Winter radiance: a definite list of cold-weather beauty essentials

Winter is on its way, and although the season is great for lots of things — think warm jumpers, great pairs of boots, and my favourite… big, fluffy coats — the change in weather is notorious for making self-care routines just that little bit harder. I don’t know about you, but for me, as soon as those clocks turn and the nights become longer, with the days getting shorter, I progressively begin to look slightly worse for wear. No more summer tan or natural radiant glow — if you’re someone who manages to maintain this all year round, then I envy you. Luckily, there are so many products out there that are designed to make you feel your best and to ensure you’re always comfortable in your own skin.

A well deserved manicure

Fortunately, winter means no one has their feet out anymore, thank God. This means you now only have 10 nails to worry about instead of 20. Perhaps my most important piece of advice: please, please, please stop traumatizing your poor nail beds with acrylics. I understand this is way easier said than done, having been an acrylics girl myself in the past. BUT once you make the transition from acrylics to either gels, BIAB, or even just regular nail polish, you will never turn back.

During the winter, your nails are prone to becoming weaker and more brittle. This is why it’s worth investing in a good-quality nail strengthening polish or having a professional give you a BIAB manicure. BIAB stands for Builder in a Bottle, specifically made for promoting growth and strengthening your nails. It is simply a FACT that deep cherry red is the color of the season. But if red isn’t for you, some other popular current colors include dark royal blue, mocha-hued brown, or olive green.

Endless amounts of moisturiser

The cold is here to simultaneously make your life miserable and ruin your skin’s natural barrier. As the seasons transition from summer to autumn and all the way through to winter, your poor skin goes through a lot, especially if you’ve been away in a climate that is drastically different from the UK.

Finding the perfect skincare routine after a summer of having nothing but sweat and oil on your face can be quite hard. However, the approach I’ve taken for winter in recent years is to seriously lather on that moisturizer. Personally, I’ve found that fragrance-free moisturizers designed for sensitive skin, such as CeraVe and Cetaphil, are some great, affordable brands that suit many skin types.

Under eye care

This is perhaps quite a niche essential, but it really does make all the difference in brightening and firming your under eyes. It can even help soothe and relax your eyes during long winter days. With the skin under our eyes being so thin, it is naturally more susceptible to soreness and dryness from the cold. For any makeup wearers, you will know that applying any sort of makeup onto dry under eyes is infuriating and sometimes even slightly painful.

A popular serum that works to brighten under eyes while simultaneously moisturizing is The Ordinary’s Caffeine Solution. It’s a lightweight serum that simply goes under your eyes and helps soften the skin. With it being such a thin serum, it isn’t the strongest formula. So, if you’re still struggling with dryness, an under-eye cream is a better solution.

Every oil you could every imagine

Almond oil, castor oil, and lavender oil—three essentials that will give you gorgeous and healthy hair. During the winter, it’s common for your hair to feel coarser, drier, and more brittle than it perhaps normally would. Natural oils are a great investment for anyone wanting to look after their hair throughout the colder season. Castor and lavender oil are both known to strengthen and promote hair growth; apply a few drops of each to the scalp and massage in, leaving it to soak overnight and be washed out the following morning. Almond oil is a great moisturizer and smells amazing; apply it directly onto the scalp and downward through the ends of your hair to nourish your skin and hair strands.

Seasonal perfumes

There are few things in life better than someone complimenting your scent and asking what perfume you’re wearing. With winter approaching, I personally find that the stronger the perfume, the better. In all honesty, this is completely necessary to cover up the smell of damp, rained-on clothes. For spring or summer, a lighter scent is preferred, but for the next coming months, something heavy can become your go-to—perhaps a lot of must and warmth.

Some high-end favorites (having asked my housemates for recommendations) include Mugler’s Alien, Giorgio Armani’s Si Passione, and the scent that I pride myself so highly on, Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl. For more affordable alternatives, you will find yourself running to Zara because they have every dupe you could imagine—most prominently, a duplicate of the £240 Baccarat Rouge 540, sold at Zara as the Red Temptation Perfume.