As the central heating and cold winds start to take their toll on my skin, I turn my focus to layering on products to protect, nourish and trouble-shoot. Which is why I’m loving a new addition to my regimen – the concentrate.
Not a serum, more of a dedicated problem solver that you can use straight after cleansing to deliver a power surge of skin-sorting ingredients before you get on with the rest of your routine. Just choose your issue, then pick one of these bad boys and wait to see the results.
So, my first issue has to be patchiness – you know, that mottled problem you get in the autumn if you – heaven forbid – haven’t been as careful with your SPF as you should have done in the summer. SkinMedica Lytera Skin Brightening Complex (£94) is a veritable powerhouse when it comes to busting age spots, pigmentation or hormonal freckles (I still had some lingering from my pregnancies).
Lancôme’s Genefique Youth Activating Concentrate (£58) is my go-to when I need a bit of plumping up. It took 14 years of research apparently, and the result is such a hard-working product that you can see a difference the next morning after your first use. It’s quite watery, not like a serum at all, and I rather like that as it feels like it’s getting right in there, to use a technical term.
My concentrate of choice for stressed-out skin is Priori Cellular Recovery Serum with DNA Enzyme Complex (£92). This feels like a real healer and I love it after a day when I’m going between cold winds and hot rooms and my skin feels tight and upset. A milky lotion in texture, it’s calming, scentless and so, so soothing.
Retinol got bad press a while back as an anti-ageing or acne treating ingredient, as it can cause sensitivity and redness. Well, it’s time to give it another try with La Roche-Posay Redermic R with 0.3% retinol (£28). I save the description ‘game-changer’ for special occasions but this is definitely one of those. A massive improvement in skin texture and lines – this stuff really packs a punch.
And finally, my favourite night-time concentrate for out-and-out winter nourishment: Evening Elixir (£85) from Face Matters. This is a gem – a wonderfully scented blend of active botanical oils, it soothes dryness and hydrates skin while you sleep.