My Morning & Evening Winter Skincare Routine

I love the winter. What I don’t love is the effect it has on my skin. Intense indoor heating, and a general lack of humidity, really put my moisture barrier to the test. I notice that my face gets sooo much drier during these cooler months and my skin doesn’t want to cooperate with the products I’m already using.

When this happens it’s time for a beauty regimen revamp.

I’ve actually pared down my skincare routine quite a bit this winter since my focus is primarily on hydration. I would normally use a Vitamin C serum in the morning and a retinol at night, but to avoid any unnecessary dryness I’ve decided to take a little break from these. If your skin is quite resilient, feel free to continue using them!

As always, this is just what works for me and, while I hope you’ll love these products too, I can’t guarantee the same results.

So, without further ado, here’s my morning and evening winter skincare routine.

Morning Routine

STEP 1: Cleanse

In the morning I usually wash my face with a gel cleanser. This seems to be the quickest and most efficient way to prepare my skin for the day ahead.

My personal fave is the CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser because it thoroughly cleans the skin without being too stripping or abrasive. It also contains ceramides which help protect the skin’s moisture barrier and keep us looking fresh and glowy.

STEP 2: Apply Hydrating Serum

Next, I like to use a serum that will help my skin retain all the water and moisture I’ve just added. The choice is yours when it comes to hydrating solutions, but I generally reach for The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5. At £5.75 this stuff is sooo affordable and has actually made a huge difference to my skin.

The key with this, and with most other hydrating serums, is to apply it to slightly damp skin. Hyaluronic acid works by drawing moisture from the closest source, so to avoid it pulling pre-existing moisture from deep within your skin, you need to hydrate it at the surface.

STEP 3: Apply Eye Cream

Eye creams can be a tricky one, especially when used in the morning. You want to keep your under-eye area moisturised, but you don’t want it to affect your makeup application.

Because of this, I like to use the CeraVe Reparative Eye Cream which is hydrating without being too thick and sticky. Highly recommend!

STEP 4: Moisturise

As with eye cream, you want your morning moisturiser to be hydrating AND lightweight. Layering up skincare products can sometimes make your skin feel tacky or cause your makeup to separate. So, I’m really picky with the creams I use during the day.

I recently started using the Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser and I’m really impressed. It’s crazy cheap but still manages to tick off so many boxes. It’s clean, cruelty-free, the packaging is recyclable and – best of all – it’s sooo soothing on the skin.

STEP 5: Use Sunscreen

This step might be a bit surprising, but even in winter sunscreen is a must. It creates a barrier against environmental stressors and prevents premature aging.

After letting my moisturiser dry a little, I pour a bit of the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid Sun Cream into my hands and pat it onto my face.

Doing it this way avoids disturbing the moisturiser underneath and makes sure that the distribution is even.

Evening Routine

STEP 1: Double Cleanse

I always try to double cleanse in the evening (even if I’m not wearing makeup). I find that this helps to remove all traces of sunscreen and gets rid of any impurities that have built up on my skin throughout the day.

For the first round, I go in with The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter. I cannot rave enough about this product. Seriously, it’s so good! It’s sooo gentle on the skin and does an extremely good job of removing makeup. Plus, I’m all for a sustainable brand so this cleansing balm suits me perfectly.

For the second cleanse, I simply use my usual CeraVe SA cleanser. I think it would probably be best to use something a little less intense during the winter months. However, I don’t really find that this product dries my skin out so I’m not switching it out just yet.

STEP 2: Exfoliate

I very rarely manually exfoliate my face. Occasionally, I’ll use a silicone brush while I’m cleansing. But I find scrubs waaaay too harsh on my skin, so I use a chemical exfoliant instead.

I recently ordered a small tester of the Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid Exfoliant and OMG I’m obsessed. This is honestly so great for unclogging pores and minimising the appearance of blackheads.

At the moment I’m using it every other night. But if I notice any dryness or sensitivity then I tend to take a couple of days off, just so my skin can recover. The bottle does say you can use it both morning and evening but personally I would recommend against this since it can be pretty strong.

This has quickly become a skincare staple so I will definitely be purchasing the full size version when I get the chance!

STEP 3: Apply Eye Cream

I’m currently doubling up on my nighttime eye cream application which I’m not sure is actually effective. But so far it hasn’t done any harm!

First, I use a few drops of The Ordinary Caffeine Solution. Then, since this solution isn’t really that moisturising, I go in with my CeraVe Reparative Eye Cream.

I normally like to use a retinol-rich eye cream in the evening, but I haven’t found one that I love yet so I’m still on the lookout.

STEP 4: Moisturise

This is the bit of my winter skincare routine that probably changes the most. As my skin gets quite dry with the cold weather, on an evening I like to use a moisturiser that is very thick and nourishing.

I’m big on oils at the moment so what I tend to do is add a few drops of a plant oil into my moisturiser to offer extra hydration. The Ordinary Rose Hip Seed Oil is my favourite for this.

On days when I want something a little lighter, or if I want to give my skin a break, I’ll just use my morning moisturiser by itself.

STEP 5: Lip Care

Our lips are so often forgotten, but they should also feature in our winter skincare routine. They can get just as dry as the rest of our face, remember!

Each evening I make sure to use a lip oil, just to prevent my lips from chapping during the day. My favourite right now is the Clarins Lip Comfort Oil in Honey. It stays on for ages and it smells super fruity – yum!

And that’s it! The entirety of my winter skincare routine, both day and night. What does your winter skincare routine look like? Which products do you recommend for dealing with the colder weather?