Face, makeup, periods, skin after 30–40 and the wedding season.
For dry skin in winter, use a thick cream with ceramides and glycerin, such as CeraVe Moisturising Cream For Dry to Very Dry Skin. After washing, while the skin is still slightly damp, dot a pea-sized amount on five spots and spread gently. Apply twice a day, morning and night. If your cheeks feel tight by midday, add a little more.
Yes, oily skin still needs a moisturiser in winter, just a light gel-cream instead of a heavy one. CeraVe Oil Control Moisturizing Gel Cream suits it well. Apply a pea-sized amount after washing, morning and night. Skipping moisturiser makes skin produce even more oil. Use less on the nose and forehead and a little more on the cheeks.
For combination skin, apply a light gel moisturiser to the whole face, then add a second layer only on the cheeks. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Aqua Gel works well for this. Use one layer in the morning and two layers on the cheeks at night. A heavy cream everywhere can trigger T-zone breakouts, while nothing at all leaves the cheeks cracked.
When creams sting, choose a short-ingredient barrier cream such as Dr. Althea 147 Barrier Cream. Patch test behind the ear for two days first. Then apply a thin layer after a gentle cleanser, morning and night. Pause vitamin C, acids and scrubs for a week. If the redness does not settle within two weeks, see a dermatologist.
Yes, even normal skin dries out in winter, so switch to a slightly richer moisturiser such as Simple Kind To Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser. Apply a pea-sized amount after washing at night, and a little in the morning under sunscreen if you like. Use it from December to February, then go back to a lighter lotion in March.
Under makeup, use a light moisturiser that absorbs quickly, such as Minimalist 10% Vitamin B5 Face Moisturizer. After washing, apply a pea-sized amount, wait 5 minutes, then sunscreen, then foundation. A very thick or greasy cream makes foundation slide. Give dry cheeks one extra drop first.
Foundation cracks because the skin underneath loses water and shrinks. In the morning, press CeraVe Hydrating Toner in with your hands after washing, then moisturiser and sunscreen. Use powder only lightly on the T-zone. At midday, take a drop of moisturiser on a fingertip and gently press it into the cracked area. Do not rub.
Do not scrub the flakes off; soften them with moisture at night first. For three or four nights, apply The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Beta Glucan a little more generously on those spots. On makeup days, wipe gently with damp cotton in the morning, apply moisturiser and wait 5 minutes before foundation. In winter, exfoliate no more than once a week.
Remove makeup with micellar water, then wash once with a gentle cleanser. Soak cotton with Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water, hold it on the skin for a few seconds and wipe without rubbing. Then rinse with lukewarm water and apply moisturiser on damp skin. Using a foaming face wash twice is what makes the tightness worse.
From a week before your period, wash at night with a salicylic cleanser such as COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser, 3 to 4 nights a week. Use a gentle cleanser the rest of the time. Always follow with moisturiser, because dry skin heals spots more slowly. If the acne is painful, deep or leaves marks, see a doctor.
No, skip the toothpaste; it irritates and leaves a dry mark. Instead, wash and dry the area, then put on a COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch overnight. The patch covers the spot and stops you picking it. Replace it in the morning. Keep moisturising the skin around it. If you get deep, painful spots every month, see a doctor.
Yes, many women get drier skin when oestrogen dips around their period, and winter makes it more noticeable. On those days, apply Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream a bit more generously at night and pause active serums for a few days. If the dryness comes with irregular periods, hair fall or unusual tiredness, see a doctor for hormone or thyroid tests.
After menopause the skin makes less oil and fewer ceramides, so it needs a thick, fragrance-free cream such as Bioderma Atoderm Crème Ultra-Nourishing Cream. Apply it to face and body within 3 minutes of bathing, and again at night. Keep the water lukewarm. See a doctor if itching wakes you, if there is a rash or bleeding, or if there is vaginal dryness or burning.
Many winter lines are really dehydration lines, and a good moisturiser plus daily sunscreen softens them a lot. If you want more, start The Ordinary Retinol 0.2% in Squalane at night: two nights a week, a pea-sized amount on dry skin, then moisturiser. After four weeks, go to three nights. Do not use retinol if you are pregnant or planning to be.
After 40, a richer night cream with ceramides and peptides helps, such as CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream. At night, after washing, take a little more than a pea and apply it upwards on the face and neck. In the morning, use moisturiser and sunscreen. No cream lifts slack skin, but steady care keeps it softer and plumper.
Use a separate, light eye cream on the thin under-eye skin, such as Cerave Skin Renewing Eye Cream. Morning and night, take a rice-grain amount on your ring finger and pat it along the bone, not too close to the lashes. Wait 5 minutes before concealer, and apply concealer in a thin layer.
Reduce it rather than stopping. Use it two nights a week with the sandwich method: a thin layer of moisturiser, then a pea-sized amount of CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, then moisturiser again. Keep it off the lips and nose corners. Sunscreen by day is a must. If it burns or turns red and swollen, take a week off. No retinol during pregnancy.
These forehead bumps usually come from sweat, oil and rubbing from the under-cap. At night, wash your forehead and hairline with COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser, 3 to 4 times a week. Wear a cotton under-cap and wash it every two days. Keep heavy oils and hair creams off the forehead. Do not skip a light moisturiser.
