surviving winter: beauty edition

living in Michigan has taught me a few things about having a solid beauty routine for the forever changing winter weather. Here in the Great Lakes State the weather can go from 55F and sunny, to 25F, snowing, with blustery winds overnight. Yes, it can be hard to keep up a beauty routine when you don't know what's going to come out of the sky next. But if you start with a solid beauty base, it isn't quite as bad.

1. it's all about the base (bout the base, no treble). Seriously, having
   
   well moisturized skin is the key to looking and feeling your best in the winter time. It can also be one of the hardest things to attain. The ultimate skin drencher is coconut oil. Yep, coconut oil. Pure and simple. It's hypoallergenic, absorbs fast, and is hella cheap. 
2. brighten it up. In the winter, even with well moisturized skin, everyone looks a little dull and washed out (that's what happens when you don't see the sun November-April). So, until we thaw out around mid-May, we have to fake it until we make it. The best way to achieve this is with a brightening/highlighting balm and a good blush. My favorite highlighter is Benefit Cosmetic's Watt's Up! cream-to-powder stick. I kid you not, it looks great on everyone. EVERYONE. As does Nars'
   
   Orgasm blush. It's not a flat matte color, but a peachy pink with the slightest shimmer. And it makes you look less sun-deprived, happiness-deprived, winter zombie, and more I-look-great-but-internally-I'm-screaming-from-the-sub-zero-temp. 
3. lay it on me thick. The only thing worse than scraping an inch of ice off of your car's windshield is having to do with with chapped lips. Sometimes in winter it feels like you spend 90% of the 8 hours of daylight applying and reapplying lip balm. Don't get me wrong, you'll still have to keep some Burt's Bee in every coat pocket. If you layer it underneath a thick, humectant and wax based lipgloss, though, you'll have to reapply less. The perk? You'll brighten up your face with a warm color, and keep your lips free from being chapped. 

here in the midwest, winter sucks regardless of where you lie within the Polar Vortex. At least though, you don't have to look like Mr. Winter sucked the life out of you with a few simple winter beauty survival tricks. 

stay warm out there my friends.

xoxo,

adrienne.