If you already have a routine that works for you and products you love, great, stick with that. But, to get ahead of most common colder-weather skin concerns — shrivelled-up lips and breakouts brought about by a combination of red wine, stress, and dehydration — you can make a few, careful tweaks to what you’re doing now, to ensure that you’re entering cuffing season, holidays, and potential back-to-office plans without having to worry about your skin. On the contrary, you’ll have that good-skin glow, which, even if other parts of your life aren’t going to plan, is always a win.
Ahead, five easy tips to transition your skincare routine into autumn and winter.
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Invest In A Bedside-Table Humidifier
If you do nothing else, get a damn humidifier. They come cute and tiny now. Plus, most dermatologists practicing in states that experience four seasons agree that the dry heat warming your house or apartment is not great for you skin. “In those heated, low-humidity environments, we lose more moisture from our skin into the air,” explains New York-based dermatologist Dr. Hadley King. “A humidifier in the bedroom at night, or in other rooms where you are spending a lot of time, can keep you from getting a scratchy throat or feeling puffy because your skin’s dehydrated.”
Smartdevil Air Humidifier, $, available at Amazon
Try A Ceramide Moisturiser
The next time you run out of moisturiser, which tends to happen at a breakneck pace in the autumn and winter, make sure your next one contains ceramides, fatty acids that help your skin retain moisture. “Adding in a moisturiser that has ceramides in it is something I highly recommend, across the board,” explains NYC-based aesthetician Joanna Vargas. “Ceramides heal, super-hydrate, repair the skin barrier, and that’s really important as you’re moving into the colder months when the skin barrier gets compromised, which is especially likely if you don’t get enough sleep or you’re stressed.”
Joanna Vargas Skin Care Eden Hydrating Pro Moisturizer, 50ml, $, available at Net-A-Porter
Layer In An Oil
If you have dry skin, like your concealer sometimes gets flakey, consider layering a few drops of face oil into your morning skin care routine. “Oils help hold hydration in the skin,” explains Vargas. “If you’re using a hyaluronic-acid serum, use that first, and then put a face oil over, and then your light ceramide cream on top. If you’re acne-prone, I would also recommend using retinol at night to go along with that morning routine.”
Summer Fridays Sixteen All In One Oil, $, available at Cult Beauty
Exfoliate Less, But Mask More
Don’t stop exfoliating in the autumn — cell turnover is important — but you might be able to cut back a little. If you’re currently exfoliating with a gentle scrub or peel three times a week, maybe pull it back to once or twice, Vargas recommends. “I would also incorporate a soothing mask into your routine, like something that has stem cells or peptides,” she says. “You could do a mask twice a week and just exfoliate once.”
Fresh Rose Face Mask 30ml, $, available at Cult Beauty
Treat Your Lips
Possibly the most relatable skin concern that will plague all of us over the next six months is what Vargas calls “shrivelled lips.” Sure, you could get a new tube of Chapstick. But Dr. King and Vargas both love the Sara Happ lip balm. “I like that it’s a little greasy,” Vargas says. “When we see clients in the spa, we always end every facial with a good layer of this lip balm.”
Sara Happ The Lip Slip, $, available at Selfridges
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