Transition Perfection: Key Tips On Getting Your Skin Ready For Fall

Summer’s skin legacy can be summed up with the following issues: hyperpigmentation and fine lines. The hours that we gleefully spent enjoying the outdoors were not always accompanied by vigilant skin care. Let’s face it, who wants to re-apply sunscreen when you are eating a great burger on the beach?  Check out our key tips on getting your skin ready for fall (and what Diana Penty swears by!) 

The pleasure-filled moments of summer are now coming  home to roost on our faces, and fall is the best time to repair our skin so that we have glowing complexions for the holiday season (which starts off with Diwali in October).  To go from mottled to amazing in a few weeks requires discipline; identifying your key products; and applying them properly.

DISCIPLINE — THE BACK BONE OF BEAUTY

Products that we buy over-the-counter are not as strong as prescription strength ones but they can be effective if you apply them as instructed for at least 6 weeks. For example, a serum that deals with dark spots truly works (and you will read about some amazing products in this blog), if you apply it day and night, and always protect your skin.

In the beginning there tends to be scant progress but by week three, you will see a marked improvement and by week six or seven, your skin will emerge looking improved.

APPLICATION — ORDER AND THEORY

Products will not work if your skin is clogged with dead skin cells and if you apply textures in the incorrect order. The former means that you should always wash your face and the latter means that a serum is thinner and should be applied before a cream that is thicker. If you apply products in the incorrect order you mute their impact.

Below is my suggested order of application, and always remember, you do not need to use every product that is listed – just always make sure that you respect the order based on the texture and function of the products:

1. Eye makeup remover
2. Face wash
3. Toner
4. Essence
5. Serum base
6. Serum
7. Eye cream
8. Eyebrow gel  (night only)
9. Lip balm
10. Neck cream
11. Face cream
12. Sunscreen (day only)

Remember that each product is an opportunity to massage your face to encourage circulation and add robustness to the complexion. I always wash my hands with soap beforehand because the fingertips are filthy due to their contacting all types of surfaces. The bacteria that accumulates on your fingertips will enter into your pores if you do not wash  the former with soap and water.

I advocate for a gentle approach by which I mean never pull the skin on your face. Always apply all of the products using gentle upward strokes whereby you dab a few droplets of product on the palms of the hands. The gentle massage is best achieved by having your hands in a slightly cupped shape so as to hug the contours of the face. The massage should be repeated for the essence, serum base, serum, moisturizer, neck cream and sunscreen.

Products like eye cream and lip balm require a soft dabbing motion whereby your left ring finger (which has the least pressure) momentarily touches the delicate, thin skin around the eyes and the lips.

PRODUCT PICKS — GENIES IN A BOTTLE

For fall, I am not particularly choosy about my cleanser and toner because it’s still somewhat warm outside and I use gentle ones so my skin is never stripped. However skin damage —no matter how slight — combined with dryness, must always be addressed.

Just prior to my researching this blog I reclaimed my high school champion of “Greatest Pimple Popper”. I am usually disciplined but one day I observed a tiny pimple setting up shop on my cheek, and I saw red and squeezed it to death. To this day I cannot tell you what came over me, except that I was massively annoyed that I had a pimple. After the initial joy of busting that sucker, I saw the ugly dark mark I had created, and quickly realized that in winning this battle, I sacrificed the victory in the to obtain great skin.

PREP TIPS

I realized that in order achieve a pristine complexion, I needed to focus on brightening products that balance the skin. I was always curious about SK-II because Japanese women are renowned for their lovely complexions, and I am excited to discover that the Facial Treatment Essence which uses Pitera™, a bio-ingredient derived from yeast fermentation,  brightens the skin on contact.  I love massaging this colourless, odourless liquid from neck to forehead because my skin plumps up, perks up and feels soothed.

To reinforce the brightening effect, I then shake the SK-II Facial Treatment Oil and massage several droplets from my neck to the forehead. It also contains Pitera™ to continue the brightening impact; and nourishing oils such as olive, jojoba and avocado, to start the hydration of the skin.  It allows the serum to work more efficiently with the skin, so you truly optimize the treatment element of the serum.

SERUM— THE ROAD TO SILKINESS

At night, I love using the Ole Henriksen Glow Cycle Retin-Alt Power Serum because my skin is more sensitive in the fall and I love that this age-fighting facial serum is a powerful alternative to retinol which can be a bit strong. This power product uses bakuchiol, a plant-based alternative to retinol; Edelweiss stem cell, a hardy flower; and hibiscus flower extract, to target dark spots and fine lines. The website indicates that the serum should be used for the day but given its strength and luxurious, milky texture, I prefer to let this product work on my skin without being interrupted by make-up and city grime. I am amazed at how the pale lavender shade instantly brightens my skin, and when I wake up, my skin looks refreshed.

