Winter has its icy grip on many parts of the country. But just because the mercury is dropping doesn’t mean your face can’t be warm and bright.

Sometimes just a few changes are all that is necessary to take your makeup from one season to another.

*Go a shade lighter with foundation, your usual shade may be too dark for your winter skin.

*Warm up cheeks with a brighter shade. Use sparingly, brush color lightly over the apples of your cheeks for an automatic winter warm up.

*Choose a warm, rich lipcolor. Now is the time to go for deeper reds and browns,

*Let your eyes stand out. Use eyeliner in a deep rich brown, charcoal or black. Use mascara to match for a lush lash look.

*Even if you don’t usually use face powder, try it. The powder will set your foundation and give you a matte finish.

Nail polish can hide a multiple of nail imperfections such as discolorations and ridges or uneven surfaces. But nail polish is one of the main culprits in causing nails to yellow or stain and an uneven or rough nail surface will only lead to early chipping and peeling of your nail polish.

There are a few simple tricks that can make nails brighter and smoother, and you don’t need to go to a nail salon.

To whiten nail tips, try soaking in lemon juice. Some women swear by effervescent denture cleaner tablets and still others use a whitening toothpaste, rubbed onto the nail. All of these methods work, it’s a matter of preference. One method I don’t recommend is soaking nails in a mild bleach solution. The bleach smell is hard to get rid of and it can be damaging and drying to skin. If you use the lemon solution, just be careful you don’t have any open cuts around your fingertips or you can expect a bit of stinging. Cutting a lemon in half and sticking your fingertips directly into the lemon for a few minutes also works.

Buffing the nails will smooth out uneven spots and give nails a high shine. Use a buffer specifically designed for the task. A buffer block with 4 sides is an excellent tool. Buff nail from cuticle to tip. Remember you are buffing for shine and smoothness, not trying to remove layers of nail. That will only leave nails thinner and more vulnerable to breaking, chipping and staining.

After whitening and buffing, you can apply a couple of coats of a shiny, clear top coat or apply one coat of a sheer pink or peach and follow with top coat. You will have an instant French manicure and a healthy, shiny look for nails.

Nails can be difficult to keep in good shape. We use our hands all the time in little ways we don’t even think will damage the nail. But housework, daily chores, even opening soda cans can damage nails.

Keeping nails short or medium length makes them easier to protect. Don’t file the sides of the nails, this weakens them. Do file nails in a blunt or square shape.

And it’s important to give nails a break from polish. Keeping polish on all the time doesn’t allow the nail to breathe. Dark polishes can stain nails if left on for a long time, but even light polishes can yellow nails. Take nail polish off, use a cuticle cream and let your nails breathe for a few days before your next manicure. Your nails will thank you for it.

Blemishes are never welcome. There are plenty of treatments available to help clear blemishes more quickly and a myriad of concealers to cover them. But blemishes have a tendency to show through the concealers and their surface texture makes them more difficult to cover smoothly.

Clean & Clear® Advantage™ Invisible Acne Patch both treats the blemish and helps your makeup conceal it better at the same time.

Apply the liquid to the pimple and it forms an invisible layer to make it appear smoother and allow your makeup to go on more smoothly. Meanwhile it has an acne fighting medication that treats the pimple.