I am a self-professed skincare nerd – loud and proud! My years as a customer advisor at Boots has taught me a wealth of information surrounding skincare: from ingredients, to layering products, to how weather affects our skin. This is especially prevalent as we approach autumn, and our skincare routines must adapt in order to cater for the colder weather. Most commonly, autumn brings with it dry, red, acne-prone skin. To combat this, I’ve teamed up with Boots Beauty Specialist Bethany Hudson (@_bethanyhudson on Instagram) to give you expert advice and the skincare must-haves as we welcome the new season.
Layering Skincare
Before we start frantically throwing lotions and potions onto our skin, it’s important to understand the process of layering products. Each stage of skincare has a different purpose and so is designed to penetrate different layers of the skin. That’s why we must follow a certain order in our skincare routines that allow the products to work at their best and maximise the benefits. As a general rule, this is the order in which to layer your products:
· Makeup Remover
· Cleanser
· Toner
· Essence
· Serum (thinner to thicker consistency)
· Retinol
· Thin Oils
· Moisturizer
· Thick Oils
It is okay to feel unsure when it comes to the order of skincare. It is a personal process and may need adapting depending on your skin’s sensitivity or skin type. For example, as a combination skin girlie I tend to avoid applying oils, especially as part of my morning routine, as it leaves my skin too shiny for my liking.
Must Haves Under £15
The new No7 Good Intent skincare range has been a huge success in the skincare world. Designed for teenage and young adult skin, its great price and trendy packaging makes it a top contender on my list of autumn favourites. For a more in-depth review of these products, you can head to Bethany’s Instagram account where she shows you results using the whole range, but here are a few of my top picks.
Image Credit: Harriet Vicary
No7 Good Intent Bouncy Jelly Mask £14.95
This rich, hydrating moisturiser is best used as the final step of your evening routine. It contains the all-important hyaluronic acid, an absolute essential ingredient for autumn skincare. Hyaluronic acid attracts and retains water, allowing skin to stay hydrated and supple. This jelly mask also contains rice ferment which has a wealth of benefits, including anti-ageing, evening skin tone, restoring the skin barrier and acting as an anti-inflammatory.
No7 Good Intent Skin Sip Moisture Milk £14.95
If you’re aspiring for glass skin, then you need to try this moisture milk. I absolutely loved this product on the first try. There’s not much like it on the market since it seems to be a hybrid of toner, serum and moisturiser. In which case, this is a great way to incorporate plenty of moisture without overcomplicating your routine. This product contains squalane, which mimics the effects of skin’s natural oils, leaving skin hydrated and glowing.
You certainly don’t need to spend a fortune to have a really effective skincare routine. It’s just about finding ingredients that suit your skin. It can be a bit of an uphill battle, but I have tried and tested these recommendations, and I reach for them consistently this time of year.
Image Credit: Harriet Vicary
Say goodbye to cracked lips, post-flu sore nose, and dry skin. This is just an all-in-one saviour and has been a handbag must-have this autumn. It’s a super intensive lip balm, but I also find it works great as a lip mask or as a skin salve for dry skin. I’ll even use it as a cuticle balm when I fancy a pamper.
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid £8.80
Hyaluronic acid seems to be autumn’s buzzword and is usually listed as a main ingredient in skincare now. However, if you suffer continually with dry skin, then perhaps a more intense hydration hit would suffice. This serum is sure to leave your skin feeling like you’ve had a facial! It applies beautifully, and I noticed instant results to the feel of my skin after cleansing.
CeraVe Moisturising Lotion £12.50
This is my ride-or-die moisturiser. I just reach for the pump bottle (236ml) and use it day and night, both on my face and body. This is such a good grab-and-go moisturiser, since it is fragrance free, dermatologically tested, and non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t clog your pores). As a combination skin girlie, I swear by this stuff, and I love that it protects my skin barrier from the colder weather.
Image Credit: Harriet Vicary
Soap and Glory Cherry Wild Body Butter £7.99
The smell of this one is too good not to include and it’s limited edition, so you must get your hands on it ASAP! Cherry scents give me such winter vibes, so I love this moisturiser post-hot shower. It makes it worth getting out of the shower despite the freezing cold outside. Campaign to get this one permanently launched?!
If You’re Feeling More Premium…
As I’ve said before, you don’t need to be spending hundreds of pounds to see results in your skincare. However, I struggle with breakouts around autumn and there are some slightly more expensive products that clear up my skin so well every time, so they deserve a bit of love.
Kiehl’s Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum £50.00
I am jumping on the retinol hype here because I truly think it’s a miracle worker if you get it right. The beauty of this one is its low dosage of retinol, causing minimal chance for irritation. Yet it still packs a punch – I’ve worked up my tolerance to apply this nightly and I see results as quickly as the following morning. Start with applying just once or twice a week and work your way up, as retinol is a strong ingredient that your skin needs gentle exposure to.
Lumene Nordic-C Glow Renew Night Cream £27.90
This moisturiser is perfect for when you want to feel a bit more luxurious as it’s got a beautifully rich formulation to target dry, dull skin. Its key ingredient is an extra dose of vitamin C derived from wild Arctic cloudberries, which brightens the skin and can reduce the appearance of acne scarring and hyperpigmentation. It also boosts collagen, which improves skin elasticity and reduces wrinkles – good to start early, I guess!
Ole Henriksen Après Skin Multi-Use Rich Rescue Crème £38.00
This moisturiser comes at Bethany’s recommendation. It is an all-round skin saviour that contains ceramides, which protects the skin barrier from irritants. Bethany says that this product can be used as a richer moisturiser for those with dry skin, a mask for those who want a deeper layer of hydration, and underneath makeup as the perfect primer. This will definitely be my next try!
Image Credit: Harriet Vicary
Sol de Janeiro Delicia Drench Shower Oil £23.00
This one is great for those cold winter mornings – it is a hydrating oil that acts as an in-shower moisturiser, so you don’t need to moisturise outside the warmth of the shower. The Sol de Janeiro scents are always to die for as well, so you just know it’s going to be a luxury experience.
That concludes the ultimate autumn skincare guide! So if you fancy sprucing up your bathroom with some new lotions and potions, these are ones to reach for. All these prices are based on Boots.com.
Happy pampering!
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