How To Update Your Skincare For Autumn 2018

It's official: autumn is here. As the days shorten, we get busy setting reminders to turn our clocks back and (very reluctantly) switch out our summer wardrobes for autumn ones, switching out our skincare may the last thing on our minds. However, it's important to tailor our skincare to the changing seasons.

So where should we start? We asked beauty influencer Farwa, of @scienceandskincare fame, to share some of her top tips and best hacks for nailing that autumn skincare routine.

Here are a few things I have tried, tested and love that help keep my skin hydrated and refreshed, even in harsh weather conditions (looking at you, Beast from the East):

{ Get protection }

Replace your lightweight moisturisers for heavy duty creams or balms. Heavy creams are a must in winter for that extra barrier between your skin and the cold air, especially if you live in a city. A nice thick cream is always essential for keeping as much pollutive substances out of your pores as possible. Try newly formulated Babe Balm – it contains shea butter and squalane to form a protective barrier over your skin.

{ Don’t be afraid to mist }

For me misting is such a great excuse to (a) Look super knowledgeable about your skin in almost any environment (b) Buy more things. But not without reason! See misting with hyaluronic acid basically means that you are locking in hydration from other products. As in, you are making every other moisture inducing product work better – it would be silly not to start misting right? Try Mega Mist from BYBI: it's got 2.5% hyaluronic acid and rosewater to instantly hydrate dry skin.

{ Hydrate the air }

Invest in a humidifier or if you can’t afford one just put a few glasses of water near your radiator and it will radiate moisture through the air! Basically doing the same thing a humidifier does but a lot cheaper.

{ Exfoliate }

This may sound counter productive as exfoliation has a tendency to be coupled with drying out your skin but this is not the time of year to skimp out on exfoliation. In order for your hydrating products to work better you need to get rid of all the other gunk that would stop it from getting the product worked in really well! Try Prime Time - it contains fruit AHAs and jojoba beads for both an abrasive and non-abrasive experience.

{ Serum it up }

Serums: they should be a must always, but if you haven’t invested yet then this is the time! The extra penetration a serum is able to achieve is going to help hydrate your skin to the lowest levels and that in turn will help a lot in keeping your skin looking plump and feeling hydrated in the long run. Try Supercharge Serum, it's a potent facial oil with over 15 different vitamin-packedflower and seed oils.

{ Stay cosy }

To prevent the capillary breakage you should wrap up warm and don’t over do the use of central heating. This should minimize the difference between outside and inside environmental temperatures. 

{ Watch the wine }

Some changes to diet are important, especially around the end of the year when overindulgence is almost certain but remember to limit the alcohol in consumption and product - because it is ridiculously drying!

{ Mask away }

Never underestimate the power of a sheet mask! If your Christmas do is in a few hours and you’re feeling the frost, sheet masks are a great way to infuse your skin with lots of hydration almost instantaneously. 

– Farwa Shah of @scienceandskincare