Winter Skincare Essentials and rituals to help your skin thrive in the cold season and beyond

Skincare is a complicated matter. It’s never only about solving one issue! There are several factors that we usually think of – age, the climate, the pollution we live in and finally there are the seasons. These are the “external” factors that we have little control over. And then there are the internal factors like hormones and gut health which, if you’re super self-disciplined, you can control.

 Today I’m not going to talk much about skin and ageing. Instead, I’d like to look at winter skincare, and specifically routines and rituals that can help your skin feel and look good during the winter season and beyond. As I’m not a dermatologist or a trained and experienced beautician, I’ve partnered with the founders of online beauty space SkinJoy to give you their best winter skincare tips.

The key to good looking skin in winter is…

When it comes to winter skincare essentials the keyword is moisture. No matter what your skin type is, the change of temperature, switching from cold to warm or even staying at home with constant central heating, can dry out your skin. This affects not just the face but the whole body, and sometimes dry skin can become itchy and irritable.

That’s why it’s essential to… 

“Replace your light day creams or fluids with rich creams because, when the skin is well moisturised, it automatically shows a balanced complexion”, says Nadia Barilli, a beautician with more than 35-years of experience and co-founder of online boutique, SkinJoy.  

“You get an additional kick of moisture with serums, boosters, or essences that are good to apply under day or night creams. You can also pamper your skin overnight with rich oils or with an OverNight mask to absorb the dryness. Here I recommend the calming mask or moisturising mask from Susanne Kaufmann.”

Dry skin usually looks dull, while well moisturised and nourished skin looks fresh and glows from the inside out! But how do we achieve such a look?

“One of my absolute favourite products is the Cellcosmet Elasto-Collagen ampoules package. The moisture boost is fantastic and all the creases that appear at this time of the year disappear pretty quickly. Additional care like this is applied under your day and night cream”, says Nadia. “There are a few other products I love as well. The Cholley Biovisol Complexe Oil for example, which is a powerful combination of antioxidant and anti-wrinkle essential oils. Or the Pollution Skin Défense ampoules by Susanne Kaufmann. These can be applied under all other skincare products.”

 No matter the weather conditions, your age or the type of skin you have, before applying any skincare products it’s important to remember to clean your skin well and use a tonic to remove all impurities. 

Beauty from the inside out  

I asked Nadia if it’s possible to achieve a healthy and glowing skin only with a cream or serum? Is there such a miracle product?

Here is what Nadia had to say:

“Like everything else I recommend a holistic approach to beauty that includes good nutrition and supplements too. At the moment, Hyaluron and Collagen are very trendy as a dietary supplement. It’s very important to ensure that the quality is reputable, as many things are simply just a trend on the market that cannot be absorbed by the intestine. 

SkinJoy chose the product Formetta because it’s been scientifically researched, has been on the market for years and it actually works. The focus on collagen products is to promote collagen synthesis. The Formetta collagen peptides also have many advantages that help in the wintertime. For example, the immune system is strengthened, joint pain can be reduced, performance can be increased, and so on. As is well known, it’s also very important to drink a lot of water; this can additionally support your skin from within to cleanse and to moisturise.

You shouldn’t forget to be in the fresh air as much as possible as well, even when it gets dark so early. When your circulation is stimulated, everything can be absorbed better. Find things that help you to focus on your own fitness; if you don’t like jogging go for a walk instead, the main thing is to make sure you’re getting exercise and fresh air.

And let’s not forget sugar! Increased sugar levels accelerate the breakdown of collagen. I know this isn’t an easy one, especially in winter, but I hope knowing that sugar breaks down collagen can actually motivate you to reduce your sugar intake.”

Beauty and lifestyle choices in winter

“Something that sounds easier to do in the winter months is taking fragrant baths more often. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oils or add the Winter Bath Oil by Susanne Kaufmann. Baths with added oils are ideal in the dry winter season, as they help to protect your skin while also pampering your senses. Instead of chocolate, treat yourself with a warm fragrant bath.

 I’m also a huge fan of candles. Above all, I love all Atl. OBLIQUE candles because they have natural ingredients and a perfect concentration of scents. Their scents include warm fragrances such as wood, amber, patchouli, incense, chocolate, and more.

 The candles from EJO Lifestyle smell beautiful with their warm basic scent of the tonka bean, plus they’re also extremely beautiful to look at. And, since it’s also important to surround yourself with beautiful things, these candles in their elegant vessels are perfect.” 

Treatments

“A classic cosmetic treatment always works. Nourishing products that help the skin recover fast and give it a super boost are used, which provides a little cushion for the cold days. But what is particularly suitable at this time of year are treatments like micro-needling, laser, and cures with acid products.

Since it’s a time of year when we normally have less sun, it’s safer for the skin to have treatments that recover and stimulate the skin’s recovery process. In winter the risk of pigmentation disorders is very low, and you can go for more invasive medical treatments. It’s good to always consult your beautician about which treatments will suit your particular skin, and ask for help to set up a treatment plan. There are a lot of treatments on the market at the moment, so it’s good to have a healthy, personalised strategy and not just do what’s most popular and trendy at the moment.” 

About Nadia and SkinJoy

“With the support of my parents and my husband René, I started my own business as a beautician at the age of 20. I didn’t have a business plan, just the idea of being successful and the joy of being independent. When we started I believed in quality cosmetics and providing personal advice, which is not so easy at this time because the mainstream has been growing fast in the last 10-years.

 Last year we decided to start our online beauty space SkinJoy, which felt like a natural addition to our work! We stayed true to our passion though of offering quality cosmetics in all price ranges for customers who are genuinely interested in cosmetics.”

How we choose the products for the online shop

“Often it’s love at first sight! I see a new brand and briefly study the ingredients and the philosophy of the line. Sometimes a lot fits; design, sustainability, trend direction, ingredients, prices and above all, no mass market product. The honesty and integrity of the suppliers is decisive. Sometimes nice aid projects are connected with the line, or a brand has old traditions in its products, which is something we really like.

We sometimes find the products by chance on our travels, at trade fairs and also through our longstanding contacts in the cosmetics industry. Everywhere we go we keep our eyes open. Trend lines are usually noticed through innovative packaging, then we take a closer look at them to see whether they might suit us. Then we test the products ourselves and ask our trusted clients to test them too. The effect has to be right; tolerance, fragrance, shelf-life, etc. Sometimes it’s close to a year until everything is tested. 

Here’s a small example of what I mean with your favourite product Tsitaliya. I discovered the Atl.OBLIQUE fragrance line when I was looking for a dress for myself in a shop for my daughter’s wedding ☺ that was love at first sight! I tried the perfumes and then we had Mario Lombardo contact the perfumer and, after a while, Atl. OBLIQUE landed at SkinJoy. A year passed before everything was available in the online shop.”