Skin always takes a beating in the colder months. Here’s how to get through the rest of winter looking unseasonably radiant

Now is the time to pamper your skin. The season’s cold temperatures, low humidity and indoor heating can weaken the skin barrier, lead to dryness and dullness, and make fine lines and wrinkles appear more pronounced. So the products that serve your skin when you could leave the house without a jacket may no longer be providing your complexion what it needs.

Below, a break down of the key elements that make up an ideal winter skincare and beauty routine, and the rich, gentle products we recommend swapping in.

Cleanse

A hydrating cleanser will help maintain the skin’s moisture barrier while effectively removing impurities – a great step to minimise dryness. Opt for pH-balanced cleansers with emollient-rich surfactants to cleanse without stripping the skin’s barrier. Farmacy’s Gentle Creamy Face Cleanser is a fragrance-free formula, with a moisture barrier-supporting blend of upcycled moringa, apple extract, oat and omega-rich vitamin F, that helps to wash away any makeup and impurities without stripping skin of essential moisture. You can also skip a morning cleanse and wash your face at the end of the day, or use a micellar water in the a.m. to remove overnight residue.

Exfoliate

Winter winds and the cold weather can disrupt the skin’s natural barrier function, leaving skin feeling dry, flaky and rough. It is important therefore to support, protect and repair your skin with the changing seasons. Dry skin types will find that their skin condition exacerbates during the winter months, as they naturally have lower levels of natural moisturising factor in their skin. Harsh winter weather can deplete this further, making it important to exfoliate regularly, to avoid a build-up of dead skin cells. Regardless of skin tone and type, there are key ingredients that we can all benefit from. Vitamin C is an excellent, multitasking anti-oxidant which repairs, renews and strengthens the skin. Exfoliants rich in glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids will also help stimulate healthy skin turnover. The Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum resurfaces dull skin and lifts dead skin cells away by gently dissolving the glue that holds them to the surface. Formulated with a unique AHA/BHA blend including glycolic, lactic, tartaric, citric and salicylic acids, and blended with raspberry extract, it sinks in easily and delivers the results of a chemical exfoliation without harsh side effects like dryness or sensitisation.

Treat

Fine lines can become more noticeable in the winter when we are exposed to cold temperatures, heating and dehydration. So if you think you’ve suddenly aged overnight, don’t panic, your skin is just dehydrated. Hyaluronic acid isn’t as scary as it sounds, in fact it actually occurs naturally in your skin and joints, but depletes as you age (typical). HA has the ability to attract and hold large amounts of moisture, so using a HA serum before your moisture will not only boost the moisture content in your skin, but also make whatever you put on top more effective. Formulated with five forms of hyaluronic acid, ceramides and the vitamin B5, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum helps your skin to not only attract moisture but also maintain hydration. Just make sure you apply it when your face is damp to make the most of the moisture-magnetising formula.

Moisturise

A moisturiser is the cornerstone of a winter routine. And replacing that gel-cream or lightweight lotion to a richer formula is a wise choice for combating winter dryness and reducing transepidermal water losses. The more emollient counterpart to Augustinus Bader’s cult-favourite The Cream, The Rich Cream delivers intense hydration and firming, brightening and softening benefits. TFC8 is its hero ingredient, which addresses everything from skin laxity, uneven texture and tone, and fine lines. The formula also contains omega-6 fatty acids to soften your skin, antioxidants to address free radical-related skin damage from environmental pollutants, plus evening primrose oil to nourish and soothe your skin.

Protect

A routine full of potent actives won’t be effective without proper sun care. Sunscreen helps to minimise damage exacerbated by UV rays, and can help fade hyperpigmentation, too. You can totally use your go-to sunscreens year round, especially if you really like it and do the above step of transitioning to a richer moisturiser. But make sure your sunscreen pairs well with it and isn’t leading to pilling when your moisturiser changes. Often water-based moisturisers do best with water-based sunscreens, and the same for oil-based skincare products with other oil-based ones. So with The Rich Cream, a creamier formula like Sulwhasoo’s UV Daily Cream will sit better on the skin.

Foundation

Cold, dry weather (along with the dry air from cranking up the heat) can sap your skin’s moisture, making it prone to cakiness, flakiness and pilling. The best winter foundations are ones that are packed with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and squalane, which are key for plump skin and a smooth, flake-free finish to your base products. The Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation is one of those. This luxe, hydrating formula – courtesy of conditioning botanicals like iris, wild pansy, hibiscus and nasturtium extracts – comes in a wide range of shades, each featuring one of six Dior signature undertones: neutrals, warms, warm olives, warm peaches, cools and cool roses. That said, it never feels heavy, with a buildable medium coverage that blends seamlessly into the skin for a flawless, radiant glow.

Blush

Come winter – when your skin inevitably loses its glow and the colour has all but drained from your face – a good blush (be it cream, liquid, powder or stick) can be your new best asset. Three decades after its runway debut, Chanel’s signature Rouge Noir has evolved from a cult nail polish into a full makeup collection under the creative vision of Ammy Drammeh. The line-up includes lipstick, highlighter, eyeliner, mascara, brushes, and the Rouge Noir Confidence Palette, a quad of eyeshadow and blush shades. You can expect a magenta, sienna red with a pink shimmer, pearlescent rosy white highlighter, and mauve pink that melts into the skin for colour payoff that lasts through whatever you put it through.

Lip mask

Lip masks are incredible at keeping chapped, dry lips at bay during the winter months. And this one from Tatcha is a real treat to use – from the teeny-tiny golden spoon that you can use to hygienically scoop the product out of the pot to the nourishing jelly texture. It’s formulated with reparative Japanese peach extract, hydrating squalane and Japanese camellia oil to moisturise, and feels just as cushioning and plumping on application as it does hours later.

Body care

Infusing moisture into every step of my winter body care routine is crucial and there’s no better opportunity to do so than by switching out a basic shower gel for a luxurious shower oil. L’Occitane’s iconic Almond Shower Oil is one of the best in the business and will see you through winter and beyond as you only need the smallest amount. It contains sweet almond and grapeseed oils, which are naturally rich in omegas to hydrate the skin and improve its elasticity and suppleness. I can confirm that it does both – transforming from a rich oil into a nourishing milk that leaves skin soft, smooth and glowy. And the soft almond scent lingers beautifully too.

Hand cream

Our hands are at the front line of life. We spend all day exposing them to hot and cold water, soap, sanitiser (the list goes on), then our faces go and get all the skincare glory. But just like our faces, the skin on our hands has a natural barrier that needs nurturing and nourishing, and if it’s not given the TLC it needs, it can become more susceptible to sensitivities such as eczema. If you’re already prone to skin irritations, opt for one that’s fragrance-free, like the CeraVe Soothing and Repairing Hand Cream. It contains hydrating hyaluronic acid and ceramides to nourish skin and help heal any flakes or chaps. Otherwise, the Caudalie Vinotherapist Hand and Nail Cream is a personal favourite. The formula ticks every box a good hand cream should: it’s hydrating, soothing, nourishes dry patches, absorbs quickly and cleanly (no sticky palms here), and smells like a spa. An extra tip? If your hands are in need of a serious nourishing treatment, apply a thick layer of hand cream before bed and then pop on some moisturising gloves. They’ll lock the hydration in overnight to give your smoother, happier hands come morning.

See also: Perfumer Quentin Bisch on creating scents for Diptyque