Last week we had my quarterback Skin care routine at 43this week i’m going to talk about my fall skincare routine and the very important changes i’m making as the weather starts to cool.
The weather is starting to cool down. God, I’ve made fall sound romantic, haven’t I? Who am I kidding. That’s just under three months of perpetual humidity and depressing, suboptimal temperatures. I’m not the biggest fan of fall. I know everyone is having some crystal clear days, flipping through leaves, scarves, but really: how many real times does this happen?
I can tell you because I walk the dog and when I’m not doing that I’m in front of a big window in my hilltop house watching the weather fronts move in, and I guess they’re perfect Sign Autumn Days they represent about 10% of the season. The other 90% consists of cold drizzle, flat gray skies, storms with silly names, and everyone endlessly debating whether or not it’s unusually warm/wettest October on record/cold too early.
Absolutely. Do you need to change your skincare routine to match the season? No you don’t. Obviously, if it’s summer and you’re out and about in loads, then up the SPF application, but other than that, if your routine works perfectly for you, then there’s no need to mess around. Your skin might be like mine, though, and completely lose the plot once summer closes up shop. Drier, more irritable, tight as a drum, strangely breaking out, even though it’s drier, not oilier…
If that’s you (I should point out that I couldn’t find a good photo for this post so I don’t look more dry and irritable in the photo above, soz) then here are some easy (and relatively cheap) things you can do to tweak your skincare routine and make your skin feel less stressed.
- Step away from the powerful active ingredients for a while. Powerful retinoids, powerful antioxidants, glycolic acid peels so harsh they require a fan to your face so your skin doesn’t spontaneously combust: step away from them for a week or so and get your skin on an even keel . (I mean, with the last example there, with the fan thing, just don’t do it anyway is my advice. There are some insane procedures out there that you can have done, I just wonder how they can ever, ever be worth the pain and downtime unless they are somehow critical or the only option available to treat something specific. Separate post, I guess.)
- It sounds obvious, but switch your skincare products to more nourishing, heavier versions. Cleanser is a great place to start if you normally use a gel wash or liquid facial cleanser that foams and rinses. If it leaves your skin tight or stripped, switch pronto to a balm or cream cleanser. I only really use balms or creams anyway, I hate the feeling of tight, squeaky skin and I think removing every oil only to have to replace it all in subsequent products seems pretty silly. Great budget balms and cream cleansers include: Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm, £10.75 here*, ELF Cleansing Balm, £11 here* and Superfacialist Rosehip Cream Cleanser, £6 here*.
- I like to put a really soothing serum under everything if I’m trying to sort out my overly sensitive crust-like face. THE Aveeno Triple Oat Serum (£15 here*) is one of my most used serums of all time. I have a whole arsenal of soothing serums to use, but for some reason this is the one I go back to every time. I think it’s the immediacy of the calming effect – I also use it on the scaly bit of my shin that is very itchy and it’s one of the only things that actually stops me from scratching it! Also check out the Medik8 Liquid Hydrate Serum, £45 here*. There are so many hyaluronic serums on the market, but few of them really feel like you’ve somehow magically rehydrated, like those dry rosebuds that unfurl when you drop them in hot water. This is one of the few.
- Barrier repair. Look for a moisturizer that actively works to help restore and strengthen the skin barrier and you’ll see a significant difference in dryness and sensitivity. I say this from experience. Don’t get carried away by all the fancy pants face creams with fancy pots, this is the time for creams that look almost medicinally plain and unglamorous. Ceravé specializes in “dam repair” – the whole brand is based on the inclusion of tiles. Almost all of their moisturizers will work fast, but I have to make a special mention of Advanced Repair Ointment, £9 here*, previously only available in the United States. It feels pretty gross on the face, I’ll be honest, but nothing has cleared up patches of extreme dryness or (sshh) bits of random sunburn faster than this barrier-lard-in-a-tube. Also try La Roche-Posay Toleriane Cream, £23 here*, which has been my favorite for years and years and, if you have serious anxiety to shed, take a look Murad’s Intense Recovery Cream, £78 here*. It’s more the kind of salve you’d expect to have applied to a serious kind of horrible skin injury, but it works quickly to bring very dry skin back to life.
- Bloody hell, this had to be short and snappy, this post! Why can’t I just write one sentence per bullet like a normal person? Final tip. Gradual drops of tan. Look, don’t be afraid. They rarely go wrong, and if they do all you have to endure is a day or so of looking like an absolute weapon. Not big. Seriously though, a few drops of self-tanner mixed with face cream every other day does wonders for the psyche and confidence in the beauty department. It just gives the hint of a golden glow so that when you wake up in the morning almost I wonder if you went to bed with your makeup on yet. You look better. Healthier. Less like someone from a dangers of smoking brochure. I can highly recommend almost any gradual tan drop because they all do vaguely the same thing, but for an affordable way to dip your toe into this particular minefield of potential mistakes. Isle of Paradise Self-tanning Drops, £7.33 here*. They come in different color depths, so take a look at what will suit you and start with the minimum number of drops mixed into your face cream. Make sure you get your mixture down a bit from your neck and down to your hairline, but honestly: don’t let me scare you. The effects, if you start with a light touch, are really very subtle.
Right. Well, this will hopefully help some of you in this transitional weather. And when you start turning up the central heating and it gets colder outside, you can just add more moisture and richer textures to your routine: I’m sure I’ll probably be able to leave another post when the time comes, over-explaining things.
