After finally getting my color analysis done and discovering I’m a True Winter, I immediately began the exciting (and sometimes frustrating!) journey of finding the perfect True Winter makeup. I used a professional stylist who goes by the 16-season system, and according to her, I’m a “True Winter.” For those familiar with the 12-season system, this translates to “Cool Winter.” This revelation immediately sent me on a quest to understand my makeup better. I realized that while I thought I knew my skin, I hadn’t truly considered my undertones. Turns out, I have cool undertones, a fact that totally shifted how I viewed my existing makeup collection. Many of my blushes, for example, had warm peachy undertones (read: orange!), which clashed with my cool coloring. So, I’ve embarked on a mission to find some cool-toned staples. I didn’t want to add 20 new products to my routine, so I focused on finding a few key products that would seamlessly integrate into my everyday routine. Here’s what I discovered:
Cool-toned Foundation
My go-to for a long time has been bareMinerals BarePro powder foundation, and I feel like it’s a near-perfect color match for me. However, I recently noticed that it seemed to oxidize on my skin. Also, I realized that I’m very much a millennial by continuing to use a powder foundation. Although, they do have my shade in a cool tone, I had been using the ‘neutral’ toned one – not a total miss. So, I am trying to play around with some liquid foundations, but I have very oily, acne-prone skin. So far, Lawless ‘Forget the Filler’ in F1 feels pretty good and not heavy on my skin, which is a relief for someone with oily, acne-prone skin looking for cool-toned foundation.
Blush
For blush, I knew I needed to steer clear of those warm peaches and find some beautiful cool-toned blush options. I really like this Patrick Ta blush compact in shades ‘She’s Giving’ because it offers both a creme and a powder blush. I’ve only used powder blushes, so I’m still learning techniques with the cream ones, but I like the colors and the option of both.I also purchased Westman Atlier’s ‘Poppet’ which is another cream option. All of these are intimidating at first because they are so bold in the packaging.
Contour Stick
I hadn’t been using a contour stick before; instead, I used bronzer. The color analysis revealed that bronzer wasn’t doing me any favors because it’s warm undertones. This Fenty Beauty contour stick in ‘Amber’ almost looks gray in coloring, but they’re used to contour, not bronze. As it gets into the warmer months, I might need an alternative to powder bronzer to warm up my skin.
Cool under toned Lipstick & Lip Glosses
When you first start exploring lip colors that suit a True Winter or Cool Winter palette, you might be taken aback by how vibrant and intense some of the recommended shades appear in the tube or online. It’s true, many beautiful options for cool undertones lean towards brighter pinks, plums, and even bold reds. However, what I’ve discovered is that the key lies in the actual saturation and pigmentation of the product. You can absolutely embrace these cool tones without feeling like your lip color is wearing you.
Lipglosses
- Two lip glosses I’ve been enjoying from r.e.m. beauty perfectly illustrate this. The shades ‘Strawberry Soda’ and ‘Juice Box’ when looking at them in the tube, they might seem incredibly bright and potentially intimidating – I would have never picked them out before my color analysis. However, they offer a lovely wash of color without being overly saturated or intensely pigmented. This makes them super wearable for everyday or when you want a touch of cool-toned color without a full-on lipstick look. Don’t let the brightness in the packaging scare you; the actual result is much more subtle and flattering.
Beyond Glosses
- I’ve also found some versatile multi-taskers and familiar favorites. The Westman Atelier blush I mentioned before also doubles as a lipstick.
- The Dior Addict Lip Glow Balm in the color ‘Raspberry’ is a gorgeous cool-toned pink. It does have a noticeable vibrancy, but it’s also a balm, so the color payoff is buildable and not overwhelmingly intense. If you love the Raspberry hue but prefer a different texture, Dior also makes the Lip Oil in a similar Raspberry shade. What I appreciate about the lip oil is that, like the r.e.m. glosses, it offers a beautiful wash of cool color that isn’t super pigmented, making it very wearable.
As someone who doesn’t wear lip products daily due to the maintenance, these are the shades I reach for when I have a special occasion, am going out to dinner, or simply want to feel a bit more put-together.
Cool toned tinted moisturizer with SPF
Ok I have a lot to say on this search! For the longest time, my holy grail moisturizer has been the EltaMD tinted SPF that was recommended years ago by my derm. However, as I started paying closer attention to undertones post-color analysis, I realized that many tinted moisturizers, including the EltaMD, tend to lean warm and almost orangey. While it was fine during the summer when I wasn’t wearing much makeup, I suspect layering it under my foundation was contributing to an unwanted warmth in my overall look. So, while I still adore EltaMD and will likely use it on makeup-free summer days, I knew I needed to find a truly cool toned tinted moisturizer for everyday use.
- Next, I tried the Barefaced tinted moisturizer, as I’m a huge fan of their other products. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for my skin. It felt quite heavy and left a noticeable shiny finish, which isn’t ideal for my already oily skin type. While I love their other offerings, this moisturizer just wasn’t the right fit for my specific needs.
- Finally, I stumbled upon the Paula’s Choice Super-Light Daily Wrinkle Defense Face Sunscreen SPF 30. The immediate standout is that it is definitely a cool toned tinted moisturizer. It lacks any orange or peachiness that so many others seem to have. This is a huge win for anyone with cool skin tones, especially True Winters or Cool Winters who struggle to find a suitable match. If you’ve been searching for a cool toned tinted moisturizer that won’t make you look orange, this is it!
- The other fantastic thing about this Paula’s Choice SPF is the finish – it’s truly matte. Unlike the shiny finish I experienced with others, this leaves my skin looking natural, which is a major plus for oily skin like mine. It also layers beautifully under my makeup and, importantly, it doesn’t pill! This is a common frustration I’ve had with other sunscreens and tinted moisturizers.
The only slight drawback is the SPF 30. Both the EltaMD and the Barefaced offered SPF 46+, which provides a bit more peace of mind for extended sun exposure. However, for everyday use Paula’s Choice has become a new favorite. If you’re a fellow cool winter or have oil/acne prone skin, cool-toned skin and have been searching for the unicorn of a cool toned tinted moisturizer that is also matte and doesn’t pill, I highly recommend giving the Paula’s Choice a try! (The other nice thing is Paula’s is sold on Amazon Prime + Sephora, so easy to get in a pinch if you run low.)
So, these are the exciting additions to my makeup routine as a newly identified True Winter/Cool Winter. I’m still having fun playing around and discovering other products and colors that complement my cool undertones. My goal is to keep my everyday makeup routine relatively simple and these staples are a great starting point!