The combination of fierce winds, cold temperatures and toasty central heating wreaks havoc on the skin. Here are eigh products to bring your skin back from the brink.
After the sultry summer we had this year, the biting cold and roaring winds feel like a particularly nasty affront. Many of us expect our faces go from plump and soft to creased and papery in the dry cold, but with so many storms battering the country, it's wise to invest in some true winter warrior products.
Andalou Goji Peptide Perfecting Cream
Anti-ageing products are typically powerhouse products anyway, but this is a particularly good one. Using a fruit stem cell complex, resveratrol CoQ10 (which targets fine lines and wrinkles) antioxidants and goji glycopeptides, it is soothing, rich and nourishing without being greasy. As well as offering intense hydration, it perfects complexions and evens tone. Even better, all ingredients are naturally derived and cruelty-free.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors
A budget-friendly option that doesn't skimp on the ingredients, you can't go wrong with one of the cult brands cult products. This nourishing cream includes 11 amino acids, phospholipids, fatty acids and ceramides as well as a slew of heavy-hitting ingredients. They work to replenish the compounds naturally present in our skin, to keep the outer layer well moisturised and protected and non-greasy. Even better, silicone free, alcohol-free, fragrance-free, cruelty-free.
Emma Hardie, Protect and Prime SPF30
We should be wearing SPF at all times, even in winter, and this is one of the best options on the market. Light and delicate, much like the scent of the cream, it hydrates and smooths the skin while providing eight hours of protection from UVA and UVB damage. Unlike other SPF's, this sinks instantly into the skin without the greasy sensation you get with some products. Best of all, when worn under makeup, it illuminates the skin, giving a lit-from-within glow that looks like you've spent hours skiing in the Alps. (Irish stockists include Cloud 10 Beauty).
Lancôme, 'Rénergie Multi-Lift' day cream
This is certainly a more indulgent version, but the results are worth the price. A revamp of their 'Rénergie Multi-Lift' range, this silky pastel pink-coloured cream is like a spa treatment for your face. The cream is incredibly light but leaves the skin feeling like velvet. One criticism would be the very heady rose fragrance, which is so pronounced that it perfumes the skin. It's in no way unpleasant but proves sort of distracting during the day and could irritate some with sensitive skin.
Emma Hardie, Plump & Glow Hydrating Facial Mist
In the depths of winter, windburn is nearly impossible to treat, as our faces are whipped by cold winds day in, day out. This hybrid mist-serum is the perfect antidote. Packed full of aloe vera juice, hyaluronic acid and panthenol to soothe and comfort the skin instantly, it offers instant relief and a dewy glow. Added in is invisible colour correcting pigments, to even your skin tone. One spritz sinks into the skin within seconds, meaning it's especially good for those of us on the go. It's particularly great for skin that is dried out by harsh winds and central heating, and leaves the skin brighter and clearer.
Weleda, Skin Food
How we ever existed without Weleda Skin Food, I'll never know. The budget-friendly cream is an all-purpose product, offering deep hydration to tired and dry skin and hair. The cream itself is incredibly rich, which isn't everyone's cup of tea, and it takes a while to massage into the face, but for winter it is an ideal treatment for ravaged faces. Makeup artists have raved about using it under makeup to lock in moisture and keep that plump and dewy look we're all missing from summer. I use it as a mask when my skin is on its last legs and when I wake up my skin is soft and bright again. It's also very good after shaving for men and women.
Emma Hardie, Moringa Cleansing Balm with Cleansing Cloth
A beloved cult product, this balm is a true skin saviour. A deceptively light balm, it deeply cleanses the skin, ridding it of dead skin, old makeup and impurities. It also intensively hydrates the skin, and I found it especially good as an overnight mask. The scent alone is intoxicating, a light and rich mix of orange, neroli, mandarin, rose and jasmine oils that condition the skin.
Lancôme, 'Rénergie Multi-Lift' Tightening Lifting Mask
Sometimes a mask is the only thing for tired, dehydrated skin, and while this is far from budget-friendly, it's a heavy-hitting product. Packed with Pro-Vitamin B5 and plant-extracted Madecassoside, it works to hydrate the skin and enhance its barrier function. A thick balm consistency, it locks in moisture and works to smooth fine lines, restore elasticity and leaves the skin glowing, plump and soft.
