It is officially Fall, y'all. That means pumpkin spice all over the place, sweater weather, crunchy leaves, cute booties, football tailgates, and warm tone makeup palettes. And just like you switch out your wardrobe from summer chic to fall cozy, you should do the same with your skincare routine and makeup. Maybe you don't really think about it until your skin has cracked like the Sahara Desert and you're spending $$$ at Sephora trying to remedy the damage that has already been done. Playing skincare scientist is not always fun and it can be a bit of an expensive nightmare. So save yourself the trouble and get on the change now!

So what is it that you should do differently? First, let's go back and assess the skin health and beauty pyramid. According to The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the skincare pyramid, much like the food pyramid, is a clinically-based guide to select topical skincare products. It is an instructional framework and product guide created from extensive scientific literature and study reviews on ingredients, formulations, and technologies affecting skin biology. Basically, it's a map to creating healthy skin. The pyramid tells you to do the following: cleanse, treat, moisturize, and protect. Follow those four steps daily and your skin will be in tip-top shape. Of course making sure you adhere to your skin type (oily vs. dry), skin concerns (acne, discoloration, lines), and skin needs.  

Some adjustments that are obvious are upping your moisturizers. Start with night replacement, because when we are at rest our skin and bodies are working their hardest, repairing all the damage from the day - and at night we lose the most moisture. Look for moisturizers that contain hyaluronic acid (I know it sounds super scary and something that the Joker would use, but trust me, it's amazing). Our own bodies produce hyaluronic acid, but getting extra through skincare is super important, and most of the time you find it moisturizers. Also look for products containing humectants, which is what binds moisture to the skin and we all need that in cooler months.  

Another change that may be needed is your treatment serums and/or oils. This isn't necessarily due to the change in season, but it's always a good time to revisit your treatment products. Just like anything else, over time, with continual use, our skin can build up a tolerance for our treatment products and it's time to reassess and revisit. If you're like me, you are less prone to breakout in the cooler months versus oily skin in the hot, humid months of summer. Therefore, my treatment program will change. In the dryer months of fall and winter, I notice more crappiness and lining, so I like to adjust my serum to a treatment oil that will help improve the appearance of lines.

Now here's a few things that should never change and that's exfoliation and sun protection. Exfoliation is so important on a daily basis. Both topical with a manual scrub, and internal with your treatment products. We want the freshest and newest layer of skin on the surface at all times - that's how we look so good. Exfoliation is crucial for the handling of the rest of our skincare and even make-up. If you decide to increase your moisturizer, then you need to remove the dead skin cells so that it can actually penetrate through the skin. Ever moisturized and your skin was left feeling gooey and sticky? I mean, yes it could have been just too heavy of a moisturizer, but more often than not, it's because you didn't slough off the dead skin prior to applying it, so the moisturizer just sat on the surface unable to penetrate. I'm not talking about taking a Brillo pad to your face, but a nice exfoliating scrub cream (Jesus, not St. Ives Apricot Scrub) or a serum that has salicylic acid or vitamin c, which will promote skin cell turnover. I use both a scrub and treatment serum and love them together.  

The other thing that shouldn't dare change is your sun protection. I don't know what it is, but when the bikinis go away, people think so should their daily sunscreen protection. Uh...no. Not correct. Sun is *sun* and it does not discriminate no matter what race, color, or season. It still will shine bright like a diamond and trigger those melanocytes. Protect your mug year round, ideally doing so in your moisturizer or a product on its own. However, I'm personally not a fan of relying on my sun protection coming from my foundation. One, I don't wear foundation every day, and two, I don't tend to slather on my foundation the same way I do with my moisturizer - I get all up in my hairline, ears, neck, everywhere - but I don't really hit my foundation that hard. If it's in my foundation, then great. Added bonus, but not where I first want it to come from. But it's better than nothing. 

Something else to not stop as our season's change is water intake. Keep it going! Keep up with your water intake. It's so typical that we let this important key factor go in the cooler months, and hit the coffee and warm tees hard instead, but water is still so crucial in skin health. Hydration keeps your skin plumper, more subtle, and it's a free treatment. So do it.

When it comes to your makeup up you'll need to make some minor adjustments there too. The most obvious being your foundation and concealer color. All good things must come to an end and your summer bronzed skin color is included. Don't walk around with your face one color and the rest of your body 5 shades lighter. Also, don't paint your neck and ears either. Doing while wearing a turtle neck sweater doesn't make it better - that's like a desperate act to hang on. It's best to have a couple of shades on hand both lighter and darker tones that will allow you to adjust as they become lighter. It's a natural process so let it happen. 

Something else to consider with your makeup is not only the color but what is it doing for your skin. Nowadays, the technology that's put into skincare and treatment products trickles down to the makeup level too. You may no longer need an oil-controlling foundation in the cooler seasons, but maybe you do need something with more hydration.  In the case that your cash flow isn't to the level of Kylie Jenner and are unable to buy out a Sephora every season, pay attention to the shelf-life of your products. Some do last from 12 to 24 months, which gives you time to come back to it with the seasons change again. So seal up tight and put it away for the time being.

So there you have it! Follow these slight adjustments to your skincare game and your skin will keep on glowing all year round. Unless you're just into that whole crypt keeper look. 

As always,

Let's Be In The GLOW