What to know
- As temperatures drop, Torontonians are swapping sunkissed makeup for the “cold girl” look, leaning into blushy cheeks, white and grey eyeshadow and a naturally flushed winter complexion.
- Toronto beauty influencer Olya Gulakova says the trend lets people look cute despite the cold, recommending frosty blush, light eyeshadow mixes and finishing touches like falsies or mascara.
- Senior makeup artist Alisa Lyons stresses the importance of waterproof or tubing mascara in winter, noting that moisture from snow, tears and runny noses can easily ruin regular formulas.
Sunkissed makeup is out, and cold girl makeup is in this Toronto winter.
Skip the pink and peach blushes and opt for a wintry look instead.
Toronto beauty influencer Olya Gulakova believes this trend allows Toronto girls to look cute despite Canada’s cold weather. Her must-haves for creating this look: “a little bit of blush for that frosty cheek look… a mix of white eyeshadow with light grey eyeshadow… for the lashes, Ardell falsies or mascara from Prada,” Gulakova told Now Toronto.
Senior makeup artist Alisa Lyons follows up by saying the best thing to wear is waterproof or tubing mascara in the weather. That way, “when moisture hits it, it’s not affected,” told Now Toronto.
She touches on adapting the makeup trend to your features. “People with blue eyes can wear any color, but bright colors go well in the summer and in the winter, maybe a darker eyeliner, rather than something light. A grey or dark brown or black,” Lyons said.
The most important thing is waterproof makeup, as she explains that “we do tend to tear up and have runny noses” in this weather.
When it comes to Canada’s winter snowstorms – the most recent delivering over 60 cm of snow to some parts of the city, some Torontonians joke that they don’t even need to add blush – a major part of the “cold girl makeup trend,” because the weather already makes their cheeks pink.
@victoriasandra.w Easy cold girl makeup winter blush tutorial ❄️ If you’re in Toronto today… just go stand outside for that perfect flush in the shade “fck the wind hurts my face” xoxo Currently trying to restore my skin barrier with @Thayers milky toner and @First Aid Beauty ultra repair cream this week 🤞🏻 It feels like -25°C in Toronto, Ontario today, what’s the temperature where you are? #torontocreator #canadianwinter #coldgirlmakeup #wintermakeup #makeuptutorial ♬ Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin
Lyons shares that people dealing with this issue should use Clinique’s redness solution.
So how are Torontonians seriously pursuing the “cold girl makeup” trend this season? Gulakova starts by explaining the importance of prepping the skin before even applying the makeup.
She recommends using La Roche-Posay products from Shoppers Drug Mart for skin prep, then a skin tint instead of foundation, followed by a bronzer and blush. Gulakova adds to set the cold-girl appearance with fermented powder to “give you that glass look,” without the skin breaking out. Finish off the makeup look with L’Oréal setting spray. That way, “your makeup is gonna be locked in,” she assured.
As the cold weather brings out dry, flaky skin, she also shares some lip tips to prevent cracking. “I would use a lip scrub first… because it’s going to actually remove all the dead skin from your lips… Your lips are going to be so hydrated,” Gulakova said.
Gulakov adds that Torontonians can follow the lip treatment with Vaseline or Chapstick for more hydration. “It’s all about skincare.”
Once the lips feel healthy, makeup lovers can add a lip stain to complete their look. She recommends a $16 lip stain from CoverGirl at Shoppers Drug Mart, or a $38, more high-end, one from Huda Beauty.
Follow through with lip gloss from NYX or CoverGirl, she urges. And if the budget allows, Armani Beauty or Charlotte Tilbury are also other recommendations of hers.
She says she always finishes the look with highlighter, specifically on the inner corners of the eyes and the cheeks. In particular, she uses Dior backstage.
Gulakov shares a step-by-step guide to her makeup steps and products to achieve a “cold girl makeup” look.
Through using these tips and tricks, Torontonians can stylishly embrace the Canadian cold too!
