How to Keep Your Skin Looking Radiant During the Cooler Months
I'm ecstatic that it's fall! In my eyes, fall weather can't be beat. I enjoy a cool breeze and the fact that I can throw on a hoodie and continue on with my day. There is one con that comes with transitioning into cooler weather though: the inevitable loss of that summer glow.
While I’m not a huge fan of the summer heat, I must admit that I love that sun kissed glow I get from spending a couple of hours in the sun (with sunscreen applied of course). I can’t say the same when it’s cooler out. My skin loses a bit of its radiance during the cooler months. The wind hits, dead skin cells build up, and it’s a sad case from there.
In the past, I would pack on foundation, and wear a full face of makeup every single day to mask the dullness. It took some time for me to realize that radiant skin won’t be fixed by just throwing on makeup. Sure, makeup can give you the illusion of having radiant skin, but what happens when you wipe it off?
In order to keep skin looking radiant through the cooler months, we must pay great attention to how we’re taking care of our bodies and what skin care products we’re applying.
Here are some tips I follow to keep my skin looking radiant even when it’s cold out.
1. Try sheet masks
I love me some sheet masks! They’re relatively affordable, quick, easy, and can instantly bring some life back into your skin. Sheets masks are face-shaped pieces of cloth soaked in a concentrated serum of your choice. I love them because they don’t dry out your skin like a typical clay mask would. The serum on sheet masks soaks right into your skin without leaving a tight feeling.
Some of my favorite types of sheet masks that aid in boosting radiance are hyaluronic, vitamin c, collagen, and hydrogel masks.
Here are some of my favorite radiant-inducing sheet masks:
2. Try hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is naturally produced by our skin, but age as well as things within the environment can reduce the production of it. You’ll find hyaluronic acid in a lot of skin care products, because of how beneficial it is. It helps boost moisture in the skin and reduces dryness and fine lines. Hyaluronic acid helps to create a radiant, smooth complexion. In all honesty, if you’re looking to simplify your skin care routine, hyaluronic acid is probably the only skincare ingredient that I would say is a necessity. You can likely get away with cleansing and then applying a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid in it.
Here are some top notch hyaluronic acid serums if you’re looking to include it as an additional step in your skin care routine:
3. Use a chemical exfoliator
I feel like this is my solution for everything lol, but I bring up chemical exfoliation so much because it works! Chemical exfoliators are packed with AHAs and/or BHAs. These are acids that help regenerate skin cells, which overtime, will result in brighter, clearer, and more radiant skin. Chemical exfoliators can be a bit harsh, so make sure you slowly start incorporating them into your skin care routine so your skin doesn’t freak out.
To simplify including chemical exfoliators into your skin care routine, try out the pad versions. They are pre-soaked in solution so you can easily grab and go.
Here are some on-the-go chemical exfoliators I recommend trying:
4. Use a gel based moisturizer
I've become a huge advocate of using gel-based moisturizers. I love their ability to hydrate the skin without leaving it feeling heavy or overly greasy as some cream-based moisturizers leave the skin feeling. Gel-based moisturizers leave your skin plump and moisturized, with a subtle natural glow.
Here are some of my all-time favorite gel moisturizers:
5. Try vitamin c serums
Vitamin C is a godsend! If you’re looking for brighter, glowier skin, start incorporating a vitamin c serum into your skin care routine. Similarly to chemical exfoliators, Vitamin C serums remove dead cells which accelerates cell regeneration. This results in smoother and more radiant skin. Vitamin C is less harsh than your standard chemical exfoliator. It’s a lot safer to use and your skin will likely not need much adjusting, so it definitely doesn’t hurt to try one out!
Here are some vitamin c serums that I recommend trying:
6. Fake it till you make it
If you’re looking for a quick fix, I recommend using a liquid highlighter either alone or mixed with a light-medium foundation. Liquid highlighters can instantly add a radiant effect to the skin with zero cakiness.
Here are some of my favorite liquid highlighters:
7. Eat relatively clean and drink lots of water
I used to think that eating healthy and drinking a lot of water having any sort of impact on your skin was a complete myth, but it’s not! Beautiful skin begins with treating our bodies right. Junk food can clog our pores which may result in breakouts. Not drinking enough water causes our skin to become dehydrated which will result in dry, dull skin. So eat your veggies and make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
8. Get enough beauty rest
Have you ever gotten minimal sleep and woke up looking a hot ass mess? I’m sure we all have. Not getting enough beauty sleep can do damage to the skin; resulting in swollen eyes, dark undereye circles, undereye bags, fine lines, wrinkles, dull skin, and more. The skin repairs itself overnight, but you have to get 7-9 hours of sleep In order for it to properly do that. A simple good night’s rest can give you “I woke up like this” skin.