Wendy Rowe: autumn/winter beauty switch-ups to make right now

You’ve changed your wardrobe to suit the new season trends and the colder weather, here’s how to do the same for your beauty routine, says international makeup artist and glowing skin expert Wendy Rowe

I believe that you should always switch up your skincare for the new season. Right now, as we move into autumn/winter and the weather becomes colder and the central heating goes on, skin becomes more dehydrated and sensitive so skincare needs to change from lightweight summer formulations to more moisturising products.

For autumn/winter 2017, minimal skin is really in as far as makeup goes. Look after your skin with amazing skincare and good habits, and eat fresh, seasonal food and that will really help you if you plan to keep things more minimal than usual.

While I change the products I use each season, my routine stays the same throughout the year. In the morning, I wash my face with water and tone using a mist followed by moisturiser and eye cream. In the evening, I use richer products and switch to a cream cleanser, followed by a toner, a hydrating serum such as the Decleor White Petal concentrate, then a moisturiser, followed by a night cream or a balm. I like to use things that are nourishing overnight to help the skin repair and regenerate.

The Decleor Hydra Floral range is great because it is suitable for even the most sensitive of skin types, and it has a formulation for each season - the super lightweight Hydra Floral Gel is perfect for hydrating in summer, the Hydra Floral Light works for spring and for autumn/winter Decleor Hydra Floral Rich cream is ideal.

Here are the switchups I recommend for to keep your skin in the best possible condition this season - and your makeup looking fresh and on-trend.

Skincare switches

Cleansers and moisturisers: ditch lightweight, go nourishing

Coming from summer into autumn, you need to adapt your moisturiser and cleanser.

Try: Decleor Hydra Floral Multi Protection Rich cream £27.47. Switch out your lightweight cleanser either for an oil, such as the Decleor Micellar Oil, £17.24 or a richer cream such as the Decleor Aroma Cleanse Mousse £20.10

Serums: add hydration boosters

As I mentioned, skin can easily become dehydrated in colder weather, so look for products that you can use in your skincare routine that help to boost hydration underneath a moisturiser.

Try: Decleor Hydra Floral White Petal Perfecting Concentrate £30.82: it’s really brightening and hydrating at the same time and helps boost luminosity which is great in autumn as skin can be prone to becoming drier and duller.

Exfoliators: swap scrubs for gentle fruit acids

Once or twice a week, exfoliate, but using something with fruit acids in.

Try: Decleor Prolagene Lift & Brighten Peeling Gel £33.50. It’s more gentle on the skin than a grain-based scrub and skin can be prone to sensitivity in winter time.

Body: cream up every day and don’t forget your feet

Don’t forget the body! Every day, I use a body cream or an oil all over after I’ve showered – not forgetting my feet, an area lots of people ignore.

Try: Decleor Aroma Nutrition Nourishing Body Cream £22.78 I also like to do a body scrub once or twice a week, something like Decleor 1000 Grain Body Exfoliator £18.76 is really nourishing.

Lips: Don’t ever overlook lip balm

At any time of the year, but especially not during winter!

Try: Decleor Intense Nutrition Lip Balm £7.04. I use it at work and everyone always loves it and asks me what it is.

Spots and sensitivities: calm irritation

If you do suffer with any sensitivities which can happen as the weather changes and the skin reacts to the change in temperature, then I can’t recommend enough – it’s a miracle worker!

Try: Apply a thin layer of Decleor Aromessence Neroli £24.12 to cleansed skin at night and you’ll really notice a difference in the morning, skin will look less red and irritated, and it’s great for healing spots too. Check out my video tutorial of how to use it below.

Makeup switch-ups

Accentuate your favourite features

If you use good skincare and you eat well to get your skin looking as good as possible, it works really well to keep the skin minimal and accentuate the features you like - that’s definitely a trend for the new season.

Try: a pop of colour. Maybe a bright lip in a red or a plum shade, or a pop of blue or green on the eye is a good way to stay on trend for the new season.

Experiment with a subtle modern colour 'wash'

If you don’t really do colour, then a pinky nude tone on the eyes, lips and cheeks works really well. I like to add a nude pink shade on to the lips, eyes and cheeks.

A new thing I’ve been doing recently is mixing a lightweight nude hydrating primer with coloured shadows or lip shades to create subtle tints for the eyes, lips and cheeks for a bit of a wash effect, it’s a much more modern way to wear colour and it creates a really fresh, effortless feel for autumn/winter.

Try: I often use the Burberry Lip Colour Contour pens, £24 for pinky nude eyes, lips and cheeks. They are such a great multi-tasking product to create the ultimate nude makeup look. For the colour wash, I've been using Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid in Nude Radiance £34

The drama lash

You can switch up your mascara up for the autumn and winter for something thicker to create a more intense dramatic look – I always think that works really well for the colder months. Try these mascaras.

Wear a lighter foundation in a darker tone

Switch out your BB cream for a more lightweight foundation formula if you want something to even out the skin tone. I always use Burberry Fresh Glow Foundation £35 at work and sometimes in winter, I’ll warm up the skintone a little bit to keep a healthy look as the light can go a bit grey and dull as the season changes and we move into autumn. Just one shade darker is all you need to add a touch of warmth, but make sure your hands and any skin that is on show all matches so it looks seamless.

Go matte but moisturising on bold lips

As a general rule, if I create a bold lip in winter, then I look for something more matte, but nothing too drying.

Try: Burberry Lip Velvet lipstick £26 is great.

Do dark navy nails

I like a dark navy for the colder months – I feel like it’s a more chic version of black.

Skip powder

In winter months, try to avoid it altogether if you can get away with it, as skin tends to be drier and not need it so much. However, if you do need powder, then go for a translucent powder that isn’t too heavy.

Wendy is the author of Eat Beautiful, Nourish Your Skin From The Inside Out. Read Wendy every month on Get The Gloss. Find a selection of her columns here. Follow Wendy on Instagram and Twitter.

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