Autumn’s a-comin’, and it’s time to trade in the wispy hot-weather clothes for chunky booties and heels and chic, cozy accessories. But while you’re beginning the process of winterizing your wardrobe, don’t forget about switching up your beauty routine, too.
Here are seven ways to reboot your beauty regimen for the new season:
Do a Full-Body Freshen-Up
Even if you’re not the masque or skin treatment type, post-summer is the one time of year when everyone can really benefit from a little extra beauty TLC. All the things that make summer exciting—pools, beaches, sunshine, sand—can wreak havoc on hair, nails, and skin. There’s no need to indulge in fancy salon procedures, but you can help heal damage and get rid of tired, dull layers by treating hair to an application of hot oil, using a soothing moisture masque on tired skin, and sloughing away foot calluses.
Bring Back the Moisture
In the heat and humidity of summer, it’s all about oil-free, lightweight, and multipurpose products to keep your skin and hair from getting too shiny or overloaded. Fall’s cooler weather is much drier, so lightweight products sometimes just don’t cut it. It’s time to trade up to richer, more hydrating moisturizers, body lotions, and hair conditioners. If you’ve been getting by with just a leave-in conditioner to fight frizz, you may need to upgrade to a silicone serum. If you’ve been using an astringent face wash to fight shininess, winter may require a thicker, less-drying cleansing oil.
Ditch Anything Too Summer-Specific
Products with shimmer, bright tropical cosmetics, and hair sprays that create beachy waves aren’t as useful during cold months. They’ll last until next year, so take them out of rotation until then. If you normally use bronzer or self-tanner, there’s no need to stop entirely, but apply them a bit more sparingly.
Update Your Color Palette
During cool weather, it’s appropriate to wear heavier eye makeup, full-coverage foundation, and warm, saturated shades. Retire summer’s peach and coral hues and break out the deep, jewel-toned shadows and darker, matte lipsticks. Look for nail polishes and eye shadows in mauves, espressos, greens, and grays—this season’s hottest colors.
Change Your Sunscreen Strategy
Change up your application, but don’t stop wearing it entirely. True, when you’re wearing long sleeves and pants, you might have less frequent need for allover application of sunscreen, but your face will be exposed to damaging rays all winter long, so don’t leave it unprotected. If you return to a full-coverage foundation (which provides physical protection against the sun), you can trade the SPF 50 for a daily moisturizer that has an SPF of between 15 and 30. If you don’t normally wear face makeup, though, be sure that your daytime moisturizer provides plenty of SPF.
Give Your Locks a Lift
If you’re the experimental type, autumn is the perfect time of year to test-drive a new hair color. Instead of the sun-kissed highlights that are popular in warmer months, try a chocolate-y brown hue, or tone down your blonde to a golden honey color. Without being subjected to constant abuse by the sun, the shade will stay truer longer without fading or turning brassy. It’s also wise to get a trim this time of year since summer often leaves locks a bit fried at the ends.
Know When Less Is More
If you’ve been exfoliating every day, cut back to doing it every other day or just a couple of times per week. If frequent trips to the beach or pool have you using clarifying shampoos on the regular, cut back to using them just every so often. During cold weather, hot showers can strip your skin of moisture, leading to itching, flaking, and discomfort. Switch to taking tepid showers just once per day.