My Simple Winter Skincare Routine
My Winter Skincare Routine
We’ve got the heat pump on, we’re drinking less water that we usually would in the warmer months and the cold, dry air is evaporating the water content in our skin. Hello WINTER, it’s dry skin season, so it’s time to whip out the thicker textures!
My skin has been acting bizarre since the NZ Covid-19 lockdown back in April, never in my life have I experienced so much sensitivity, dryness and general issues with my skin that aren’t acne related. I’ve never thought of myself as a sensitive skin person, but over the last couple of months that word ‘sensitive’ is exactly how I would describe my skin type! Funny how quickly the state of our skin can change thanks to not only the climate, but due to things like stress and in my personal case, grief (the acidity in my tears have been causing me skin irritation, crazy right?).
Anyway, my routine looks really different compared to how it looked at the start of the year. I’m a huge fan of layering products, but recently I’ve brought my routine back to basics and kept things really simple, using products with little to no fragrance or essential oils and using products that are extra repairing, nourishing and hydrating.
The key to having healthy skin is to look after our skin barrier aka the epidermis or the top layer of skin. Your skin barrier’s job is to protect what lays beneath and to stop things like UV rays, pollution and bacteria getting through to the lower layers. The skin barrier needs to be constantly worked on and you’ll notice that if it’s strong and healthy, your complexion will look smoother, brighter and firmer and you’ll be less susceptible to sensitivity and breakouts. Generally speaking, someone who is experiencing out of the ordinary sensitivity will have a weak skin barrier due to over exfoliation, overuse of active ingredients or by not using the right products to protect it from the harsh winter climate.
So when it comes to winter skin, not only is nourishing the skin barrier key, but so is using products that aren’t going to create any further sensitivity. Here is what I’ve been using.
Morning
Cleanse: Kate Sommerville Delikate Soothing Cleanser
There are very few brands that I completely trust and love across the board of their offerings and Kate Sommerville is definitely one of them. Recently they brought out a range called Delikate inspired by the calming and soothing ingredients they use on their clients post peel and I was gifted all three products to test out. I loved and finished them all, but ended up repurchasing the cleanser because it is my perfect milky morning cleanse! Full of Amino Acids and Ceramides to help strengthen the skin barrier while gently cleansing, its the perfect morning winter cleanser and I think I’ll be repurchasing for many years to come.
Eye Cream: Cosmetics 27 Eye 27
The epicentre of my sensitivity has been on the apple of my cheeks, right where I like to apply my eye cream and after months of testing out all of the eye creams in my stash that seemed to be making my irritation worse, I was introduced to Eye 27 by my girlfriend and its the first eye cream that not only hasn’t made the sensitivity worse, but helped to get rid of it. For me, eye cream has always had a bit of a question mark on in my routine. I’ve been using eye cream consistently for years, but after about two months of not using it whatsoever (because of the sensitivity) I have been completely shocked by what has happened. FINE LINES. Yep, I’ve always heard about fine lines around the years being the first sign of ageing, but naively thought it was a problem I wasn’t going to experience until I was at least 30. Boy.. was I wrong. I’ve seen first hand the benefits of using an eye cream, but it took not using one for a couple of months to realise them. Thank goodness I’ve found a hydrating, anti-aging eye cream that doesn’t irritate my cheeks or make my eyes water!
Serum: The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid
Basic, simple, affordable and does the trick. Hyaluronic Acid is a humectant, so it draws all of the moisture from the air back into your skin. Everyone needs a HA serum in the winter, and this one from The Ordinary is by far the best bang for your buck!
Moisturiser: Cosmetics 27 Baume 27
Another revolutionary find and perhaps my favourite skincare discovery of 2020 (is that to early to call!?). This is the same brand as the eye cream I just harped on about, Cosmetics 27 is a super luxury and chic French brand inspired by the calming ingredient Centella Asiatica. The brand was created for skin that was irritated, ageing and needed some help to repair itself, and can I just say that their Baume 27 is doing exactly that for my skin. Within a couple of days of using this moisturising balm day and night, I saw my redness diminish for the first time in months, my skin was smoother, plumper, softer, firmer and I could feel and see my skin barrier gain back the strength it had lost. This product is a luxury, but its stunning and worth every penny if you’re in need for a moisturiser that works hard for you during the winter months! The texture is unlike anything else I’ve ever tried and it’s made me excited to do my skincare routine again. LOVE. IT.
