Winter - Creams and Whites

Although winter does not officially start until December 21st, we are already seeing the seasonal color palette being influenced by the pending colder months with the addition of creams, whites and heather grays along with bursts of emerald greens, reds, festive golds and silvers.  I would like to take a look at some of the neutral offerings being donned this time of the year.  More specifically, I would like to peruse some of the winter whites and creams that are available for us to feast on.  Let's start with makeup, shall we?

Nail color still remains to be one of the easiest ways to update and acclimate to the change of seasons.  You can go from bright and bold to more sedated and subdued with just a few strokes of a brush.   If you're looking to do the latter, Sandy Beach by Essie may be an option for you.

Now Sandy Beach is not going to give you opaque coverage, but if you prefer more of a gossamer-like glaze then it will fit the bill.  Although application was fine (no streaks or bubbling), I do not particularly care for Essie polishes because they do not seem to last long on me (MAYBE a few days).  However, I do know that there are plenty who do love the brand, which is why I am listing this. 

For eyes, I am choosing the cream matte out of Tarte's TEN palette, which I did a review on here.  Now you may not want to use a stark, white matte as an all over lid color, but rather incorporate it into a look.  And for this I think Tarte's cream shadow will suffice.

This matte cream color is smooth in texture and opaque in color in just one swipe.  The eyeshadow is very easy to work with and would look nice as a highlight under the brow.

Speaking of highlights, how about a nice highlighter for the face?  The Mary-Lou Manizer by theBalm is an excellent one!  It is a finely milled powder that, with just a slight sweep to the cheek bone, gives your face a nice, candlelit glow.  

Mary-Lou Manizer blended out (above), applied heavily (below).

There are no chunky glitters in this highlighter so it does not make you "sparkle" like Christmas tinsel on a tree, but rather it softly illuminates by leaving a glowy sheen to wherever it's applied.  It's beautiful.

For the lips, why not rock a lovely nude?  Revlon has a nice one from their Colorburst line called Soft Nude.

Soft Nude is a velvety, cool toned nude with a pinch o' peach added for a little warmth.  Depending on your skin's undertones, this could work really well for you.  However, remember that with the right lip liner underneath or lip gloss on top, you could make just about any tone of color work for you.

And doesn't just about everybody have a "winter white" something in their wardrobe?  If not, they should...

Anything from an ecru colored shawl or scarf...

Or an ivory wool pencil skirt...

Or an off-white, cable knit sweater bag adorned with ski pom-poms on the side...

Or even shoes.  Although I, personally, would not wear white/off-white shoes because I find they get dirty too quickly, I would definitely rock a shoe with white in it like this funky, giraffe printed, calf-haired pump.

So as you can see, winter whites may sound blah, but are really not boring at all.  Along with the brighter, festive colors, they are indicative of the time of year and can add a crispness to your wardrobe and a bit of sophistication.  Hope you were able to find some inspiration and maybe a morsel of motivation to rock the creams and whites this winter!