Each season comes with its own annoying beauty challenges, and in the winter, chief among these is the frustration of tracking down the best makeup for dry skin. With the frigid air sucking moisture from your face, you need more than just a solid heavy-duty moisturizer if you want skin that glows and makeup that doesn’t flake—especially now that we’re dealing with chafing and irritation from masks on top of our regular seasonal dryness.

So we went to one of the best celebrity makeup artists in the game, Katie Jane Hughes, for her tips on how to apply makeup when your skin is dry and flaky. True to her excellent form, she let us in on exactly how she pulls off the incredible looks she demonstrates on Instagram, no matter what winter skin issues the season serves up. Her biggest tip: Your skin-care prep before putting on makeup is just as important as the concealer or foundation you use. Read on for Hughes’s advice, plus the best makeup for dry skin.

Cleanse With Micellar Water

During the winter, Hughes says she starts with a micellar water for both herself and the models she works with. The first step is always a few swipes with it on a cotton pad, which leaves your skin clean and free of makeup but not dried out (the danger with too-harsh cleansers—which is why foams are also great in the winter).

Get Rid of Flakes With a Peel Pad

If you’re exfoliating only at night, your life is about to get so much better. Hughes says that a quick, mini chemical peel in the morning is a crucial step, especially during the winter. She recommends a peel pad with glycolic acid, specifically Dr. Dennis Gross’s, to get rid of flakes and dry skin without the harshness of buffing exfoliants. Heads up: In the winter, go super easy around your nose, chin, and brows, where we tend to get most dry.

Mist Your Skin for Extra Hydration

It might feel counterintuitive, but applying moisturizer when your skin is wet actually helps it do its job better. The best way to do that? With a face mist. Hughes swears by Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir and Tatcha’s Luminous Dewy Skin Mist to get her face just slightly damp so her moisturizer has some hydration to lock in. It’s a small thing, but it makes all the difference when you’re heading out into a dry, cold wind.

Add a Heavy-Duty Moisturizer

Then we get to the key player: a thick, creamy moisturizer. Hughes recommends Glossier’s Rich Priming Moisturizer, and her technique is super interesting. If you put on moisturizer from the center of your face out (so, the classic dab on each cheek, T-zone, and chin), she says you’re actually doing more harm than good. We get oily in those spots first, so focusing moisturizer there leaves your makeup slipping away while the rest of your face gets dry. Instead, put on moisturizer starting from the edges of your face and working inward, toward your nose.

Use Eye Cream Before Concealer

Of the undereye trifecta of dark, puffy, and crepey, that last one gets the worst in cold weather. (Common sense: Fragile skin gets even more so in harsh conditions.) Eye cream is notoriously hit or miss, but Hughes says Sunday Riley’s is the rare one that delivers. And even with caffeine and horse chestnut in the formula, she says, it’s good for sensitive eyes: “I actually slept in it the other night, and I can’t sleep in any eye creams—I wake up really puffy. I didn’t look puffy with this one.” The effect is brightening and slightly pearly and leaves a layer of moisture that keeps your concealer from sinking into fine lines.

Keep a Dry-Spot Fixer Handy for Touch-Ups

It’s probably not the worst feeling in the world, but it’s up there. You’re washing your hands or reapplying lipstick, and bam: You see a dry patch. It’s rejecting foundation, it could be red, it’s just generally a nightmare. Hughes’s fix is Weleda’s green tube of Skin Food, a thick, super-moisturizing cream that your face drinks up. She says to massage it onto dry patches (and flaky zits), and you’ll be set. The cream’s so moisturizing that it bounces light away and minimizes the spot, so people’s eyes slide right over it.

Dab On an Ultra-Creamy Concealer

If you’ve ever seen Hughes’s Instagram, you know she’s gung-ho about the power of concealer. Foundation can easily skew cakey in dry weather, so she says most days she reaches for Glossier’s Stretch concealer for allover coverage. She compares the creamy consistency to a solid tinted moisturizer, so if you’re looking for more glowy luster than serious pigment, it’s the pick.

Another concealer Hughes swears by, particularly for midday touch-ups? Laura Mercier. If she notices base makeup starting to separate, she puts Skin Food everywhere with her moisturizing-outside-in technique, then buffs the concealer all over with a brush. The concealer’s heaviness will get sheered down, so it’ll still cover what you need and stay smooth the rest of the day.

Use an Eyeshadow Brush to Put on Concealer

For getting concealer to really sink in and look natural, Hughes skips traditional concealer brushes. Flat brushes can make your concealer look streaky, so she uses a MAC 217 eye shadow brush instead. Any fluffy eye shadow brush would work, she says, since it’ll get into every angle around your nose and eyes to blend.

Simply put, serums are powerful skin allies. Filled with concentrated doses of active ingredients, these elixirs can mitigate a number of issues, from dark spots to wrinkles. “Even if you don’t have any specific issues, everyone still needs a general antioxidant serum in the morning to protect from daily aggressors.  While there are “limitless options” for ingredients, singles out her hardworking favorites. To handle specific issues, look for these products:  

• Hyaluronic acid to seal in hydration and strengthen the barrier function (the top layer of your skin) to prevent moisture loss.
• Vitamin C to help brighten dull skin and decrease dark spots with continued use.
• Retinol, vitamin B3, peptides to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, proteins in the body that help prevent lines and skin sagging. 
• Colloidal sulfur, niacinamide to calm redness and irritation by decreasing inflammation, and improve acne with its antimicrobial effects.

