Seasonal skincare shake up

We all know the drill, the days get shorter, the temperature gets cooler and our skin and bodies take a turn for the worse. It seems, in my case at least, as soon as Autumn starts to rear its head my skin goes into a total meltdown and completely loses its previous identity. After years of battling through this year after year, I have developed my own seasonal skincare shake up to combat my skins changes. 

Step 1 - The Deep Clean 

After a Summer of sun, sea, sand and unfortunately sweat, my skin can definitely use a deep clean. I start with the La Roche-Posay Effaclar cleanser for oily skin. I find this foaming cleanser really gives my skin a deep cleanse and helps dig out all that dirt and grim. Secondly, I follow up with a blemish face masque, as I will undoubtably find myself with a pesky face demon or two. The one I'm using at the moment is Beauty Formulas tea tree mask, this is just a cheap one, from Home Bargains and I would say anything with tea tree in will do the trick. I finish up this step with one of my favourite things to do, a T-zone clear out nose pore strip. This maybe being a total weirdo, but I love the satisfaction you get from pulling this off your nose and being able to see exactly what you have pulled out of your pores. Instant gratification!

Step 2- Toned to perfection 

As my skin is about as questionable as the weather, I need two toners to combat what ever situation I find myself in. The first is the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, a refreshing spritz full of essentials oils and essences to create a perfect base for moisturiser. The other option is the Clinque moisture surge face spray, I use this if I know my skin is calling out for a hit of of intense moisture. 

Step 3 - Moisturiser masterclass 

I finish up the skin care session by adding back in all the moisture the colder climate has taken away. I start off with the No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced serum. This sinks into the skin really quickly and gives a lovely silky feel to your face, not only does it moisturise deep down as it's a serum, it also works on any pesky lines and wrinkles we all know we get. Next up, is the eysilix eye cream. This thick cream is a perfect night time treat as it takes a while to sink in, and the next morning my under eyes looks noticeably less "baggy" ... if that's even a word! Finally just before I jump into my pit, I lather on the Aveeno daily moisturising lotion just to finish everything off. 

Summer Saviours...

With the British weather slowly creeping up the temperature gauge, it was sure enough time for me to have a makeup re-think. Being a dry skinned girl, I’m used to the creams, lotions and potions I have to slather on my face during the colder months in order to prevent the awful flakey face I know so well. So when the heat does start to kick in I definitely need to have a root around and rejig my stash so that my make up has not slid off my face by the time I leave the office at 5 o’clock.

So when this seasonal mix up happened this year, I realised I had several staples that my face – and sanity would not be intact without.

   (Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream - £10)

The first is my moisturiser of choice – The Body Shop's Seaweed mattifying day cream. Like I said before, during the winter months, I need to plaster on the moisture to keep my face under control but as soon as a glimmer of sun pops out I’m all about the mattifying moisturisers. This gel like product creates a great base for makeup and doubles up as a primer for me. The light cooling formula is great during a particularly hot summer morning and when applied to the T-zone it prevents all signs of oil or grease.

I am normally someone who will always powder before I leave the house and usually at the end of the day, but with this I don’t feel the need to at all. It has definitely saved my foundation on several occasions and has never dried my face out. For the price I would definitely give it a whirl, especially if you can catch one of The Body Shop's amazing online discounts they frequently have.

(L'oreal Nude Magique BB Cream - £9.99)

I am a firm believer that there is nothing worse than finding your perfect foundation, high end or budget and going on holiday and coming back only to find you need a brand new shade for the relatively short amount of time you retain your holiday glow. In the past I used to simply opt for just bronzer and concealer during those pesky in between months, but on days I feel I need more coverage, I leap for my L'oreal Nude Magique BB cream.

This whitey, purply liquid is at first a little alarming, especially as it tends to have a greyish tinge when you first apply it, but just go with it. As you work it into your face, some magical L'oreal technology kicks in and it adapts to your skin colour and within seconds you have an even beautiful face without the awkward pale moon face situation.

I would always recommend using your hand as I feel the heat of your fingers works the product in better, but if you are brush junkie, I would opt for the Real Techniques buffing brush as it’s not so dense, so gives a lighter finish.

I am, regardless of tan, always going to be fair so I use the light version but I find this spans a wide colour range and there are 3 options for all complexions.

(Caudalie Beuaty Elixir - £10.95)

As much as I did not want to give into the hype, I have to admit the Caudalie Beuaty Elixir is a real summer treat to combat that mid afternoon glow. Although I wouldn’t necessarily regard it is as staple, I would say the mini bottle is ideal for several uses throughout the hotter periods. I personally use it as a toner in the morning before I apply any make up and throughout the day over the top as a light spritz just to cool me down.

 Now, the smell is one that has divided opinions for a while, I would say if you are not a fan of anything remotely herbal/medicinal give it a wide birth but if you can handle it for a few seconds it fades almost instantly.

(MUA Matte palette - £4.00)

For me, the summer months are all about the, “no make up, make up look”. In the words of Beyonce,“ I woke up like this” kind of look. I find that in order to achieve this, I will always reach for matte shades over shimmer on my eyes. I have quite sparse, fair lashes so I feel I look odd and unfinished with just mascara, so I tend to use matte shade to contour my crease and give light definition under my eye. This year I have found the new MUA Matte palette takes the ticket.

It’s got a wide spectrum of tones all without a glimmer of shimmer in sight and all perfect for that effortless smoky natural eye. I know what your thinking- that looks suspiciously like a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, well that was my thoughts too and I will be doing a detailed comparison of the two to come, so watch this space.

However, for now I will say I enjoy the vast colour selection and the variety of tones and shades and for £4 it’s worth a go even if just for the hotter months.

(The Urban Decay All Nighter Make Up Setting Spray - £9.00)

My final product I fear will not be a surprise to anyone, especially for hotter climates, The Urban Decay All Nighter Make Up Setting Spray. Now, I don’t use this every day , mainly because I only have a tiny bottle and its slightly on the pricey side, but on a night out or on a day when I need my make up to last, it’s a must have.

Applied before you apply your foundation and then again once you have finished your base, it almost locks in the products and helps keep it in place all day. It’s also really refreshing and can be sprayed similar to the BeautyElixir throughout the day to refresh your make up. Urban Decay have several varieties of the spray for different skin needs, so I would recommend reading up or visiting your local counter for advice before purchasing, in order to get the one that’s suits you the best.