Archived Post

How much of a role does season play when it comes to what makeup you wear?


How much of a role does season play when it comes to what makeup you wear? Share!

For me, it’s more of a cool/warm thing, so I will tend to gravitate towards darker, vampier colors in the fall/winter and then brighter, warmer colors in the spring/summer. I will wear a variety of products regardless of the season, but there are always certain seasonal colors that I am drawn to.

Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.

48 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
kelli Avatar

I live in SW Arizona, so we don’t have seasons: its hot, and hotter. I play w my eyeshadow, but I always have matte skin and red lips. It’s become my signature.

Miss J Avatar

I am really drawn to warmer shades as well as pops of color for cheeks and lips, so I think my summer skin shade allows me to wear those colors a lot better. Also, I wear less base makeup in the warmer months. In the winter, I lose pretty much all my color, and while I don’t particularly like pink blush at all, I need a bright pop of pink on my cheeks in the winter to give me back some life to my face. The seasons influence small changes, but I don’t necessarily feel I must wear certain looks at certain times of the year. It’s more of I start to gravitate towards certain things because it performs better for a certain season or looks better with my current shade.

amy Avatar

I live in Los Angeles, and we don’t really have seasons; it can be 97 degrees in January, as well as pouring rain in June. I pretty much wear the same colors year round, but I will change the formulas of my makeup depending on temperature. If it’s hot and humid, I’ll typicalyy go with a TM and/or MMU. I’ll also stay away from cream shadows when it’s hot. I take major precautions to not tan, so my foundation and color pallette don’t change.

Ice Queen Avatar

Seasons play a minor role in what makeup I wear. In Autumn, I choose deeper, richer lip and cheek colours, in Spring, out come softer, lighter and brighter shades. Tho I have been known to wear a red lip in Summer and a coral or pink in Winter.

So I guess… Not a large role, after all. 😛

Beth Br00tality Avatar

I do tutorials & work at Sephora, so that tends to influence my looks, but overall, when I’m picking what I wear, no, season does not influence what I wear. I do play with whatever is in trend a little more, but I’d hardly call myself trendy, haha.

John Avatar

Just foundation during warmer times. I tend to sheer out my foundation and use less powder. But that’s it. I’ll also put translucent powder on my body sunscreen just so it doesn’t budge as easily. Usually I skip that step.

muffingrl Avatar

I am actually more influenced by the weather than the seasons. Where I live, it is usually very gloomy and foggy, so I love my smokey eyes and vampy lips. On the rare sunny days, I go for chartreuse eyeshadow and bright lips!

Julia Avatar

The only thing that season’s dictate for me is what type of base I use; I transferred from having a makeup artistry major to a fashion design major, so these days I pretty much just change my lip colour rather than eye makeup everyday.

Pamela Avatar

I agree with you, Christine. I wear deeper colors for fall/winter, bright warm tones for summer and metals (copper, gold, bronze) in the late summer. It just doesn’t feel right to wear deep plum lips in July or coral blush in December, you know?

kate Avatar

I didn’t used to think that it played any role, but I definitely see now that I tend towards deeper, vampy shades more in the Fall and WInter, and more muted tones in the Spring and Summer. Really bright shades seem to be a purely summer thing to me. I think this has to do with what the light is like at different times of the year. Certain colours look better depending on how bright it is, I guess.

Eileen Avatar

You bring up a good point, Kate. The light conditions play an important role in how color is perceived. It is the tilt of the earth which changes throughout the year and the climatic conditions through which the light is filtered that can alter the way a color looks. Add to that the weather, and I think some colors very definitely look better at certain times of the year.

Alison Avatar

I guess that in bright, stark, sunny light, a dark lipstick may show more flaws… but at night time in a restaurant’s lighting, the softer light and shadows would work to its advantage.

Same with powder, dark eye makeup, etc.

Carly Avatar

I would say that it has a pretty large role. I’m pretty season appropriate when it comes to makeup because I like what I’m wearing (whether it be clothing or cosmetics) to reflect what is going on outside… although I like to occasionally sneak an out of season nail polish shade in here or there. 😉

Alison Avatar

I’m the same as Christine! I don’t consciously pick makeup based on the seasons, but in cooler weather I’ll naturally gravitate towards heavier, darker, greyer makeup, and in hot, sunny beach weather, I’ll go for more light tints and lighter, glossier makeup!

Its similar for day and night, really!

Chiara Avatar

I live in North-Western Europe, so we definitly have seasons here, although we have to deal with (relatively) cold and rainy weather 3/4 of the year. Which has it’s benefits too, e.g we don’t have to worry about sweating off our makeup. On the other hand, when it does get sunny and hot, I have the urge to wear as less makeup as I can. Just some MSF, benetint, cream eyeshadow and mascara.

Ryou Avatar

Hmm, my make-up doesn’t change nearly as much as my skincare. Although I’m more likely to go bare-faced (no foundation/tinted moisturizer) in summer than in winter. I barely ever wear foundation no matter the season, though. ^^;

Quinctia Avatar

Only real change is in summer, I try to arrange my face makeup so I don’t sweat it all off. If that seems to be failing me, I go with something lightweight that isn’t noticeable when it sweats off! 😀

For the color cosmetics, though, I really don’t pay much attention to seasons.

Ellie Avatar

Definitely! Less foundation in summer, usually tinted moisturiser, in winter foundation almost every time. I also wear darker colours fall/autumn and winter, dark red lips and dark nail colours, with a paler face I also skip the bronzer.. Summer I love pops of colours, bright fun lips and nail polishes/varnishes and likes adding a bit of bronzer to warm up the skin! 🙂

LJ Avatar

When it’s summer I just feel weird wearing dark makeup, I think I end up looking over-done and it makes me feel self-conscious.
I just think that bright make up tends to be hard for me to get away with unless it’s summer, so I try to make the most of it when I can.

