Korean Makeup Products For Winter Glow

I’d like to recommend Korean Skincare Products to help you keep your healthy summer glow into the winter months, without drying out your skin.

For many of us, coming into the winter months means turtlenecks, hot chocolate, and dry skin. In order to keep our skin looking plump and moisturized, and keeping that healthy summer glow about us, certain adjustments have to be made to our makeup routines. Here you will find a list of Korean makeup brands and products that will help you transition your makeup routine from Summer Bake to Winter Glow, so let’s get glowing!

Best Korean Beauty Products For Winter

Prep, Prime, & Base 

Just like in the summer, preparation is key. At night, be sure to pamper your skin with a little TLC – your skin deserves it! Swap out your summer faves for these intensely-hydrating K-Beauty products.

Before purchasing, don’t forget to check skincare ingredients on labels and EWG Skin Deep ratings could help you as a reference point. For details, head EWG (Environment Working Group) official website.

Night-time Prep

Exfoliate

It’s good to exfoliate at least once a week during the winter months in order to keep those pesky dry patches away. A great exfoliator is Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash from By Wishtrend.  It’s gentle on sensitive skin and a little goes a long way! For more details about gentle chemical/physical exfoliators, check THIS POST.

Face Mask

Another good way of keeping your skin hydrated at night is to do a face mask before bed. There are so many great face masks to choose from in K-Beauty, but I love these Mild Acidic pH Sheet Mask Heartleaf masks from Abib as they help with any redness from acne or recently-exfoliated skin. This HYDRO mask from Dr. Jart is a life-saver for post-shower dryness that can sometimes irritate skin. (Plus its super fun to ~shake~ and apply!)

Moisturizer 

Keeping your skin moisturized (especially at night) is a hugely important step to maintaining hydrated skin during the day. If you’re like me and you have dry skin all year ‘round, it means you’re likely to have it ten times worse in the winter. 

This Cica Panthenol Cream by Botanic Heal BOH is a bit of a splurge, but it’s great for both moisturizing and also for reducing redness and clearing up any blemishes. Another great option for very dry skin is this Centella Blemish Cream from COSRX. If you are a big fan of COSRX, head HERE to check the best CosRX products. Plus, you can check the list of the best Korean moisturizers here.

(PS, don’t forget your lips! Make your pucker lipstick-ready while you sleep with Nourishing Care Lip Sleeping Pack also from Klavuu.)

Face Oil

As a final night-time prep step, this Tamanu 100% OIL from TOSOWOONG preps your skin for the morning and also reduces redness and acne scars.

Morning Prime

Primer

In the summertime we love our mattifying, pore-filling primers; but what about coming into the winter months? Sometimes the transition from summer to winter makeup can be as simple as what primers you use. Primers can change how a foundation ultimately looks on the skin, and if you have a foundation that you love year-round, changing your primer is the way to go. You’d be surprised at how this simple change can transform a foundation!

This RADIANCE PERFECT FIT hydrating primer from Missha is a great start to any winter routine and works especially well when paired with any of Missha’s BB Cream/foundation products as it is specifically formulated to work with Missha’s range. 

highlighter

A great tip for getting that dewy look during the winter months is to use a cream highlighter before your foundation/BB Cream. This MOISTURE CUSHION HIGHLIGHTER from The Face Shop is a favorite of mine. It glows without being sparkly and sits beautifully both under and over makeup.  

Face Mist

Face Mists are also a great way to keep your skin hydrated in the winter. I love this GLOW SKIN BALM TO GO MIST from Missha because it can be used as a primer, a setting spray, and a refresher. 

(Note: don’t forget to always use sunscreen, even in the winter! Check the best-selling Korean Sunscreens here.)

Foundation & Frame

Foundation & BB Cream

In the winter, Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream is perfect because it’s very luminous and hydrating. Note: it does not dry down. If you have a year-round base, make sure to change up your prep and finishing steps to avoid dry patches.

Frame 

During the colder months, it’s a good idea to use as little powder as possible. For this reason, we should try to keep our blushes, contours, and highlighters as creamy as possible. 

