Winter comes, and everything starts cracking. The ice cracks, the leaves crack beneath my feet, and my skin starts cracking against the onslaught of the dry cold weather. This is not to say I dislike winter. On the contrary, I adore the soups, cuddling under a warm blanket, and the immense beauty of fresh snow.

My skin is less enthused.

If you’re like me, contending with colder temperatures means rethinking my summer foundation and moisturizer. That being said, we also need to add more oils to our diet in order to hydrate our skin from within, keep our foundation looking creamy, and maintain a high functioning gut-system.

The basic questions are, what foundation should I use for my dry skin, and how can I combat the incessant dryness?

Skin Health Is Body Health

“Skin health, is body health,”says Ben Fuchs, compounding pharmacist, nutritionists, and chemist. Your skin is a direct reflection of your physical health. Dull, lifeless, and excessively dry skin is usually a sign that your body needs nutrients, oils, and maybe even lower stress.

What vitamins and supplements help with dry skin the most?

By far and above, the most effective nutrient is adding Omega 3-6-9 oils to your daily supplement list. As we age, good oils serve as a lubricant for our entire system as well as plumping and hydrating our skin. I take two tablespoons in the morning and two at night, and the improvement in my skin is evident.

Second only to oils is Vitamin C. I take about 4000mg per day, and notice it in my health and skin when I don’t. Vitamin, B, E, D (especially important right now with Covid-19), A, and E are of vital importance as well. If you’re not supplementing your diet with these listed items, I recommend you do and see the difference.

Skin health is 80% what you do internally, and 20% what you apply to your face. That being said, using great quality skin care has a noticeable impact and is worth the money. Buy a nutrient dense moisturizer like Truth Treatments Omega 6 Healing Cream, and, if you want to go for the gusto, buy Transdermal C Serum, the absolute best serum on the market in my opinion. Used in conjunction, your skin will reach new levels of softness, hydration, and glow.

What Type of Foundation Should You Buy?

Shopping for foundation reminds me of shopping for toilet paper. You have to have it, but the wall-to-wall products available are alarming and overwhelming. If you’re like me, you just buy the same old toilet paper each time to avoid having to choose anything else, even if the toilet paper is less than wonderful.

With that lovely toilet paper analogy in mind, here are some important parameters for your next foundation shopping expedition.

For starters, women over 50 should stick with sheer to medium coverage foundation. Many of you long for that Instagram I have no marks or lines on my face look that is so popular and mostly the result of the model being age 12 and camera filters.

Convinced it’s the foundation, you reach for the full coverage jar only to discover that when you use it, you look like Herman Munster. The trick here is to have great skin (sorry to be redundant), and to use concealer on the bits you want more coverage.

For example, you can layer your foundation in your undereye circles to avoid using too much concealer (a much heavier product), and then only apply concealer on marks, redness, and discoloration. This keeps your foundation looking natural, and the bothersome bits covered without over-layering the skin.

Second, look for foundations that include ingredients with descriptions like hydrating, hyaluronic acid, tinted moisturizer, and moisturizing. Only go for matte foundations if you have oily skin, no wrinkles, and are from Mars.

My Top 3 Foundations for Dry Skin

In the video, I show and tell my top three hydrating foundations that I use on myself, and on women I make-up. By Terry is a wonderful product that contains hyaluronic acid and is a sheer coverage great for mature skin. It comes in a wide array of shades, and holds up well throughout the day. Be still my heart.

Chantecaille Just Skin tinted moisturizer is my favorite tinted moisturizer on the market. Sheer, smooth, and long lasting, I adore it. Plus, the brand donates heavily to animal conservation efforts in Africa, something I value and want to contribute to.

Lastly, for a medium coverage, I deeply love Koh Gen Do’s Maifanshi Moisture Foundation. If you must have coverage above sheer, then use something as delicious as this. It hydrates, goes on like butter, and stays all day. When I want to look extra awesome, it is my go-to brand.

Cold weather doesn’t have to mean cracked and dry skin. It does mean you have to take extra care with your vitamins, hydration, and using foundations that work with your skin and don’t set in fine lines or look cakey. I hope these tips help you avoid the Herman Munster look and enjoy the snow, without cracking.

Do you use special skincare and makeup products for wintertime? What are they? What nutrients do you supplement with? What effect have you noticed on your skin with vs. without supplements?