Celebrity makeup artist's tips, tricks and favorite products for winter makeup (2025)

Winter is tough on our skin -- and our makeup.

While it may seem like perfecting your makeup routine is a daunting task, we tapped celebrity makeup artist Kelli Ann Sewell to share her tips and tricks for our best wintertime makeup.

Sewell tells "Good Morning America" in an email that she commonly addresses dry skin barriers, acne, dry lips and sensitive skin and eyes in the winter months. With the right skin prep, products and a few favorite looks, Sewell has a plan for it all.

By clicking on these shopping links, visitors will leave Goodmorningamerica.com. These e-commerce sites are operated under different terms and privacy policies than Goodmorningamerica.com. ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Influencers may receive a commission or have business relationships with a recommended brand. SOME PRICES ARE DYNAMIC AND MAY CHANGE FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. Have questions about ordering or a purchase? Click here. Get more shopGMA! Sign up for our newsletter, and follow on Instagram and TikTok.

Are there any common mistakes people make with their makeup this time of year?

Sewell says people use products from the summer despite needing new formulas and shades for the current months. "In the winter you want to opt for formulas that are deeply packed with skincare benefits and are hydrating and long lasting," she says. "Less liquids and sheer formulas, more serums, oils, and creams."

Tips for makeup on dry skin and redness

"Skin prep is so important regardless of the season," Sewell says, adding to prep your skin with a moisturizer before applying makeup to "have your skin looking glossy and dewy."

Opt for products that have skin care in them, she says, recommending the Laura Mercier Long-Wear Tinted Moisturizer, which has SPF 30 and hyaluronic acid, and "a nice dewy concealer," like one from Kosas. Finish with a light powder to set your makeup without drying out your face.

And for those ever-frustrating dry lips? Sewell says to prep your lips with a lip mask and let it sit while you apply your face and eye makeup. Wipe the mask away before you apply lip products, Sewell notes, and "your lip lines will be plumped out and allow better lip application." Sewell says the LANEIGE lip mask is "on a frequent rotation."

To cover any redness, Sewell says to use a green color corrector "to neutralize the areas before makeup."

Tips for long-lasting eye makeup for water eyes

Sewell says she loves starting an eye look with an eye shadow stick: "It's hydrating and long-lasting," she says, and you can pair it with a waterproof liner. Sewell notes Maybelline liners, Bobbi Brown shadow sticks and MAC Paint Pots as some of her favorite products here.

"In general, I think less is more on eyes to keep them less irritated," she says, "but if you want to do a smokey eye, use waterproof formulas."

Tips for long-lasting base makeup in the winter

The trick here? "Using hydrating products and light layers! I love using products with a balmy texture," she says, like the Makeup by Mario SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer and the Soft Pop Plumping Cream Blush Veil.

"They are so hydrating and make your skin look so dewy and fresh." Sewell also says you can use concealer, like Glossier's Stretch Concealer, as your foundation to "keep things fresh." Set with a lightweight powder "that allows your skin to breathe."

Sewell recommends the Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder for those with dry skin and Make Up For Ever HD Skin Shine-Controlling & Blurring Setting Powder for combination to oily skin types.

Sewell's favorite new makeup products and winter trends

"I’ve always loved rosy cheeks so I’m loving any heavy blush moment with beautiful pigment," she says. "I also love the idea of soft, blurred, bold lip colors. I live for the new Rhode [lip] pencils, especially the deeper shades, for that wearable dark lip pigment!"

Client looks

Sewell, with an impressive list of clients including Kelsea Ballerini, Alix Earle, Alex Cooper, Leonie Hanne, Brooks Nader and Lo Bosworth, recently did Leah Kateb's makeup for New York Fashion Week: "I wanted her to feel fresh and plump and juicy but with a winter touch, so we opted for glassy, snatched skin and a bold lip," Sewell says.

"To complement the lip, we did a super-easy contoured eye with a focus on a beautiful lash using Haus Labs' new mascara."

Beyond her clients, Sewell has amassed 330 thousand Instagram followers and offers over 140 guided beauty tutorials and community events through her app, Makeup By Kelli Anne. She says she loves her newly-released tutorial, "Lazy Girl Glam," which "focused on cold weather staples that make you feel put together quick."

Take it from us: Whether you're looking for winter makeup now, summer makeup later or just need approachable ways to learn the art of makeup, Sewell should be your next follow.

Continue below to shop more "GMA" makeup picks inspired by Sewell's tips.