Jumpstart Tired Winter Skin

The early winter months are in full swing, with crisp, frost laden mornings, bracing, whipping winds, bright blue skies and warm winter sunshine, and while all this wintry weather creates beautiful and dramatic skies it also tends to cause havoc with our complexions.

The biting cold, central heating and less hours of daylight can leave skin looking lacklustre, added to that a slightly jaded weariness caused by dark mornings and the occasional wet and gloomy day. There is always that inevitable moment at the beginning of winter when I notice that my skin is dull, grey-tinged and tired. When this happens my immediate response is to dedicate some time to a rejuvenating re-haul.

First things first is a facial massage with an oil based cleanser to bring a bit of blood flow to the face, focusing on my forehead, orbital bone, beneath my cheekbones and across my jaw line. Then, to aid lymphatic drainage and help clear any congestion and build up of toxins from my face and head, I will repeatedly sweep my hands from beneath my ears down the side of my neck and then gently pump my fingertips in the hollow just above my collarbone.

To do an effective facial massage it always helps to use a favourite cleansing oil or balm. Unfortunately, every time I fall madly in love with a cleanser it gets discontinued so the one I’m currently using isn’t available but a safe bet that I always return to whenever this happens is a cult classic, the Body Shop Chamomile cleansing oil. It gives a lot of slick for a massage and emulsifies in water which means it washes away easily without leaving any residue, it is also absolutely fantastic at melting make-up, just press away with a damp flannel. (Click here to read my post on the benefits of cleansing with an oil or balm.)

Next I draw out impurities with a clay face mask. Ideally this is applied liberally before a long bath filled with something sumptuous smelling and softening, because for me winter skincare does not just end at the face and soaking in a beautifully scented bath is one of the joys of winter.

I absolutely love the Ren Rose Otto bath oil, it’s a beautiful luxury that is always on my Christmas wish-list. it has a subtle and delicious scent, and leaves skin feeling beautifully soft and nourished which I love because there is nothing I could care less to do at this time of year than stand shivering in the chill of a winter's evening whilst hurriedly applying a freezing cold moisturising cream. A little more reasonably priced is the Argan 5 Moroccan Rose Bath Soak which, although it foams and has a sweeter scent, still feels sensitive and softening.

For my clay mask I don’t tend to splash out as I’m not expecting it to do anything sophisticated so I usually pick up whatever I can find however I do love the sensation of a warming clay mask so ideally I’d plump for one that heats up on application like The Body Shop's Mineral & Ginger Warming Clay Mask.

A great next step is to use some kind of acid exfoliator to clear away any dead skin cells for a more luminous complexion. This could be in the form of something like a glycolic toner but even better for giving the full facial feel is an acid peel mask like the Rodial super acids mask which really impressed me when I first tried it last winter. It feels completely gentle and non-reactive and yet instantly brightens, smooths and leaves skin not only looking refreshed but feeling it too.

The final mask is all about re-hydrating the skin and reaps the benefits of all of the purifying and exfoliating that went before hand. A hydrating sheet mask saturated in serum allows as much time as possible for active ingredients to soak in, the hyaluronic acid found in any hydrating serum does most of the work as it clings to water molecules and keeps them in the skin giving an instantly plumped up and dewy look to your complexion.

At this point to say that your skin looks fresh and dewy should be an understatement and I could easily leave things here but why go all the way when you could still turn things up to 11? So I’ll finish off my DIY facial by applying The Ordinary’s Vitamin C suspension which is the best treatment I have ever used for guaranteeing glowing skin. It’s my fail safe hangover cure for my complexion, was a must to combat sun-stressed skin of the summer, and continues to hold its own as the seasons change and a dull complexion threatens.

Get That Glow

Read more about this serum and some of my other favourite The Ordinary products here.

Shop The Ordinary vitamin C suspension here.