Why You Should Update your Skincare Routine for Autumn

Your skincare routine in many ways is a little bit like your wardrobe - as the seasons change, we should switch out the pieces that don't fit for the changing temperature, as much as we swap our shorts for our jumpers, we should be swapping our moisturisers and serums for something a little more weather appropriate too.

For many, sticking to one moisturiser all year round seems like the safest option when you think you've found 'the one', but not only does the weather change in autumn, but so does our skin and how it reacts to the change in temperature, and even our hormones, so it's important to pick out new products for different seasons. So what should you do to transform your beauty regime from the summer warmth to the autumn crisp chill?

1. Personalise your Skincare Routine!

When putting together a new skincare routine, consider your age, the climate you live in (humid? urban?) your skin type, and how your skin reacts to new products. As a 23 year old living in central London with combination skin that's easily agitated, I need a cleanser that not only will thoroughly remove the dirt and buildup from days when I'm in the city centre, but also be calming to my skin which during the transition between Summer and Autumn always tends to flare up at the slightest change in ingredients. I've been using Sunday Riley's Blue Moon Cleanser - it's a pale blue hard balm in the midnight blue pot, but after warming between your fingers it melts on the skin into a soft balm, lifting away all my makeup and impurities - even on my eyes and lashes. It's perfect if your skin gets a little dry in Autumn, or if, like me, your skin becomes extra sensitised and irritated as it isn't stripping or drying - quite the opposite in fact. The Blue Tansy ingredient which gives the balm it's colour is also used to reduce irritation, so if chilly winds and central heating have stressed out your skin then this balm will soothe, nourish and hydrate - and with the heavenly smell it feels like a pampering treatment every time you use it.

Get Your Beauty Sleep

As skin can become agitated during the change in seasons, its more important than ever that we let skin recover at night. You don't need me to remind you that choosing a night cream, oil or serum that suits your skin type makes an incredible impact on the skin that you wake up with, so spend some time considering the best product for your skin's needs. A product which everyone, I mean everyone was raving about over the Summer months is Sunday Riley's Luna oil, and while I sometimes found it too powerful for Summer, my skin is craving it's skin perfecting abilities now that the temperature is changing. Also containing Blue Tansy like the cleansing balm, it battles any redness in the skin overnight, and your skin drinks in the oils also including Avocado and Chia leaving you with a glowing complexion the following morning. 

Up your Eye Game

Some eye products are just too powerful for the delicate under eye area during the warmer months, but in Autumn, brisk temperatures and often biting winds mean that your eye cream needs to seriously deliver. I've switched to the power-packed Premier Cru Eye Cream from Caudalie - it has revitalising and renewing effects on the delicate eye area and it combats by dark circles and puffiness with the signature blend of highly concentrated ingredients. The evenings drawing in and grey mornings may leave us feeling a little energy zapped, but at least our eyes won't be the tell-tale sign!

Give your Skin What It Wants

Your skin is pretty good at telling you what it wants and needs, and choosing a face mask to target those needs is often the quickest way of giving your skin the pick up that it needs. Clay masks are my favourite and I've been alternating between two recently - first, the L'Occitane Rebalancing Face Mask - the one to try if you want to give your skin a deep cleanse but don't love the tightness of clay masks. With a blend of vegetal and mineral powders, it removes impurities and tightens pores but the essential oils also rejuvenate skin and leave your skin feeling radiant and sebum free.

A mask which packs even more punch is the Chantecaille Detox Face Mask. When my skin is seriously stressed, I treat myself to this heavenly scented black clay mask, which noticeable improves skin tone and tightens pores but again without tightening or stripping skin. This one isn't cheap so I save it for times when my skin is in desperate need of a pick-me-up, and boy does this one deliver.

How do you update your skin for Autumn?

xoxo

Three Face Mask Favourites

I've been making a real effort to be kind to my complexion recently, this month I have been sticking to just one skincare brand to allow my skin to really become used to a routine (find out more about this here!) and I've been consciously eating more healthily and enjoying exercise on a regular basis. All of this has been resulting in a huge improvement for my skin, but even every now and then after a long day it still can look a little lack-lustre, and I just crave a thorough pampering when I get home!

 My mask routine tends to vary depending on how my skin is behaving, do I need to unclog my pores after a day of wearing too much makeup? Or hydrate dry areas with a quenching mask? Sometimes I'll use more than one mask at a time, allowing each section of my face to get different benefits from a mask. Perhaps a clay mask to draw impurities from my T Zone, while a gel mask can hydrate my cheeks and forehead.

