“Glowy Skin, Brows Up”: How To Fake A Summer Glow In Winter

When describing our skin in the warmer months, we tend to use adjectives like glowy, dewy and sun-kissed (even if we're faking it, since we apply SPF 50 year-round). But the second winter hits and we crank up the heating to combat the cold, our skin becomes a mere shell of its former self, and words like dull, dry and lacklustre seem to paint a more realistic picture.

In winter we're dealing with a lack of moisture and the effects of the elements, which is evident in our wind-burnt and parched complexions. Of course there are heaps of winter-proof skincare staples that we rely on, but makeup addresses the redness, discolouration, uneven skin tone and lack of radiance we tend to experience in winter.

We spoke to Chiara Cascella, founder of Italian makeup brand EspressOH, about how to use makeup to get a bit of that summer glow back to our skin in the middle of the winter, when we need it most.

As far as Cascella is concerned, achieving summer-inspired makeup in winter starts with creating the perfect canvas. How does she do this? She preps her skin with multi-purpose skin priming products and creates a faux facelift with a cleverly-styled set of brushed-up arches.

She suggests prepping skin with a glow-enhancing primer like Dewy Latte,$46, and styling eyebrows with Hey Brow, $38. Another radiance-boosting pick we love is Pat McGrath Labs Divine Skin: Rose 001 The Essence, $139, or a tinted product like Holme Beauty Primer, $65, to even skin tone and minimise redness.

Glowy skin and sun-kissed cheeks are an essential part of a European summer makeup look. But rather than booking a flight to Positano, Cascella recommends layering cheek products with wet textures that emulate the dewy radiance synonymous with European summer instead.

"I tap 4 dots of OhSoleMio on my cheekbones and blend it," she says. [OhSoleMio will be stocked at Sephora when it launches in Australia later this week.] "Then [I] add a veil of Glassy [Blush By The Glass], $40 on top." In addition to OhSoleMio, Refinery29 Australia rates Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, $39.

Bonus tip: to combat especially pale and dull skin in winter, she recommends blending your liquid or cream bronzer over your nose too.

Cherry lips are all the rage in Italy this summer, according to Cascella. If you're looking to imitate the Italians down under, she recommends opting for sheer lip tints over opaque lip colours this winter.

"[I've] definitely [been] seeing a lot of tinted lip balm content lately," she says. "Our Aroma Light went viral and sold out right after launching in Italy." [EspressOH's new range of Aroma Light tinted lip balms will be available at Sephora Australia later this month, alongside OhSoleMio.]

To achieve that coveted 'cherry lips' look, Cascella uses Aroma Light 'Wine-me', $28, a sheer, glossy 'just bitten' tint. We're also big proponents of the classic Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Cheek & Lip Tint, $38 and a thick layer of balm or gloss as a topper, or Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm, $38, in Cherry or Poppy. If a vibrant cherry-hued balm doesn't vibe with your aesthetic, Cascella suggests selecting warm or cold hues depending on your skin undertone as a general rule of thumb.