If your concern is more about dryness and overall perkiness, then I strongly recommend Bollywood star Diana Penty’s favourite serum, namely, the legendary Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair.  This product introduced the concept  of serum to the market and its powerful ChronoluxCB™ Technology works with the skin’s natural healing processes to help it get ready for the morning.  Additionally, it contains hyaluronic acid which attracts moisture to the skin, to plump fine lines.  Over the past few days it has been chillier in Montreal, and I alternated my night serums, and confirm that my combination skin responded well to both.

Each morning, for the serum step, I continue with my SK-II adventure and apply the Genoptics Spot Essence whose medicine dropper expels the perfect amount of product to cover the face and neck. There’s no waste, just results from a lightweight lotion that is rapidly absorbed by the skin to prevent the formation of dark spots by inhibiting melanin production. I love massaging this product because I know that while my sunscreen is  stopping the sun’s rays, this product is repairing and preventing dark spots.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

At this point, I want to give the serum a chance to soak into the skin, so I start to treat the eyebrows, eyes, and lips. I realized this summer that we beat up our eyebrows because we brush, fill and set them each morning. The daily manipulation likely stresses the hair and delicate follicles, and so I started to apply the Benefit Browvo! Conditioning Primer, which is a nutrient-rich primer for brows. It uses keratin and soy proteins to help browns look thicker and healthier.  I like waking up with a pair of strengthened eyebrows that withstand daily styling.

As we proceed to fall, I slowly introduce more moisture to the eye area because I want to avoid overwhelming  this delicate area with excess product.  At night, I use a heavier eye cream such as Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue, which contains Botanical Eye Contour Complex, Winter Daphne Stem Cell Extract and Vitamins A, C and E to brighten and hydrate the area.  I usually do my massage technique twice to ensure that this cream, which is a tad thick, is properly applied, and when I wake-up – my contour looks smooth.

I also use a thicker lip cream at night to ensure that my pucker is plumper come morning.  I am a big fan of the Arbonne Botaniques Lip Therapy in Vanilla Bean because in addition to smelling like dessert, its combination of shea butter and coconut oil treats the lips beautifully.   I like the packaging, as I prefer to apply product directly from the tube, rather than dipping my finger into a pot.

The neck is an oft-neglected part of the beauty regime and this is a fatal error. The skin on the neck, like that of the eye contour and lips is thin and quick to show your biological age.  Additionally, since we lean over phones and look at screens for hours at a time, it creates unsightly creases. I love the Shiseido Benefiance Concentrated Neck Contour Treatment, because its fresh soap scent smells lovely, and my neck looks smooth and firm afterwards.

MOISTURIZING MOMENTS

In my bid to get rid of dark spots and to address dryness, I found three products that are superb: Shiseido’s White Lucent Overnight Cream & Mask and Brightening Gel Cream, and Eve Lom Moisture Cream.

I used the White Lucent duo for several weeks, and am impressed that both creams, were rapidly absorbed by my combination skin and they always left a  smooth finish. These creams’ Re-Neura Technology+™  left my skin brightened and dewy because it diminishes  dark spots and brightens, simultaneously.

I’m also stoked to discover that after just three weeks of daily use of all of the brightening products analyzed here, that the dark scar that I created in  a fit of fury significantly diminished to a hazy, light brown spot. I also noticed that my cluster of small brown marks on my chin which were created because I repeatedly yank out thick, stubborn chin hairs, reduced in intensity, so that I need only one layer of concealer to camouflage the area.

On days when my skin was drier because of unexpected spikes in chilliness, I used the Eve Lom Moisture Cream, and I noted that its thicker, luxurious texture did not impede rapid absorption. This cream, like the Advanced Night Repair, contains hyaluronic acid, which attracts moisture to the skin. It’s built upon the plumping impact of the serum, and left my face with a radiant finish.

SENTIMENTS OF THE SEASON

Fall’s skin care products taught me that South Asian beauties no longer have to tolerate dark brown spots on their skin for months at a time. There are several products, which if used consistently hasten the healing of dark spots so that they fade significantly within a few weeks.  I am also delighted to observe, that the products are of such a high quality that if you need to switch regimes to accommodate fall’s mood swings, which range from Indian summer to chilly, you can do so without sacrificing the impact of the other regime. It is fantastic that skin care technology brightens, repairs, firms and hydrates brown skin like a champ.

Main Image Photo Credit: www.esteelauder.com