As part of my Anne Semonin skincare routine, I've been including their Gel Mask for those evenings when my skin needs cooling and refreshing (aka almost every evening after a stuffy commute home!). I apply it after removing my makeup, almost as soon as I get home, and leave the cooling mask on for sometimes up to an hour, letting the vitamins and essential oils inside work their magic at bringing back the glow and improving my skins elasticity.

Sometimes my skin just needs a more in-depth cleanse, if my pores are looking clogged for example, and I want to detox my skin. On days like this I reach for the Caudalie Instant Detox Mask which unlike many other clay masks, is pink, instead of grey/black. I love this if I'm concerned about pores because I don't have to worry about the colour of the mask 'staining' my pores. It works deep within the skin to pull out impurities, and pores are left noticeably smaller after using it. I apply a thin layer all over my face, and then rinse off using a warm wet flannel. 

Sorry for the TMI, but at some points during the month, my skin is an exact mirror to how crappy I'm feeling and it's clogged up and seriously misbehaving. In emergency situations such as this when I've had a breakout, the Clinique Anti-Blemish face mask is a saviour. Not many face masks actually target blemishes directly, but this one from Clinique is actually medically formulated and it works to deep clean the pores from excess oil and dirt, so your skin is firstly less likely to blemish in the first place, but any imperfections will be smoother and less angry after using the mask. It also works to keep oil under control, so no more shiny forehead and chin half way through the day!

What are your favourite face masks? Have you tried any of these?

Carry-On Beauty Essentials!

When you go away for a long weekend, taking only a carry on suitcase, you are pretty restricted when it comes to how many beauty products you can take! No more than ten bottles of 100ml (including suncream, conditioner and after sun!) and space is very limited (especially when most of your tiny case is filled with shoes, like mine!). So, it was pretty tough making the shortlist for beauty products that I'd take away to Seville, #firstworldproblems, but here are the beauty products that made the cut for my Holiday Beauty Bag!

Firstly, to cleanse skin and remove makeup, I packed some Simple Face Wipes (not pictured) as well as my trusty Clarins Water Comfort One Step Cleanser. With space at a premium, it's all about the multi takers and this cleanser really does the trick at removing all my makeup (including the worlds most waterproof mascara, more on that later!) without the need for water. This means you can pop it in your beach bag along with some cotton pads if you do have any poolside panda eye emergencies, or just want to freshen up before heading to lunch. I popped a mini Caudalie Polyphenol Serum in my beauty bag too, which helps skin protect itself from environmental aggressors, as well as plumping and moisturising.

I like to keep my base quite light while on holiday, and needing something hydrating, with some sun protection and some lovely coverage, there was only one option; the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream (SPF 30). I have been wearing this lots on good skin days in the UK, and it was the ideal multi tasking product to give me a fresh, flawless and protected complexion while away. I used the Zoeva 102 Silk Finish brush to buff it in, and in the evenings added a touch of the bareMinerals powder foundation to keep the shine at bay without caking the skin. In the evenings I added a little more colour in the evenings I used the Too Faced Dark Chocolate Soleil bronzer. It has a light chocolate scent and is perfectly matte - they call it tan without the twinkle which is perfect if you want to use it as a contour or all over colour like I did.

For contour and blush I used the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Bronze - one of my my all time favourite multi tasking products. While away I used it to create a little contour shadow, but it can also be used to highlight, or even as eyeshadows. I used my Bobbi Brown blusher brush to apply the powder, and then added a very subtle pop of the Bobbi Brown blush on my cheeks.

An eyeshadow palette which can create the perfect dress up or dress down eye look is Charlotte Tilbury's Sophisticate palette. The smooth shades can be used to create a subtle wash of colour for a day time look, or built up to create a smokey look for evenings - plus it's tiny so ideal for popping in my carry one! To really make my eyes pop, I also took the Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Kohl Liquid Eye Pencil in a nude hue which makes eyes look bigger and brighter.

There was no other option than the Clarins Truly Waterproof mascara - this mascara will not budge! Since discovering it, I've never suffered panda eyes on the beach or by the pool, plus the formula coats lashes and protects them from chlorine and salt water.

Finally lips! As well as a nourishing balm (I took the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour lip balm) I took just two lip products away with me; both coral! For the daytime I chose the Too Faced Melted Lipstick which has ultra long lasting power, and I love the creamy formula which I apply over a balm. In the evenings, my favourite lipstick at the moment (and one which looks beautiful on lightly tanned skin), Charlotte Tilbury's Sexy Sienna. It protects, smooths, hydrates, and the colour is stunning!

What are your holiday beauty essentials?