We’re talking about REALLY cold weather here, meaning everything below -10°C/10°F. What skincare/makeup for cold weather should you use? And how’s the best way to use it?
I spend a week in Lapland near the Arctic Circle recently, and, yup, it was cold (-15°C/5F). I was a bit confused, though – I had researched skincare and makeup for the ferezing temps like a good little beauty junkie, and what I had read was a bit – concerning. So, here’s what I did.
What I had read
‘Don’t use water-based moisturisers, you’ll get frostbite.’
What are oil-based moisturisers?
Here’s what I learned: an oil-based moisturiser has more oil in it than water. Duh.
Whut?
But: sorry, I’ve never seen one. Sure, face oils. But have you EVER seen a moisturiser whose ingredient list doesn’t start with Water (and likely Glycerin)?! I haven’t. Consequently, I looked into ‘rich’-types of moisturisers, like Stratia’s Liquid Gold, Embroylisse Lait Crème Concentre; First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream Intense or Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Deep Moisture Balm.
When will you get frostbite?
Look at those handy table! Good news: You don’t have exactly to worry about the small capillaries in your face freezing up in temperatures that aren’t harsher than -10°C/10°F. If you are though, I’d recommend a thermal tube scarf that you can swaddle your face in, and show as little skin as possible.
What I did – skincare
I didn’t want to buy new products just for one trip (sustainability ftw!), so I decided to pimp my go-to moisturiser (Hautcreme+, Beyer & Söhne, review). I added a few drops of Squalane to it (Indie Lee) in the morning, which gave it a silky feel and sank in quickly. (And didn’t interfere with makeup.) In the evening, I used a few drops of The Ordinary’s B Oil on top of my usual routine and woke up with plump and nourished skin. (After a while, though, I realised it broke me out. Bummer. I really liked the texture.)
Do’s and don’ts
My advice: don’t use gel-type moisturisers, or very watery products like essences, toners etc. WITHOUT sealing them in with a product rich in oil. Also: give everything time to sink in properly, because going outside with skin still slightly moist with products isn’t smart. Moisture will freeze quickly, channelling that cold right into your skin.
I’m not a big fan of vaseline, but if you are, use it on top of everything else: it’s a great way to seal in moisture – it is, after all, the best occlusive agent out there. Because of that, it sits on the skin, and is the reason I don’t like it: the slippery feeling is too much for me.
What I did – makeup
Eyes
Real talk: if you’re swaddled in scarves and hats, what kind of makeup do you REALLY need?! A waterproof mascara, obviously! (Think snow and wind.) When I was in the mood (and I’ve to admit that often I wasn’t, because vacation) I used my trusty NARS eyeshadow primer with a one-and-done eyeshadow. Everything held up nicely, so no regrets. Brow products should be waterproof as well (same with eyeliners) – a pomade works great.
Lips
To my regret, lipstick is rather cumbersome. It’ll get everywhere when it’s creamy and your scarf is wrapped all around your face. On top of that, you really don’t want a matte liquid lipstick that dries out your lips even further in cold weather. Also, lipgloss is a nono: it’ll start to freeze your lips. You need some oil based product as well: a lip oil would work really well, or a tinted balm.
Foundation
For foundation, after a lot of deliberation I decided that a stick foundation would work best (not water-based!), but then, again, I didn’t want to buy a new product. My reasoning behind that was that you probably need a product rich in pigment and low in moisturising ingredients. I then came up with a mix of full-coverage concealer (It cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye), a silicone-based face primer (Estée Lauder Genuine Glow) and again, squalane oil. It worked a treat tapped into the skin with a beauty blender.
What I did: hair
If you’ve got fine hair as I do, invest in some invisibobble hair ties and call it a day. I found it impossible to keep up any kind of hairstyle under hats, and invisibobbles hold my hair firmly in a pony tail or bun. I also used some Smooth & Seal Spray so I wouldn’t be plagued with flying hairs.
Product recommendations
I bought some products from Finnish brand Lumene, because I thought they’ll KNOW how to cope with their own extreme temps. Imagine my surprise when my own products I brought from home worked better!
My best weapon for dry lips was hands down the amazing Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask I wore 24/7 (pro tip: fill some of it into a small sample jar you can keep in your handbag!), and The Body Shop’s Hemp Hand Protector was awesome for dry hands.
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