No matter where you lovely LUCY lovers are located, it’s currently pretty cold and harsh outside, and while you can absolutely dress yourself in layers and layers and battle back the brrrr, your skincare routine might still be the same one that you use all year round - and hey, that’s okay, if it works for you! If it isn’t, keep reading, because this week’s blog is all about how to hit the hydration and make sure your skin is glowy and plump even as the temperature drops and the humidity goes sky high!
Everyone’s skin is different, so this one might not apply to you, but the general rule of thumb is that winter skincare has to be a little thicker and more occlusive to battle back the dryness that comes with central heating, the cold air, and the many steamy showers everyone’s taking in order to really warm up after a hard day out.
Your skin is a pretty bad liar, so this one you can figure out really easily: take a look in the mirror. Does your face feel tight and flaky? When you put your favourite foundation on, does it look like it’s caking up or sitting on top of your skin instead of blending in? Are you breaking out in places that you normally wouldn’t break out in? If you wash your face with a gentle cleanser and a moisturiser and that normally does the trick, are you getting oilier faster during the day?
Big fluctuations in temperature can make your normal skincare routine less effective, and this goes for every kind of skin type, no matter if you’re oily, normal, or dry. In some cases, not changing your skincare for winter - or adding far more hydrating products and protective layers to your face - can actually follow you into the summer, and if you’re fond of using acids, that can lead to bigger problems like a damaged moisture barrier, which can lead to cystic acne and a long haul to heal your poor face.
Make no mistake: we love our makeup, but to have beautiful, flawless makeup, you need to make sure your canvas is ready to rock.
Not at all! If you find that your current routine is working really well for you, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel - just add products that you think will work with your current lineup, and you are good to go.
Here’s what we recommend - and we took the liberty of putting it into a routine list for you so you can really customise it! 
If your cleanser makes your face feel squeaky clean, maybe you can swap it out during the winter for something that’s a little more nourishing. As far as other skincare steps go, a cleanser is a product that only stays on your skin for a little while, so don’t feel like this is the step you need to change up - but we would definitely recommend finding a cleanser that’s gentle enough to still leave your skin feeling like, well, skin: a little oily, a little soft, and definitely not tight or dry. If you’re not sure if your cleanser is drying out out, try smiling or moving your face briefly before you continue with the rest of your skincare routine: if it feels like your skin is being stretched, your cleanser might be too harsh for your skin - even if it works fine during the rest of the year!
For winter, we love love love the SAEM Natural Condition Avocado Cleansing Cream. Because it’s a cream, and not a gel or a foaming wash, it’s much gentler and doesn’t contain any stripping sulfates, and it’s formulated with avocado oil and royal jelly to leave your skin feeling softened and smooth.
SAEM Natural Condition Avocado Cleansing Cream - €12.99
For toner, we can’t recommend the Revolution Skincare Hyaluronic Tonic enough for your winter hydro-boost - not only does it come jam-packed with hyaluronic acid, an occlusive property that binds and retains moisture, it also has witch hazel, urea, and colloidal oatmeal extract which help protect the skin barrier and boost hydration.
The really good thing about this toner is that you can apply it to damp skin and up the hydration boost just that little bit more - due to the glycerin and hyaluronic acid, it binds to any water remaining on the skin and moisturises your skin from within.
Revolution Skincare Hyaluronic Tonic - €13.99
La Beauté Royal Jelly Nectar Face Cream is marketed as a nighttime moisturiser, however we love it for winter daytime skincare for a few reasons: the ingredients are divine, the texture is to die for, and the way it makes our skin glow is unmatched. Formulated with royal jelly, which is high in anti-oxidants and vitamins, and also goji extract to revitalise and increases collagen production. Add in nettle extract for anti-inflammatories and a base foundation of Salies-de-Béarn thermal water, and you have a moisturiser that sinks into your skin like water and leaves you feeling refreshed all day long.
La Beauté Royal Jelly Nectar Face Cream - €20.85
A good serum can take your skin to the next level, and if you haven’t branched out into serum additions yet, consider Payot’s Uni Illuminating Perfecting Serum as the first one to try out. Featuring our favourite water-boost hyaluronic acid and illuminating pearls for a dose of glow, this gel-based formula is light enough for even the oiliest skin to wear with no problems, and it also acts as a really pretty glowy primer. For those who want to go for the #cleangirl makeup look, this serum’s perfect for finding the right balance between inner-glow and oil-slick.
Payot’s Uni Illuminating Perfecting Serum - €68.00
No matter how grey the days outside are, you still need to wear sunscreen - yes, even if it’s 3PM and the sun has gone down! However, some sunscreens contain a high alcohol content which can definitely dry out your skin even in the wettest conditions. For a winter-friendly sunscreen, we’re obsessed with the finish of the Seventeen Daily Cream SPF50, which absorbs up to 97% of solar radiation and has pomegranate and aloe vera extracts which can moisturise your skin without leaving it greasy.
Of course, there’s way more winter skincare faves that we could talk about, so if you’ve got a favourite winter product that we haven’t mentioned, write in and tell us about it! Our LUCY team is always happy to hear what’s working for you.
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