Helpful Hints and Pointers

If you have multiple concerns, you might want to use multiple formulas. “I recommend treating different areas with different products “Maybe you’ll use a vitamin C serum all over but then dab on [another] for hyperpigmentation on just a few spots.” Just run any combination by your dermatologist to avoid any potential reactions. 

To save time, don’t try mixing a serum into your moisturizer. This “lessens the ability of the serum to absorb effectively. “Products should be applied one by one.” 

Not all serums are applied with the same frequency. “This varies with the ingredients.“I prefer antioxidants in the morning because they give you additional protection from the environment, and most of us don’t use enough sunscreen as is. Yet certain ingredients are best when slathered on at night. For example: “Retinols are not sun-stable and will degrade if applied in daytime.

The most basic function of a moisturizer is to hydrate and soften the skin. “Essentially, moisturizers assist in preventing water loss through the outer layers of skin,“They can also complement the naturally found protective oils and other building blocks within the skin, such as ceramides.” This is one product that doctors recommend using year-round, for all skin types. “Skin naturally loses the ability to retain moisture as we age,“and daily activities, such as washing, can strip natural hydrators from the surface.”

How to Pick a Moisturizer

“Everyone needs moisture, but the texture of your moisturizer will differ depending on your skin type. Consider this your cheat-sheet.

The Difference Between a Day and Night Cream

Creams you apply in the morning are equipped to protect your skin from the environmental aggressors you’ll face when you leave the house—many contain antioxidants to minimize pollution-based free radicals and sunscreen to shield you from ultraviolet radiation. They typically have a lightweight consistency. Night creams, on the other hand, focus on repairing any damage you might have picked up with ingredients like retinol to speed cellular turnover and counteract dark spots. These creams also replenish moisture levels, which naturally dip in the evening, with emollients that often create a rich, thick texture. 

Eye Creams, Explained

Can you survive without an eye cream? Absolutely. But, if you have specific concerns — like hyperpigmentation, dryness or puffiness — you might want to try one. “The skin around the eyes is quite thin and delicate, and more likely to react to irritating ingredients than other areas. “Therefore, dermatologists typically recommend an eye cream that considers the potential sensitivity and has more tolerable concentrations of active ingredients.”

For undereye bags and inflammation, caffeine, peptides and hyaluronic acid can be soothing.“Dark circles can be due to visible veins or actual discoloration common in darker skin tones.Look for brightening ingredients like vitamin C, kojic acid and niacinamide.” 

Most important the right products on your skin with your clothes up to you to use in your application or in the correct order it is extremely important. Structure the appropriate products for your skin you should include in your routine every day care. Best you need to pay attention to the rankings for the results.

You use select products appropriate for your skin structure then you should use regularly every day. When you apply these products in the correct order the best way you can see the effect on your skin. Here the ranking of skin care products…

First cleaning comes. Proper cleaning of your skin products (gel, foam, micellar water, etc.) morning and evening you must apply. By massaging in a circular motion you should clear your skin. Makeup first, if you have you need to remove it.

Cleaning the process depth from your pores arindirdik then tighten the pores opened must benefit from the product for tonic. As a tonic, again, you should choose a product that suits your skin, you must be sure that soft.

On your skin if you have problems such as acne products for him at this stage you can use it. Or that you apply on a weekly basis to meet the needs of your skin and the mask, the dead peeling of the skin which enables it to be taken in the meantime you can make.

Next in step serum comes in. Again, according to the needs of your skin anti-aging, vitamin C content, etc. you can apply the serum. The night skin is renewed twice as fast the use of serum at night is more effective because will be.

Serum if you use moisturizer or stage use you have to do. Morning and evenings, including you must apply a moisturizing your skin. Eye do not forget your lips and your surroundings you should moisturize.

• While we all know these steps very well, many of us do not take toner use seriously enough. It is a bit in between about whether to use it more correctly. Therefore, it prefers to skip using toner. That’s exactly why we said what is the benefit of using toner for the skin and why we need it, let’s go over it once again.

What do toners do?

• Basically, dust and other dirt can get into your skin even after you wash your face. By using a toner, you get rid of this last remaining gross dirt completely. But at the same time, you shouldn’t forget to moisturize to rebalance the pH levels of your skin after cleansing. Toner also makes these creams absorb more easily.

When should i use toner?

• Toner can be used as the last step in the cleaning process, but also as a pre-moisturizing preparation step.

How should I choose the one that suits me?

• This depends on your skin type. Those with oily skin: He can soak a round cotton ball and put it over his face to remove dirt. Those with dry skin: You can perform the cleaning process by pouring some toner on their hands and gently patting their palms against their skin. Thus, the product seeps in.

Which ones should I try?

• Again, this depends on your skin type. If you have dry or normal skin, you can use a toner with rose water or chamomile that moisturize and soothe, respectively. If you have oily skin, you can try a toner that contains a small percentage of alcohol. Formulas known as firming toners are antibacterial and dry out the skin.