LUCY loves, it’s been a beautiful few weeks of the New Year, and we’re ready to let you in on our New Year’s resolution for 2023: being kinder to ourselves, being patient with ourselves, and above all, treating ourselves every once in a while - and what better way to start treating ourselves than with a skincare overhaul?
If you’ve read our blogs on skincare before, you know people normally have two or even three routines, depending on their skin type and the climate where they live. As the temperature drops and the air gets drier, light formulas are tucked away for the summer, and heavier, more occlusive products make their way into the light. When summer swings back around, those heavier formulas go back into the closet, and we reach for the stuff that will keep us hydrated, glowy, and glitzy without clogging our pores.
For us Maltese (And Gozo!) lovelies, this is no difference, even if our weather tends to go between hot and hotter. We know our islands get a cold snap near the middle of January, and February’s usually rainy and cold, so here’s six products to get you through the winter without going too hard on your skin.
If your regular cleanser’s leaving you squeaky, squeaky clean (and not in a good way), this is what you can swap it out with - a lovely, super-soothing, and very gentle cleanser that doubles up as a toner for an extra burst of hydration. If you’re dedicated to a full face of makeup every day, this pulls triple the work by also taking off your makeup, leaving your face refreshed, and best of all, still hydrated.
As the air dries up, your normal cleanser might be a little too drying for you, and you need to supplement the moisture loss to your skin with products. Picking a cleanser that’s a little gentler - and not something foaming, for example - will help treat your skin with kindness, and prevent it from overproducing oils to combat against that feeling of dryness, which will then lead to breakouts – and because it’s light, even oily-skinned lovelies can try this one on for size.
It’s a mouthful of a name, but the Revolution Skincare Jelly Water is perfect for chilly winter days: not only is it super lightweight, so it sits well and plays well underneath all your other skincare and makeup products, it’s packed with moisture-boosting benefits that can plump up your skin like a dream. Formulated to work with four different weights of hyaluronic acid, this toner leaves no level of your skin unplumped and leaves you glowing without having to down a 2L bottle of water before hand (though we recommend you still do that!)
Adding moisture to your skincare isn’t enough on its own; you also need to make sure to prevent moisture from leaving your skin whenever you have the opportunity! TheSaem Derma Plan Barrier Ampoule goes on after you’ve packed your skin full of your toner, and works to seal it all underneath a protective botanical layer to prevent water loss and fight back against external irritants, such as air pollution. Think of it like slugging - but without the Vaseline, and with a heap of brightening properties from madecassoside and beta-glucan.
If you’re not normally a moisturiser fan: we get it. In winter, though, it’s better to layer on the hydration and go for glowy than it is to stick to what gets you by in the hotter days, and that means finding a moisturiser that can help you retain all that hard-won moisture.
Here’s our choice: the Frudia Blueberry Hydrating Intensive Cream, but don’t get put off by the ‘intensive cream’ part of the title - it’s formulated to be lightweight, even as it works to lock in moisture and improve your skin texture. Formulated with a five-plant complex to really boost your skin’s appearance, it’s great for sensitive skin, oily skin, and every kind of skin in between - and a little goes a long way, especially if you’re pairing it with our Saem Derma Plan Barrier Ampoule.
Even if it’s foggy, or rainy, or grey outside, guess what you still need? Sunscreen - but sunscreen can be a little drying, especially if it includes tons of alcohol in it to get that nice make-up friendly finish. That said, 2023 is the year of working with, not against, your products, so here’s our suggestion: find a sunscreen that can double as your foundation or your primer.
Our favourite is the Bioearth Face Cream, which is packed with aloe vera, reishi mushroom extract, and antioxidants - and it protects against UVA and UVB rays, which is perfect to cover all your sun protection basics. If you find it leaves you a little too shiny for your tastes, top it off with a translucent powder before you apply your foundation, and that should take care of any gloss you don’t want in record time, and you won’t dry your skin out in the process!
Really want to take your skin game to the next (hydration) level? There’s a reason the Payot Pate Grise Night Cream is a cult favourite: its formulation packs in both watercress and AHA, helping to combat blemishes and skin texture irregularities while you’re sleeping, and with a light, beautiful texture that works especially well on combination or oily skin. When you pair it with a hydrating ampoule, toner, or serum, you get the best of both worlds: an occlusive layer sealing in your moisture, and a gentle acid that helps with skin turnover and renewal.
Have you purchased any of our skincare recs for January? Have you purchased different skincare products for your winter skincare routine? Write in the comments and tell us your favourites for the cold weather!
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