Throughout the year you’ll probably notice your makeup can go from sitting perfectly to looking patchy, to breaking up or moving around. Sometimes we get grumpy areas other times we can look radiant and smooth.
We never really notice the pattern, but we do notice the change. So why is that? Because we focus on the problem, and a solution to the problem. It’s how we deal with most things in life.
For example: foundation is looking patchy and sitting in certain areas of the face. This didn’t happen before but is now. Our instant reaction is ‘this foundation just isn’t working anymore’. This may not be the case at all!
The real reason for makeup application or finish changing is …. ‘your skin’. Yes, your skin has a lot to answer for it can change quickly and will change seasonally you just may not have realised it.
Autumn / Winter – at this time of year the weather gets colder, you wear more layers (especially around the face or neck (hats and scarves). Skin is exposed to indoor outdoor environments, meaning heating and then cold outdoors.
For some this starts in autumn, but for others it doesn’t happen until winter where you will notice skin tightening and maybe even dry patches or flaky skin. It is a time that you retain skin cells longer, and skin has a reduced amount of water (up to a quarter less). Because of this your skin can tighten and feel sore.
Here’s what to do:
- Add more moisturiser – maybe all that is needed is an extra pump or two and if that doesn’t work maybe you need to be applying your cream in the evening before bed too! This will allow skin to appear smoother and more supple allowing makeup to sit smoother too.
- Exfoliate – just a gentle exfoliation will help to remove the excess dead skin cells (that may have built up (or not replenished as fast as in the warmer months). This process will smooth skin and brighten skin allowing foundation and other makeup to sit smoother.
- Use a richer moisturiser – a daily moisturiser that you would use under makeup would usually be a lotion. Using a richer version like a cream will leave skin more hydrated in colder months if using more lotion hasn’t helped.
- Use a serum – if you want your moisturiser to work harder one sure way to do that is by using a serum. How does a serum work? By penetrating deeper into the skin giving you more hydration. This can be applied before a moisturiser.
- Use a hydrating spritz – using a spritz like this will add light moisture to skin (after all, skin cells hold less water at this time of year).
Do you suffer from seasonal skin changes? If you do, don’t go to extreme lengths and make sudden changes to skin! Your skin has a better chance of improving quicker, with small natural changes that don’t seem ‘extreme’. For example, thorough exfoliating daily, is just going to confuse your skins natural cycle of cell growth, it may trigger skin to over produce cells, or even unable to produce enough cells leaving skin exposed.
I hope this helps you on your skin journey and gives you ideas on steps to make and the tell tale signs to watch out for when the seasons start to change.