As summer gives way to autumn, our sins from the last few months start to surface. Once-tanned skin becomes dull, spotty and flaky, the back-to-back all-nighters embed deep into darkened eye circles, and the sloshing back of endless booze has found its way to our now extremely clogged pores. All of which is about to become aggravated by our skin constantly enduring switching temperatures, from cold commutes, to OTT centrally heated offices.
“Cool, dry and windy weather with little humidity leaves our facial skin in particular exposed to the elements. This can make the skin feel dry, sensitive and irritated,” explains consultant dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto. “This is compounded by the fact that we put on the central heating, which dries the skin out further as well as hot baths and showers which will strip moisture from the skin.”
But do not despair! Just as you switch up your wardrobe, it’s time to revitalise your skincare regime with these new expert-approved, autumn-ready beauty elixirs. On your marks, get your hit of hydration, go!
Build that barrier
As beauty gurus re-evaluate their relationship with harsh exfoliants and potent active ingredient overuse, repairing the skin’s barrier has become one of the hottest trends of 2022. And with winter on the horizon, now’s the time to get into barrier repair if you haven’t already. “This may be the time to switch to a heavier moisturizer rather than light gels or serums to ensure the skin barrier is protected,” agrees Mahto.
Check out the new La Roche Posay Cicaplast B5+ (laroche-posay.co.uk; £15) which is a thick, luxurious and soothing repair balm that is enriched with powerful moisturising ingredients like Vitamin B5, madecassoside and glycerin. Beauty Pie’s Plantastic (beautypie.com; £19.50) deep moisturising balm and Omorovicza’s new Cushioning Cream (omorovicza.co.uk; £130) (3) will also do the job. Insider top tip: apply when skin is damp to help lock in as much hydration as possible.
Oil, oil and more oil
Although our skin needs a little more TLC throughout autumn and winter, good skincare should be an all-year commitment. That’s why a quality oil is essential to your routine, as it will not only nourish skin in the short-term but will help your skin to improve moisture retention in the long term also. When choosing an oil, look for products containing ceramide, a naturally occurring lipid found in the skin’s barrier which helps to seal in the water. That’s why Drunk Elephant A Gloei Maretinol Oil (drunkelephant.com; £63) and Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum (glowrecipe.com; £38) should not be skipped this autumn.
Must-have Vitamin Cs
Vitamin C has the skincare industry in its grip thanks to its mighty antioxidant properties. Banish wrinkles, blemishes and acne while repairing that all-important skin barrier with this miracle compound. Farmacy Beauty’s brand new 10% waterless Vitamin C serum (farmacybeauty.com; £48) is a must this autumn. The serum has a propylene glycol base, which means the L-ascorbic (the most powerful form of Vitamin C) lasts much longer than those using a water or oil base (which, by the way, is most of the Vitamin C products). Its longevity will leave both your skin and your bank balance happy.
Let’s get technical
Trend reporters WGSN recently termed the phrase “tech-ceptance” to signal the swelling intrigue in technology-based skincare solutions. Face- Gym’s new hydrating active roller skincare micro-needling tool (facegym.com; £55) is one of the products leading this new movement. It features crystallised hyaluronic acid, peptides and cica formed into micro-needles, that once rolled across your skin will dissolve rapidly for instant moisture, plumper skin and a supermodel-worthy glow.
Eye time
Our eye bags take a battering over the hedonistic summer months. This winter, indulge in much-needed self-care with Xlash’s new Awakening Eye Gels (xlash.com; £37). Infused with Vitamin C, niacinamide and caffeine, your friends and colleagues will think you have eight hours’ sleep every night. An honourable shout-out goes to TonyMoly’s moisture boost cooling hydrogel eye patches (tonymoly.us; £25), and Wander Beauty’s Baggage Claim rose gold eye masks (wanderbeauty.com; £25).
Heat it up
With the temperatures dropping rapidly, so does our desire to socialise. This means spending even more time staring at TV screens as we replace park drinks with the latest blockbusters. Treat your dry eyes to holistic facialist Marie Renold’s latest Eye Spa Self-heating Eye Masks (mariereynoldslondon.com; £18), which helps the skin draw from the surface into the deeper layers. This massages the oil glands that form the tears that hydrate our eyes, making for a deeply therapeutic ritual to practice twice a week.
