AUTUMN SKINCARE SWITCH UP

What's new in my skincare routine for autumn?

As seasons change so does my skincare. I find my skin to be drier in colder months, especially with heating at home and air conditioning at work doing their bit to drain all the hydration from it. I’ve introduced a few bits to my routine recently to help the transition and take care of skin’s many needs. If you’re on a lookout to change up your routine, I hope you too can find new favourites to appease your skin.

I’ve been testing a lot of cleansers recently and one stood out from the hoard. Brand new Merumaya Mineral Cleansing Paste* | RPR £18.50 for 100ml | single-handedly takes care of ridding my face from the residue makeup, helps with texture and keeps it moisturised (thanks Sweet Almond Oil) at the same time. How? It contains an array of minerals such as zinc, magnesium, iron and copper to help the healing process, reduce external stress factors, oxygenate and help form elastin. A creamy rich cleanser that doubles up as microdermabrasion by introducing super fine corindon exfoliating powder. I’m not usually a fan of physical exfoliation as the ultrafine bits are normally hard to fully wash out, yet Merumaya does it in a way that my cleansing cloth + water do the trick quickly. The results? Healthy super smooth skin. 

Merumaya Mineral Cleansing Paste

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid

I have a couple of ‘treatments’ I’m giving a go now that my skin decided to go a little cray-cray as the seasons changed. Firstly, I’m battling the chin and cheeks breakouts with Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid | RPR £26 for 118ml - full-size |. I find salicylic acid to be crucial to battle skin congestion and I’ve heard great things about this particular toner! First impressions are great, the results are almost instant and you can see a reduction in pimples overnight. I prefer to apply it with fingers and not a cotton pad and find a few drops to be enough to cover my whole face. I alternate with it on days when I don’t use other acid treatments. 

Dermalogica Rapid Reveal Peel* promises a salon results at home. I'm in!!! Dermalogica skin experts advice to start with 3 days use straight then revert to once a week only. I have to agree that the results are pretty much instant. Use at night and wake up to glowing skin. I'm hooked. I use it after cleansing and allow a minimum of 60 mins before following with few drops of vitamin C serum - another 10-20 mins wait and nourishing facial oil. I’m all for at-home treatments as these not only save you money but if your time is precious, they also save you a lot of time. Here the powerful lactic acid is used alongside pumpkin fruit enzyme and rice bran extract to truly resurface the skin. Tip - use half a capsule or share with friend/mom/sister, as there’s a lot of product to go around! I appreciate these can be pricey, so if prefer a more budget-friendly option, please ee my thoughts on another affordable ‘at home’ AHA treatment here. 

Dermalogica Rapid Peel Reveal

Allies of Skin Molecular Mist

When using acids and retinol (I haven’t included Vit A here but please look out for my Guide to Retinol soon) it’s important to keep your skin extra hydrated and protected from the sun. I spoke about Allies of Skin Molecular Mist before here but it’s worth the mention as I’ve just recently repurchased it again. While the packaging could use an update (mist isn’t fine enough) the formula simply smashes others out of the park. The mist hydrates instantly and formula allows for skin to rehydrate itself throughout the day.  Perfect for colder months but I’ve also used and abused it in summer. I feel this would work on all skin types too! 

We often forget about SPF unless the sun is out. It’s a mistake and you should keep our skin protected at all times. Caroline Hirons did a great video recently discussing all the SPF (facial and body) and what’s important to know when buying one - here. I’d like to summarise a few points here; Firstly, wherever in the world you are your country rules around SPF may differ. America, Europe and Australia have different regulations around displaying the SPF on the packaging and some formulas may not be available everywhere due to the difference in ingredients and ‘strength’ of your protection. It’s important to remember that the difference between SPF30 and SPF50 usually is minimal and both are usually classed as high protection. Full spectrum means that both blockers for UVA and UVB are present. Brands started to class their sun blockers as 5* recently which Caroline calls a total bullshit and only a marketing campaign, so simply make sure you have a full spectrum SPF50 or SPF30 and you are ready to go. Some will work better than others but the difference should be in formula tweaks and not the actual protection. I tend to prefer the ones leaving no white cast (although that rarely bothers me as I’m super pale, but it could be an issue for medium to deep complexions), sink in quickly and don’t leave a greasy feeling behind. 

I’ve just introduced Magik8 Advanced Day Total Protect SPF30 to my morning routine which combines the efforts of a moisturiser and SPF in one. I spend a lot of time in front of the screen so what's important to me is to protect the skin from all the pollutants and not just the rays. The reformulated moisturiser includes the blue light defence alongside other antioxidants, anti-infrared, Pollution Shield and anti-A.G.E technology. If you’re worried about premature ageing thanks to all the air pollution, the lights from the screen and other environmental factors, you should definitely give it a try. It sinks in like a dream and works fine without a moisturiser before. 

Medik8 Advanced Day Total Protect SPF30

Magik8 C-Tetra Lipid Vitamin C Antioxidant Serum

Talking about antioxidants, I’ve been looking for a new Vitamin C serum for ages, so when I’ve won Magik8 C-Tetra Lipid Vitamin C Antioxidant Serum in the brand's 10k Instagram giveaway, I was over the moon as I’ve heard such great things. I’m not the only one, as my lovely fellow skincare junkie Siobhán from Beautylymin blog also rates it very highly. I’ve used it for just over a week and the instant results are truly wonderful. Not only does the serum smells of citrus dreams but the oily serum sinks in quickly, doesn’t enrage my sensitive skin and leaves me glowing for days. I use it daily now mixed in with a hyaluronic acid serum (currently using up Verso Hydration Serum* - post). I’m such an Instagram freak, so I apply a drop of both serum on each cheek, forehead and neck - 4 in total (if you don't do it for the gram, who even are you?) and lightly massage it in then pat until fully sank in. I adore the scent and vitamin C is a great add-on to your morning routine as it enhances your skin’s protection from environmental factors as well as helps prevent any future damage. 

Lastly, I just wanted to give another shout to one of my favourite daytime eye creams. The Filorga Time-Filler Eyes* is something else entirely and if you’re no longer 20 years old, have hooded eyes already and worry about them dropping even more or would like to prevent the dropping on your regular lids, I feel that you simply need this in your life. The formula fights for you and actively lifts the skin. Perfect for under eyes too as it’s just so light yet ultra hydrating. Perfect under makeup. I tend to use something heavier like this £10 moisturiser at night as a mask but prefer lighter formulas for a day.

Do you tend to switch up your routine when seasons change? I'd love to know all about it! Share your tips and tricks below :)

Thank You For Reading.

With love,

Products marked with * were gifted for review consideration & some links used may be affiliate. It means I earn a teeny tiny commission each time you purchase something by clicking on the link. All commission to date has been spent on makeup/skincare shopping or updating my camera/lights equipment.  This does not influence my opinion in any way. I always relay my unbiased thoughts to my readers.