Highlighter

It might sound counter-intuitive, but I always start my framing with a highlighter. This is because I find it looks more natural with the other framing products over it. Also, you can always add more highlighter, but it’s very difficult to remove if you put too much – especially if it’s a cream product. Having to blot over it with powder or more foundation/BB Cream can end up making your skin look cakey which, in turn, makes it look drier. 

We’ve already talked about the Moisture Cushion Highlighter from The Face Shop for a more natural highlighter, but if you like things to sparkle then these JELLIME HIGHLIGHTERS from Holika Holika might be exactly what you’re looking for. Warning: apply with caution if you’re not trying to look like a glitter fairy!

Blush & Contour

I love a super pigmented blush on my cheeks and the tip of my nose in the winter, and so I love the MOISTURE CUSHION BLUSH also by The Face Shop. If you’re more into the natural, soft blush look, these SAMMEUL CREAM STICK BLUSHERS from The Saem are ideal because you can pat a little onto your fingers to apply and work into the skin. 

The way I like to apply my contour in the winter is to apply it first on the side of my hand and then press it under my cheekbones in an upwards motion. This prevents the contour from looking too harsh against all the dewy products. A perfect stick for this is the PLAY 101 STICK CONTOUR DUO from Etude House as it’s great for drawing that line along with your hand – plus you get a highlighter/concealer on the other end! 

Here you can check the best-selling Korean makeup blushers at an affordable rate.

Eyeshadow

Because we’ve used so many hydrating and moisturizing products, it’s good to pat the eyeshadow on to make sure our eyelids don’t crease. We all have our favorite eyeshadows, but I personally love to use these MONO POP EYESHADOW PALETTES from The Face Shop for base and crease shades.

I love sparkly eyeshadow all year, but there’s something a little more magical about a twinkly eye-look when you’re transitioning from the bold summer and autumn shades into the cool winter ones. Though there are so many K-Beauty glitters to choose from, my personal favorites are these BLING BLING EYE STICKS from Etude House (very cute as an inner corner highlight), these GLITTER LINERS from Nature Republic (great for putting under the eye without settling into fine lines), and these DEWY GLOSSY EYES from Missha which really do make your eyelids look glossy without actually being a wet formula.

Mascara

As for mascara, the last thing you want is a mascara that’s going to transfer – especially if nothing on your face is set with powder. I spent a lot of time trying out different K-Beauty mascaras and the best I found was The Face Shop’s 2 in 1 CURLING MASCARA, which has a small applicator so it’s easy to get all those tiny inside lashes, the tips, and the bottom lashes. This mascara doesn’t transfer or clump, and also comes off easily with makeup remover (so no panda eyes the next morning!).

Lips

My lips always give me the worst trouble in winter. From general dryness to being rubbed against when I’m wearing a mask, they always end up sore and cracked, so please make sure to hydrate your lips at night as a step towards avoiding a crusty fate!

If you’re looking to transition from a gloss into something more matt that still has your lips looking juicy and plump, these ECO SOUL LIP OILS from The Saem are a great way of staying hydrated and looking glossy without being too sticky. (Note: it’s always good to have a lip balm on hand, just in case. I use these ESSENTIAL TINT LIP BALMS from The Saem which work in equal measure as a lip balm and cute lip tint. Perfect for pockets!)

Final Touches (Powder and Setting Spray)

If you’re like me and you like a glow-from-within without looking like a glazed doughnut, then you’re probably an avid user of face powder. This can be a difficult step in the winter months as powders are notorious for drying us out and leaving patches or becoming gathered in our fine lines if we’ve used a lot of hydrating products underneath. 

ECO SOUL ESSENCE CUSHION MOISTURE LASTING is a pact, so it does set your makeup in place, but it doesn’t mattify it. (In fact, it adds a glow!)

As for setting spray, we mentioned already Missha’s Glow Skin Balm To Go Mist which works as a primer, a setting spray, and a refresher mist! A three-for-one, what could be any better? 

With all of these steps and products in mind, I wish you the best of luck transitioning your makeup for the coming winter months. Stay hydrated, stay healthy, stay beautiful! 

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