Welp, it seems like fall is here to stay in Chicago! Saturday was gorgeous, but the temperatures have drastically dropped with all of the rain we’ve gotten. And with cooler temps comes a whole new skincare routine! My skin tends to freak out when the seasons change so I always like to be proactive about changing up my products. Here’s what I do to switch things up with my skincare, hair, makeup, and body products when it starts to get chilly…
1. Moisture, moisture, moisture!
When it comes to skincare, it’s all about slathering on the moisture for me! Sure, I like to keep my skin well-hydrated in the summer, too, but extra moisture is essential when the air gets so dry.
I mentioned it in this post, but I received the Elemis Pro Cleansing Balm, Collagen Day Cream, and Night Recovery Cream Oil back in May and they’re all perfect for providing a little extra dose of moisture now that the true fall weather has arrived.
I met with the Elemis team when I was in London earlier this month and have been trying out their new Pro Collagen Marine Oil since. I’ve talked a lot before how much I love using facial oils at night and this one is on my list of favorites now, too… You wake up with skin that looks refreshed and hydrated! (Elemis is a British brand, but you can find almost all of their products online at Nordstrom!)
I’m all about the double cleanse at night to remove makeup, and I love how moisturizing the Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm is on it’s own. It’s almost like a cleansing oil with how well it removes makeup, but it doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry or stripped afterwards. A little goes a long way, too… The balm literally melts onto your face as you’re applying it! I don’t hesitate to wash my face twice when I’m using a cleanser that is as moisturizing as this one.
A super-hydrating day cream is essential, too! The Pro Collagen Marine Cream is lightweight, but still very moisturizing. It absorbs into my skin with almost a velvety finish so applying makeup over the top isn’t a problem at all, which can be tricky with some heavy moisturizers. (It also comes in a pink jar to support breast cancer awareness!) I will say, I was nervous to use this cream at first because it does have a fragrance and my skin is super sensitive. But I’ve never broken out or had a reaction to it!
As with all of these products, the collagen formula is to help fight against aging and wrinkles… Win, win!
Eye cream has always been the hero in my medicine cabinet… There hasn’t been a day in the last decade that I haven’t worn an undereye moisturizer! (What can I say, my mom got me hooked on a good skincare routine from a young age.) I’ve always had trouble with dark circles and puffy eyes, and I swear, the skin under my eyes dries out so quickly. And as we all know, moisture is the key to preventing wrinkles!
I’m fairly certain I’ve tried a large majority of the eye creams on the market, but these four have been repeat buys for me over the two years! I couldn’t recommend each of them more, which is why I keep all four on rotation. Here’s how they’re different…
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue | I fell in love with Charlotte Tilbury products earlier this spring (remember this post?!) and when I was in London in April and ran out of eye cream, I decided to buy this one when I was out shopping around. You guys, it’s AMAZING. Truly unbelievable and if I had to choose just one, it’s probably my most favorite eye cream I’ve ever used. It brightens and hydrates like no other! It makes your undereye area so dewy, but is still easy to apply makeup over. It’s one of the few eye creams that I’ll use both morning and night, which makes it great for traveling to cut down on products in my toiletry bag.
(PS: I’ve heard so many RAVE REVIEWS about her Magic Cream for the whole face… It’s on my wish list the next time I need a moisturizer!)
Lancome Visionnaire Yeux | This guy sat in my bathroom for a while before I tried it out at the beginning of the summer and I was kicking myself for not opening it sooner. If I’m wearing makeup or shooting photos, it’s been my go-to daytime eye cream for three-ish months. It has a very subtle sheen to it that makes you instantly look more awake, and the texture is *so* velvety soft that it almost acts like a primer for my undereye concealer by lightly filling in my fine lines.
Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Treatment | Loved this one so much I dedicated an entire post to it two years ago! (You can read the full thing here!) Cliff Notes version: It’s probably the most hydrating eye cream I’ve ever used! (The Charlotte Tilbury would be a close second, though…) I love this eye cream so much, but I don’t use it exclusively because it doesn’t contain any anti-aging ingredients. So I keep it on rotation when my skin is feeling extra dry or I know I’m going to be outside in the cold for a while!