Do not let wool touch your skin directly; keep a cotton dupatta underneath near the face. Apply a thin layer of Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream on the red areas morning and night. Stop scrubs, acids and fragranced products until the stinging settles. See a doctor if it itches, blisters or weeps, or does not calm down within a week.
Apply a balm 10 minutes before lipstick, such as The Derma Co 1% Ceramide Complex Lip Balm SPF30 PA++. Then blot gently with a tissue and use a creamy or satin lipstick. Avoid liquid matte lipstick in winter. Do not bite off the flaky skin. Put on a thick layer of balm again at night.
At night, use a thick lip mask such as Laneige Lip sleeping mask. After brushing your teeth, dry your lips and apply a thick layer with a finger or the spatula before sleeping. In the morning, a gentle wipe with a damp cloth lifts the dead skin. Use a balm with SPF by day. See a doctor if cracks last over three weeks or the corners get sores.
Do not rub matte lipstick off; dissolve it with an oil or micellar water. Hold the cotton on your lips for 20 seconds, then wipe in one go. Straight after, apply a thick layer of Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter. In winter, give your lips a few lipstick-free days each week and reapply balm several times a day.
We do not have a dedicated hand cream on our shelf right now, but a thick face-and-body cream does the same job, such as CeraVe Moisturising Cream For Dry to Very Dry Skin. After every hand wash, rub a pea-sized amount between your fingers and around the nails. Wear rubber gloves for laundry and detergent work. Apply a thick layer before bed.
When washing dishes, wear thin cotton gloves under rubber gloves. At night, apply a thick layer of Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume to the cracked fingertips and sleep in cotton gloves or socks. Keep lemon and detergent off bare hands. See a doctor if the cracks bleed, ooze pus, swell or spread redness, or have not healed in two weeks.
After bathing, pat dry with a towel and apply body lotion within 3 minutes while the skin is still slightly damp, such as CeraVe Moisturising Lotion for Dry to Very Dry Skin. Use more on arms, legs and shins. This seals water into the skin. If you are very dry, apply again at night. Let it settle for two minutes before dressing.
Often yes: harsh soap and very hot water strip the skin's oils. Keep baths lukewarm and under 10 minutes. Swap harsh soap for Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar and use it only on underarms, groin and feet. Apply lotion right after the bath. If itching continues despite lotion, comes with a rash or gets worse at night, see a doctor.
In winter, use conditioner after every shampoo and a hair mask once a week, such as TRESemmé Keratin Smooth 3-Min Smoothing Sleek + Shine Hair Mask. After shampooing, apply from mid-lengths to ends, leave for 3 minutes and rinse, keeping it off the roots. Avoid very hot water and harsh combing of wet hair. Trimming is the only real fix for split ends.
Put two or three drops of hair serum on the ends, such as Livon Anti Frizz Serum for All Hair Types. Rub it between your palms and apply to damp or half-dry hair from mid-lengths to ends, not the scalp. A silk or satin under-cap reduces friction and static. Never tie a hijab over wet hair, as it can cause odour and dandruff.
Oiling 1 to 2 hours before shampoo is enough; overnight adds no real benefit. Warm Ribana Organic Coconut Oil slightly and use more on the mid-lengths and ends, less on the scalp. Once or twice a week is plenty. If you have dandruff, go easy on the scalp, as oil can feed the dandruff yeast. Follow with shampoo and conditioner.
The night before, try nothing new: wash, apply a thick moisturiser and a lip mask. On the day, use a gentle cleanser, moisturiser, then sunscreen such as Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Niacinamide SPF50+ PA++++, and start makeup after 5 minutes. Do not skip sunscreen for a daytime event. When you get home, remove makeup and moisturise before bed.
A bride's basics are three: a gentle cleanser, a ceramide moisturiser and daily sunscreen. Use Cetaphil Moisturising Cream For Dry To Normal Sensitive Skin morning and night. From two weeks before the wedding, avoid new products, facials, peels and bleach. Moisturise your hands even on the mehendi day. If you have acne or marks, see a doctor two months ahead.
On a budget, three things are enough: a gentle face wash, a moisturiser and a sunscreen. For example, wash at night with Simple Kind to Skin Refreshing Facial Wash Gel and apply Nivea Soft Light Moisturising Cream; in the morning, rinse with water and use the cream plus sunscreen. Nivea Soft also works on hands and around the lips. Add serums later.
Usually not: most body lotions contain fragrance and heavy oils that can cause breakouts or irritation on the face. The exception is a fragrance-free cream made for both face and body, such as Cerave Moisturizing Cream For Normal To Dry Skin. One tub can cover the whole family's faces, hands and feet. Do not put brightening or gluta body lotions on your face.
Yes. Even in winter, UVA rays pass through cloud and fog and worsen melasma, dark spots and lines. For dry skin, pick a moisturising sunscreen such as Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum. In the morning, after moisturiser, apply two finger-lengths to face and neck. If you are outdoors, reapply every 2 to 3 hours.
A separate night cream is not essential: using your day cream a bit more generously at night works fine. If you want something richer, Simple Kind To Vital Vitamin Night Cream is a good option. Thirty minutes before bed, wash and apply a pea-sized amount to the face and neck. Night creams need no sunscreen; mornings do.