyeshadow directly over the pencil. It helps set the liner so it lasts longer while giving you a softer, more forgiving finish.

You shouldn’t necessarily see the eyeliner.

You should just notice how beautiful the eyes look.

11- Your Favorite Mascara

Everyone has a favorite, and I’m not going to tell you to change yours. Really work the wand into the roots of your lashes before pulling it through to the ends. Then, when you get to the outer corners, sweep the lashes slightly outward. That tiny movement helps the eyes look more open and lifted.

And keep your mascara fresh.

If it’s dried out, smells different or isn’t performing the way it used to, it’s time for a new one. A good habit is swapping your mascara for a new one every 3-4 months.

12- Brow Pencil or Brow Gel

Brows frame your entire face. Fill in sparse areas with small, hair-like strokes and brush everything into place with a clear or tinted brow gel.

But don’t overdo it. Your brows shouldn’t enter the room before you do.

13- Lip Balm

This one lives in my purse all winter.

Dry, flaky lips and beautiful lipstick are not friends.

Use a nourishing balm regularly – especially at night -so your lips stay smooth. If they’re flaky, gently exfoliate before applying lipstick rather than piling color over dry skin.

14- A Natural Lip Liner

A lip liner close to your natural lip color is one of the most useful things you can keep in your bag. It defines the lips, helps keep color from feathering and still looks pretty when your lipstick or gloss disappears during dinner.

You can lightly fill in the entire lip with the pencil before adding your lipstick, balm or gloss. That gives your color something to hold onto.

15- One Fabulous Holiday Lip

Every woman needs one.

Berry. Burgundy. Wine. Or my forever favorite – a beautiful red.

You don’t need twelve holiday lipsticks rolling around at the bottom of your bag. Find the one that makes
you feel fabulous the minute you put it on.

If a stronger lip intimidates you, tap the color on with your finger or blot it down into a stain and then add some lipgloss for the perfect hint of red. And remember: sometimes a red lip is the entire outfit.

16- Blotting Papers

These take up practically no room, and they’re one of my favorite things for touch-ups.

If you get shiny through the T-zone—especially in an overheated restaurant or at a holiday party—blot first instead of immediately piling on more powder. You’re removing the excess oil rather than layering more products over it.

Christina’s Pro Tip: No blotting papers?

I’ve got you. In a pinch, tear off a tiny piece of a clean, unused paper toilet-seat cover and gently press it onto the shiny areas of your face. It absorbs oil surprisingly well.

Is it glamorous? Absolutely not!

But sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

Beauty emergencies don’t always happen near a Sephora.

Blot first. Powder only if you still need it.

17- A Small Powder – Only Where You Need It

Notice I said where you need it.

I don’t want to take a giant powder brush and mattify your entire face until there’s no life left in your skin.
Use a little translucent powder through the T-zone or wherever you tend to get shiny.

Let the rest of your skin have some glow. Skin is supposed to reflect light.

18- Setting Spray

A good setting spray is the finishing touch. It helps everything melt together, takes away that overly powdered look and can help your makeup stay fresh.

I also love a hydrating mist when makeup needs a little refresh during the day.

A few sprays and you’re done. Don’t soak your face. And please don’t touch your face until it has set.

19- One Small Tool for Touch-Ups

You don’t need your entire brush roll in your purse. A clean mini sponge, one small dual-ended brush, or Q-tip is plenty for most touch-ups.

The important word there is clean.

And One Thing Every Makeup Bag Needs That Isn’t Makeup…

Clean brushes.

Please. You can have every beautiful product on this list, but if you’re applying it with brushes filled with old foundation, oil and weeks of eyeshadow, you’re not doing your skin – or your makeup – any favors.

Clean makeup brushes apply makeup better, blend color better and are simply better hygiene. And while you’re cleaning your brushes, clean the actual makeup bag too. Throw away anything that smells strange, has changed texture or has been sitting around far longer than it should.

My Fall/Winter Makeup Bag Rule

Your makeup bag should make your life easier, not more complicated.

You don’t need fifty products.

You need a handful of good ones that work with your skin, your coloring and your schedule.
For fall and winter, give me hydrated skin, SPF, a beautiful cream blush, softly defined brown eyes, groomed brows, great mascara and a lip that makes you feel fabulous.
Makeup isn’t supposed to hide you. It’s there to enhance what’s already there, give you a little confidence and – most importantly – be fun.

Now clean out that makeup bag. I promise there’s something in there that needs to go.

-Christina

About Author

Christina Flach is a San Francisco Bay Area celebrity makeup artist, founder and CEO of Pretty Girl Makeup, beauty expert on NBC and the host of the I’m Too Busy podcast. A regular contributor to Women Fitness, she shares expert advice on beauty, fashion, skincare, wellness, and health to help women look and feel their best from the inside out

Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.