My Winter Skincare Must-haves

Winter in London is miles away from the relatively mild Melbourne winters that I grew up in. The cold temperatures and icy wind makes for really tough winter skincare conditions. Then throw in London’s notoriously hard water to the mix, and my skin tends to really suffer.

Despite having quite combination skin in the summer months, in winter it becomes completely dry, flaky and patchy (my nose will always turn red when the temperatures drop) with the occasional break out. Add to this my new love of cycling wherever possible, and the elements really take their toll.

The good news is that I’m finally starting to nail a winter skincare routine and for the first time since moving to London, I feel like I’ve worked out which products work best during the harsher months. Here are my favourites…

Aesop Fabulous Face Oil – Aesop chose a pretty perfect name for this face oil, because it’s pretty fabulous. I don’t like wearing thick moisturisers to bed so this matte oil is light enough to still work its magic with balancing out my patchy skin and smells so good in the process. I only ever need about 3 drops per night so it’s a great investment too!

E45 Cream – When I first moved to London I developed really bad dermatitis on my hand and it took me 3 years, several doctors’ appointments and 4 different prescribed creams to try and get rid of it. None of it worked. Then I bought a tub of E45 cream for £3 at the supermarket and the dermatitis was gone within a couple of days! That was over a year ago and so far, so good. Since then, E45 has been my winter saviour and despite being the cheapest thing in my beauty cupboard, it’s the most valuable.

Kiehl’s Face Wash & Ultra Facial Cream moisturiser – I love Kiehl’s products and I tested what felt like their full range before I settled on these two favourites. That’s the beauty of shopping at Kiehl’s – they sit you down, do some skin tests to work out what complexion you have, match products based on the results and they don’t hold back from filling your shopping bag with testers so you can try a whole range and see what suits best.
This face wash is great for keeping my breakouts at bay and the moisturiser is perfect for any make-up free days and to protect my skin from the harsh winter air.

Laura Mercer SPF20 Tinted Moisturiser – Earlier last year I made the switch from liquid foundation to tinted moisturiser and I will never go back! It’s so much lighter and better for my skin, has just the right amount of coverage and gives me a radiant glow that foundation never could. I also never have to worry about my face looking cakey in winter when my skin is at its driest and if I only wear this moisturiser and nothing else, I still feel completely confident when I leave the house. It’s oil free which means it doesn’t cause breakouts and SPF20 always comes in handy.

Lucas’ Pawpaw Ointment – A total staple in every handbag / bedside drawer / make up bag that I own. I have a tube of Lucas’ Pawpaw Ointment in pretty much every place necessary and it’s my go-to for chapped lips, dry patches, spots, dry skin, even bruises.

GlamGlow Supermud face mask – Ok so the name and packaging of this mud mask is pretty cringe. But branding judgement aside, this product revolutionised my skin. About a year ago my skin was so hormonal and going crazy with breakouts, so I invested in this little tub one day on a flight back to London (random). It actually cleared up my skin when nothing else would, making such an amazing difference! Despite being tiny and expensive, it’s lasted me almost a year and if you have issues with blackheads or breakouts then it’s definitely worth a try. You can even get a 15g tester tub to try out first – these days I go for the 100g tubes as I find they last a lot longer since the clay doesn’t dry out as quickly in the tube.

Do you have any favourite beauty rescues for the colder months? What does your winter skincare regime look like?