One of my go-to SPF’s, I use SPF50 every day of the year and you should too, because its not just about protecting our skin from sunscreen, its about protecting it from UVA (causes ageing) which we are extra sensitive to it here in NZ due to the hole in our ozone layer. I love this one from Mecca because it leaves no white cast, blends into the skin beautifully and isn’t greasy whatsoever.
Bonus Tanning Product: Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi
I’m on my third bottle of this stuff and I honestly can never see myself going off it. I mix it in with my sunscreen and it basically gives you face fake tan for the day that washes off in the evening, I’m a HUGE fan. There is just something about proper fake tan on my face that makes me feel a bit gross (also pointless as I exfoliate regularly) so I love that I can just apply this in the morning and get rid of it by the end of the day! It also offers anti-pollution properties which is great to defend your skin barrier against pore clogging dirt in the air, especially important if you work in the city or take public transport.
Evening
First Cleanse: Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
I always use a balm or an oil cleanser to remove my makeup, it’s the most gentle, efficient and environmentally friendly way to do it (no makeup wipes, please!). I’m onto my third tub from Clinique because not only does it do an insanely good job at removing my makeup, its fragrance free and doesn’t cause any irritation - also meaning its fab to use to remove your eye makeup, too! I use this first to remove the makeup, then I use a second cleanser to gently remove any residue..
Second Cleanse: Kate Sommerville Delikate Soothing Cleanser
As above, double cleansing is super important when removing makeup and SPF.
AHA Exfoliant (normally nightly but right now once a week): Ren Ready Steady Glow
A resurfacing AHA product is my favourite way to exfoliate because all though the word ‘acid’ sounds harsh, it’s actually one of the most gentle ways to exfoliate your skin, AHA’s are the ingredients that are going to help you get that clear, glassy skin look. There are two types of AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid), one being Glycolic Acid and the other Lactic Acid. Lactic is the most gentle of the two, so I’ve been opting for it once a week while I work on repairing my skin barrier. I know that it doesn’t really sound right to exfoliate while your skin is feeling sensitive, but if you don’t exfoliate you’re going to allow the unwanted dead skin cells to build up and cause congestion, so its actually best to continue exfoliating, you’ve just got to use something super gentle. This one from Ren is my ultimate pick! it’s the perfect Sunday evening routine addition, but I’ll get back to using this daily when my skin is feeling up to it.
Eye Cream: Cosmetics 27 Eyes 27
As above
Serum: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair
You’ll notice I’m a bit of a creature of habit, and there are a few products in my routine that I have repurchased time and time again. I’m onto bottle #8 of this baby, (its been YEARS) except this bottle is a new and improved formula and now in recyclable glass packaging which I love. It’s full of my beloved Hyaluronic Acid (vital for winter skin) but also has this special Chronolux technology created by Estee Lauder that encourages cell turnover, helps to produce collagen in the skin as well as antioxidants to strengthen and repair the skin barrier. Also major bonus: it’s fragrance free! Love!
Moisturiser: Cosmetics 27 Baume 27
As above
Optional: Face Oil for Extra Dry Moments: The Ordinary Marula Oil
I LOVE layering skincare, I think of it like wearing layers when we are out in the cold, the more layers, the warmer we are and it works the same way with skincare and its levels of hydration. The Baume 27 is full of beautiful nourishing oils so these days I don’t actually feel like I need the extra layer of oil, but for days where I’ve been on the mountain skiing or have spent more time outside in the cold, I think its helpful to add that extra layer that will lock in all of the goodness in your routine.
I am in no way, shape or form a professional skincare expert or dermatologist, all of my skincare knowledge is gained from 5 years of working with beauty brands, speaking with aestheticians, facialists and industry brand owners and professionals. I am purely sharing what I have learnt from personal experience and from industry professionals over the years. If you are concerned about your skin or the products you are using, please see a skincare professional or speak to your doctor.