GEORGIE - Darker mornings, colder weather - look after your skin!!

Following Rosie’s blog on darker mornings and colder weather (and yes, she is mad, I have been running with her in the winter and it was hell on earth) I thought it would be good to cover the cheats that help us to look our best at all times.

I will cover make-up cheats in my next blog, but wanted to start with well cleansed skin. When winter comes around I find my skin gets sorer and dryer in the cold, so I tend to use less face wash and scrub and MORE cream based cleansers to take off my make-up and clean my skin.

I am lucky enough in my line of work to be surrounded by the latest products and information in our make-up department – plus our make-up girls tend to give great advice about make-up and skin care and in the years I have been working in TV I have got much better about looking after my skin. Fundamentally I found a skin care brand I love and I stick to (Dermalogica) but I use different products for different reasons and conditions.

Here are a few recommendations for skin care ahead of the big chill. (sorry so depressing!!)

Do NOT use baby wipes. These suckers are full of alcohol and dry your skin out. I am talking about the actual baby wipes we use to wipe babies bottoms with here... I am not personally a fan of the medicated wipes brought out for skin care but I do realise they are convenient. Fundamentally for ALL facial wipes, only use them when you have to. Nothing replaces cleansing properly.

Find a good oil based cleanser for night time make up removal. A foaming face wash is all very well but getting oily stuff out of your pores needs to be done properly. If you are very dry skinner, then a pure oil cleanser will do, MAC do a fantastic one that you only need a tiny amount of and it really gets you clean. I have combination skin so use a mid weight cleanser called Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution but the cheaper alternative to this is good old fashioned Ponds Cold Cleansing Cream which is available in all good chemists and is cheap as chips (Kylie Minogue swears by it)!! If your skin is very oily then still use an oil based cleanser, just find one that is lighter. Rosie is a big fan of Simple and so am I, their stuff is hypo allergenic, un perfumed and not too heavy. If you like a foaming cleanser – fine! Just use it in the morning to wash away any grease that has accumulated on your face in the night. After a long day, your face needs care and a cleansing cream is just the ticket.

Don’t use DRY cotton pads to remove your make up/cleanser. Dragging a dry cotton pad across your face dries out your skin and doesn’t do it any good at all. My dermatologist in the US also said ‘dragging’ anything across your skin doesn’t help with the ageing process. I took the warning. Start using flannels, natural sponges, or simply use cotton pads under warm water. Run a hot tap, apply cleanser properly to your face and neck then use a warm flannel, facecloth, sponge or wet pad to remove it. If make up or dirt is still coming off your skin and its drying out, apply MORE cleanser and go again with it. If you are oily skinned, and feel too greasy after cleansing then rinse well and use a good toner and ‘pat’ your skin with a cotton pad (no dragging!!). Again, be very aware of the amount of alcohol in products, it dries your skin out and ages you!! I don’t use a toner but there are plenty on the market.

Don’t be scared to use skin boosters and serums. Boots – a chain store pharmacist in the UK bought out a range of skin care serums that caused a stampede to the shops when they came out because when tested – they actually worked!! I use their Protect and Perfect serum and swear by it. It evens my skin tone and makes it look really clear. (And hey US peeps, its available in Target too!!) I also use a hydrating booster from Dermalogica when I am feeling extra dry too.

Finally night cream. I have 3 different brands!! Fundamentally dependent on whether my hair needs a wash, I’ve been drinking, exercising or taking too many late night, it varies from day to day what I need for my skin. I have a mega moisturising cream for ‘post hair wash’ or a ‘few too many beers’ skin and a lighter one for anti ageing when my skin is indifferent. When I am sleeping with an oil treatment on my hair I tend to use a really light moisturiser to avoid getting spots.

Hope this helps!!