Veronica Avatar

A little. My skin gets very, very pale in the winter, so I’m more cautious with how I balance looks. I will gravitate to slightly darker colors in the fall/winter months but not extensively. I rotate all of my shades on a regular basis just to make I get my use out of them, so there’s no significant consideration for season.

Amanda Avatar

I don’t think it’s a drastic change for me. In the winter I wear bronzer, and lipstick. Summertime I go with maybe a sheer lip gloss color, and wear very little of it. Also in summer I just use my bronzer on my cheeks and very little again.

Sunny Avatar

In autumn/winter I have less reservation about sporting vampier makeup, but I wouldn’t use a bronzer that’s not matte. I know that some people say you need a bit of shimmer to perk your skin up during the colder months, but for me that’s something I’d wear when it’s nice and sunny instead. In spring and summer I have more desire to play with colors!

gabriella Avatar

I use matte foundations or powders in summer because my skin gets oily and more moisturizing foundations in winter when my skin is dry. My nude lip is darker in the summer as well lol. I also tend to wear a ton of blush in winter because my face doesn’t really flush and I look dull lol

Jyoan Avatar

Not much because I am in a tropical country. The sun shines all year round. I only tend to go for more silver and white around Christmas time, to get into the snowy mood, but there is no snow here. Only heavy downpours and scorching sun.

Naomi Avatar

No seasons for me either in the Caribbean so I just wear whatever colour I’m feeling that day! But I’m more of a bright eye colour girl which is maybe due to the mostly sunny weather here!

Louisa Avatar

I don’t think that the season plays a huge role in my make up, but i do tend to unconsciously gravitate towards lighter colours in lipsticks, eyeshadows and nail polish when the weather is warmer, and darker colours in winter months.

Joyce Avatar

Color choke doesn’t really change with seasons to me, generally. What does change is what my skin wants/needs. I’ll opt for more moisturizing foundations in autumn/winter and sheered out drier foundations in the spring/summer (I don’t like heavy coverage at any time :P)

I suppose I don’t reach for full-impact reds or berries for lips during the spring/summer!

Mar Avatar

None at all, I wear whatever colors my mood strikes up that day, be it inspired by pictures, music, the weather or a movie I just saw. Light spring coral looks in Winter, dark vampy ones in Spring, or a goth day in mid Summer.

Em Avatar

Seasons play somewhat of a roll in the makeup I wear. I do tend to reach colors that are associated with the seasons, like bright for summer, soft colors for spring, and darker vampy shades for the fall/winter. I will also wear less makeup in the summer because it can easily get up to 110-115 degrees here and even the most long lasting makeup doesn’t hold up well in that kind of weather.

breyerchic04 Avatar

Not a complete role, I’m equally likely to wear warm and cool lip looks, red, or dark colors no matter the season. But there is no way I’ll wear aqua liner in the winter, that’s a summer look for me. Also I’m totally loving matte coral lips this spring, but I’m not sure I’d totally rule them out for winter.

Elizabeth Avatar

More of my makeup changes through the weather of the seasons and rather not the trends. Winter time I gravitate towards heavier foundations and nourishing BB creams and the summer is usually through lighter application of foundations/BB creams/tinted moisturizers/Powder Foundation and relying primarily on concealers for spot covering (the new Tarte’s Amazonian Clay one is AMAZING). I don’t change my color themes for the seasons–I primarily do natural neutral looks all year long. Colors look especially intimidating to play with.

Lark Avatar

Definately! We have sort-of-winter here on the Gulf Coast, occasional cold weather but mostly a break from frying heat. So pale skin, Nars Sin cheeks, Blacktrack… But The Dripping Months get mineral make up, it actually stays on! and bronzer, Orgasm and poppy pink blush, although those do get used year round. But bright pink lips and lighter teals/ darker aquas on the eyes, they work with my pseudo tan.
Wish MAC would re release Dare To Wear. Those were all great 100 degree F lip colors, every one of them.Even the hot pink did it without going overboard somehow. Pink Simmer is matte, that’s tough for six months. And they did a red that’s forgiving, not many of those around!

riya aylesha Avatar

i live in london and we go through every season . in winter i brighten it up with plums and pinks and coral colours and in spring following it up to summer i go golden bronze cheeks , sun kissed skin , nude lipstick or lipglass’s from MAC with their stunning relfects and let my skin show through a lot more !

Santacruz Celeste Avatar

It plays a lot because I use different colors and the foundation changes also. I try to put minimal sheer foundation on hot seasons and normal to heavy coverage in cool/cold seasons. The main focus for me is the coverage of the foundation I mostly change.

Mindy Sumner-Tucker Avatar

Of course in the spring and summer my foundation color changes. Other than that it depends on how hot it is.. If I’m gonna sweat a lot no point in wearing a lot of powder products, they’ll just end up looking cakey. So I stick to cream products when it gets super warm out. As for colors I wear what I feel like no matter what season it is.

Mary-Lynn MacInnis Avatar

The only thing that changes is my foundation color and routine for blush and eyeshadow I wear whatever colors I like no matter what the season

Conniption Queen Avatar

Nothing. Even my foundation is the same. My skin doesnt change its composition from summer to winter and I don’t bother with trends in the first place, why on earth would I bother with them with my makeup. Pft.

Melissa Fermon Avatar

The seasons don’t play a role in the kind of makeup I wear. If I want to wear a bright red lip in summer or coral lips in winter, I will because they make me happy.

Kathleen Hall Harris Avatar

I like to wear teal liner (ocean!) and bronzy shades (beachy!) in summer. Pinks in spring, lots of purples in fall& winter. 🙂 I think it’s fun!

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!