Beauty Fix: 5 subtle changes you can make to brighten up your look this winter

How do I attain a natural flush without overdoing it?
Naturally flushed skin is highly variable across the board depending on your skin tone, so direct your attention to neutral blush with a hint of colour to achieve such a finish. Chanel’s latest cheek must-have, Jardin de Chanel Camélia Rosé Blush ($50, at Chanel counters) is a duo of pink shades (one more delicate pink shade and one more muted rose), which combine to create a subtle flush of colour on cheeks. When applying the powder formula, use your blush brush to apply the colour in a teardrop shape to cheeks, tapering the colour towards your ears for an understated yet flattering sculpting effect.

Gloss is a nightmare in this cold weather. What can I use instead for shine?
Lip gloss seemingly seizes up on lips in cold weather, becoming stiff and dry. Swap out your favourite tube of gloss for YSL’s new Volupté Tint-in-Oil ($35, sephora.ca) for an all-around better gloss experience this winter. This utterly comfortable formula combines a hint of tint with lip-loving ingredients like apricot kernel oil, jojoba seed oil and possiflora edulis seed oil to deeply hydrate lips and prevent them from drying out. The formula goes on smooth with zero stickiness (seriously!) and lips are left lightly tinted after the oils are absorbed, which makes this an essential glossy product that leaves no weird, unsightly residue on your lips.

Do I really need to use a specific moisturizer for my neck?
Many people prescribe to the notion that you can extend whatever skincare you use on your face to your neck, and frankly, that approach is better than nothing. That being said, if you’re after targeted results, it makes sense to enlist a targeted product to address specific needs such as sagging skin. StriVectin-TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream ($139, murale.ca) is a sound investment in your neck’s future, as it is loaded with a patented niacin formula that works to tighten and lift skin by strengthening and energizing skin cells and promoting elastic collagen production in skin. Simply apply in upward motions to the neck area twice a day.

I’m done with glitter and shimmer after the holidays. What can I use on my nails that will still look interesting?
If you binged on glitter and shimmer polish throughout the holiday season (and isn’t that what the holidays are for — appearing as tinsel-like as possible?), feel free to shelf the shiny stuff for a while. Swap them out for something low-key, but remember that “low-key” does not equal “boring”! If nail art is too much effort for your style, try picking up a textured nail polish like Sally Hansen Velvet Texture Nail Colour in “Lavish” ($8, at drugstores), which is a velvet-matte formula that leaves nails with a plush appearance. When selecting a colour, go for a berry shade that will transition to spring effortlessly.

Are lash primers worth using?
Traditionally, lash primers do a commendable job of fortifying lash strength and increasing volume, but they can make the mascara application process more high-maintenance, just trying to ensure all the white spots where lash primer was applied are covered. Estée Lauder Little Black Primer ($27, sephora.ca) went ahead and changed all that by creating a multiuse patent-pending black lash primer that can be worn as a basic lash tint or as a lash primer that separates lashes while it lengthening and adding volume before mascara application. Bonus: this wondrous lash primer can also be used as a water-resistant topcoat after mascara application.

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