Kiehl’s Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Eye Cream | I keep this one in the rotation because it’s the one that’s packed with the most anti-aging ingredients! I’m probably on my third or fourth jar of it and I keep re-buying it because it gets the job done! Last fall and winter, I used it exclusively (save for the nights I’d use the avocado cream instead) and saw a noticeable difference in the lines around my eyes so I know it w-o-r-k-s.
Second to eye cream, face masks are my holy grail. I once asked a facialist how often should I be doing masks and she replied, “How often do you have time?!” So there you go! Mask early and mask often, people. I used to do a mask once or twice a week, but ever since I got that piece of advice, I’m pretty much masking whenever I’m lounging at my apartment.
My #1 favorite mask over the last three-four years is the Caudalie Moisturizing Mask. Hands down, no questions asked. I mean, I had it on for literally four hours on Sunday when the weather got cold. The tube says to wear for 15 minutes or to leave on overnight, so you really can’t go wrong. It’s one of the few masks that never really dries out on your face, no matter how long you leave it on! I’ll honestly shed tears if they ever stop making it. Plus, it’s pretty affordable at $39 considering you get a ton of applications!
If my skin is looking like it needs a little bit of a detox, I love to use the Caudalie Purifying Mask. (Not to be confused with the Instant Detox Mask… I don’t know why, but I don’t really like that one like I like the other two.) Again, I’ve been using the Purifying Mask for 3-4 years and I can’t tell you how many tubes I’ve gone through. I leave it on for 20-30 minutes, and usually follow with the Moisture Mask afterward. It works wonders and makes my skin instantly look more even, clear, and bright!
RéVive Clay Mask | I received this mask as a gift this summer and it feels like such a little luxury to use! (It costs a pretty penny at $125…) It’s one of those masks where you can feel it hardening as it dries and my skin honestly looks so clear once I rinse it off, almost like my pores are gone.
Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Mask | Hallie has been raving about this mask, so I finally bought a mini jar to try for myself. I’m all about incorporating Vitamin C into my skincare, for both the brightening and anti-agining properties, and this mask is great. I love how it’s a quick application, just 10 minutes! With the citrus scent, it’s a great pick-me-up in the morning, especially if you’ve had a long night or didn’t get much sleep. Makes your complexion smoother (the fruit extract works like an exfoliant!) and brighter right after.
Sheet Masks are my go-to’s when I’m traveling because they’re so easy to bring with! And I love that they’re single use so I can experiment and try all sorts of new masks on the reg.
I mentioned it in this post, but this Charlotte Tilbury Magic Dry Mask is so, so cool. Most sheet masks are kind of messy, but the fact that this one is dry and gives your complexion an instant boost, both before and/or after makeup, is kind of insane. It can be used up to three times and it also has ear loops so it’s easier to multi task while you’re masking!
A few other favorites are Saturday Skin Spotlight Sheet Mask, SK-II Facial Treatment Mask (Pricey AF, but you look *glowing* afterwards!), and the Too Cool For School Egg Sheet Masks.
I forgot to photograph these, but little eye masks are another one of my godsend products. When your eyes look tired (either from a night out or not getting much sleep), these little gels/masks are miracle workers. I have the Elemis Collagen Hydra Gels (you may have saw me wearing these on a train to the English countryside, haha!) and Rodial Dragons Blood Eye Masks to instantly make me look like I’ve gotten a full eight hours.
Over the last year or two, I’ve been making more of an effort to take care of the skin on my whole body, not just my face. I kind of had this lightbulb moment about how I would *never* skip my skincare routine after I got out the the shower, and how it’s pretty much unacceptable to not at least put body lotion on, no matter if I’m in a hurry or not. Two moisturizers I’ve been loving… Herbivore Botanicals Jasmine Body Oil and L’Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate. In the shower, I love L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil and Elemis Nourishing Shower Cream.
I never forget the hand cream in the fall and winter, either! L’Occitane is my favorite.
2. Switch out some of my makeup!
Gone are the days of sun-kissed skin, until next summer anyway. I can get away with wearing less makeup in the summer… I keep my skin pretty hydrated and kind of dewy, so you really just need a little bit of bronzer and some blush. But now that we’re transitioning to cooler weather, I’m back to wearing my (moisturizing) foundation! I’ve used this foundation for years… I love that it’s light, but still a good amount of coverage. And it’s super hydrating, too, which is a must in the months to come!
