Winter basics: Face

Even if you see just my eyes, lips and cheeks and not my entire face, I though I'd tell you what I do with my face every morning.

Face Products for winter!

These are products I use every morning, with the only exception of the Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer, which I only use when I know it's going to be a very long day (12/15 hours or more). After making up my face with this products and nothing else, I can go out and be confident that I look ok and not like a zombie.





The primer works really well, you only need a pea-size amount to cover all my problem area (T-zone, chin). It applies clear on the skin and you'll feel a slight drag when you apply your foundation next. I found that it works better if I wait 20/30 seconds before applying my foundation.

Next it's my favorite foundation ever: the Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation in Blush Ivory (swatches below). It has a lightweight formula and buildable coverage: I can go from a barely there to kabuki mask coverage with this foundation, just by building layers of product. It really helps with my combination skin, and it only starts letting my skin oil production through around 9/10 hours of wear. Most foundations apply well on my skin but oxidize within 3/4 hours, and this does not happen with the Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation.

Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation in Blush Ivory swatches (above: natural light; below: flash). Applied with fingers.
On the left side, my bare wrist for comparison (natural/flash).

Underneath my eyes and around my nose, I use Estée Lauder Stay-in-Place Double Wear Concealer in Light Medium.

Estée Lauder Stay-in-Place Double Wear Concealer in Light Medium (Natural Light) swatches. On the right, bare wrist (natal/flash) for comparison. 

I find that this concealer last 7/8 hours on average and has a medium-to-heavy coverage. It has a thick consistency and I've found that the best way to apply is with my fingers or with a small dome brush.
Be careful because the shades of this concealer have a distinct gray tint, non clearly visible at the fluorescent lights of beauty stores: my advice is to get a MUA to apply the two closer shades to your under eyes and then stepping out of the store to check which color fits you better. The Estée Lauder MUA at my local Sephora wanted to sell me the shade in n.1 but after a quick check outside it was clear that is was grey on my skin and that shade 2 (Light Medium) worked better with my skin tone.

My go-to setting powder is Neve Cosmetics Hollywood powder. Neve Cosmetics is an Italian mineral cosmetics brand. The Hollywood powder is a loose, transparent HD powder, very finely milled, to be applied with a big puffy brush. This powder helps controlling the oily look of my t-zone. It must be lighly applied, you need just a touch or you end up looking cakey. I think it's not suitable for dry skin, since it help with oil-control.

Last, I do my brow with Mac Brow Pencil in Lingering. My eye brow are terrible, sparse but thick hairs, and with completely missing ends. I'll spare you the pictures, but I'll tell you that the Mac Brow Pencil has a lot to do with me looking decent every morning. It's brown, but not too red or too ashy, as often happens with brow pencil. The only downside is that it tends to break easily if you push too mush product outside the plastic case. It lasts a decent amount of time on me, and I tend to pick at my eyebrow constantly.

 So, this is what I slap on my face every morning before doing my eye make up. What products do you use? Do you feel comfortable going out without make po or are you like me and need at least to prep&prime a bit?