I’ve recently been using Burberry Fresh Glow for a little extra luminosity, too! You can use it as a primer, mix in a little bit with your liquid foundation, or even use it as a highlighter.
I’ve also been playing with a few forms of liquid contour, too. I started using this Charlotte Tilbury Sculpt & Highlight compact this spring and I love the light powder contour… It’s so easy to use! But I just got her Contour Wand and it’s been fun to experiment with for a little bit of a more pronounced look. Perfect for holiday parties on the horizon!
I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve blogged about these Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks! I am absolutely obsessed, I’ve been using Rosegold as my everyday eyeshadow since at least May. They’re so easy to use and give you the look of having spent time on your eyeshadow, when in reality it look about 10 seconds. (This one isn’t done yet and it’s lasted me 4-5 months already, and I’m telling you, I use it every day I wear makeup!) You really just swipe it on and go. (It comes in 17 colors, too!)
Another new everyday favorite of mine is Bobbi Brown Lip Crush Lipsticks! These feel like a lip balm because they’re formulated with beeswax, but they actually provide a good color payoff, too. (I always feel like it’s one or the other!) They’re so easy to wear because the color is buildable! Nordstrom has them available in 20 shades. Side Note: I don’t know when or why it happened, but I can’t look at pictures of myself if I don’t have anything on my lips… I feel like I look like a corpse. (The joys of having to look at way too many photos of yourself for your job, I guess.) But just one swipe of these puts the life back into my face without having to fully commit to lipstick!
PS: Stay tuned on Instagram later this week, I just may be giving away a set of them. 😉
In terms of bolder lipsticks, I cannot get enough of the BareMinerals Matte Liquid Lipcolors! They sent me quite a few shades to try out and I’ve been wearing them constantly for shoots, meetings, and nights out. The colors are great and the formula is perfect… Not sticky at all. And they last, too! Nordstrom has ten shades available and they’re only $19 each.
I tend to punch things up in the lipstick department in the winter months, but that’s also the time of year where my lips start to get dry and flaky. Fresh Sugar Lip Polish is my savior for buffing away dead skin for a smoother lipstick application!
3. Keep applying that SPF!
No matter who you talk to in the skincare world, everyone’s number one tip of advice is WEAR SUNCREEN. Skin cancer aside, wearing sunscreen is one of the most beneficial things you can do to slow down aging! No matter if it’s hot or cold or rainy or sunny, put on SPF before you leave the house.
Supergoop has this cool makeup setting spray with SPF50, so you really have no excuse to skip the suncreen!
4. Step Up Your Hair Care
After getting soaked in sun and salt water all summer long, my strands are always needing a little extra TLC around this time of the year! Especially with winter on the horizon, I try to be proactive about doing hair masks when I’m taking a bath and putting some oil in my hair before I go to bed at night. Every little bit of moisture helps fight against that winter frizz when it’s so dry outside!
Ouai Hair Oil and Ouai Treatment Masque (not pictured) | First of all, Ouai hair products smell absolutely DIVINE. I’m currently out of my Ouai masques (order placed,more are on the way!) so they’re not in the picture, but I’m obsessed. I’ll wash my hair and leave it in while I take a bath or get out the shower and put a shower cap on to let it sit a little bit longer. I’ve even slept in it overnight for an extra dose of moisture when my hair is feeling really dry! The Hair Oil is another favorite… I’ll apply a few drops before bed and also apply some after I’m done styling.
Two other treatments I use regularly and love… R+Co Palm Springs and Alterna Caviar Oil Creme. Both of these are for use before shampooing, so I’ll put them in while I read in the bathtub and shower to wash and condition my hair after.
As a leave-in, I douse my strands in Bumble & Bumble Hairdressers Oil Primer every time I get out of the shower! And I almost always apply R+Co High Dive Moisture Cream to my ends after I’ve styled my hair for an extra dose of hydration.
Whew, that was A LOT! What are some of your favorite winter beauty products?! I always love trying new things, so be sure to let me know in the comments below!
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