Autumn has officially arrived. Cooler mornings, knitwear coming back out, darker evenings and the sudden urge to make everything a little cosier.
Your skin might be noticing the change too.
Perhaps it feels a little tighter after cleansing. Your makeup isn't sitting quite as beautifully as it did a few weeks ago. Or you're starting to notice those dry areas again that seemed to disappear over summer.
The good news is that you don't necessarily need a whole new skincare routine for autumn.
A few small changes might be all your skin is asking for.
1. Turn the temperature down a little
When it's cold and grey outside, a very hot shower can feel wonderful.
Your dry or sensitive skin might not agree.
Very hot water can be particularly harsh on skin, so try turning the temperature down slightly when you shower or wash your face. It doesn't need to be cold – just comfortably warm rather than steaming hot.
And if your skin feels particularly dry, keeping those long, hot showers for an occasional treat rather than an everyday habit can help too.
Not every change to your skin needs another product. Sometimes it's the little things you do every day that are worth looking at first.
2. Forget about ‘squeaky clean’
If your face feels tight after cleansing, don't mistake that feeling for cleanliness.
Your skin should feel comfortable after you wash it, not like you're counting the seconds until you can put moisturiser on.
As the season changes, pay attention to how your cleanser leaves your skin feeling. And if your skin is having a particularly dry or sensitive week, don't be afraid to simplify the rest of your routine too.
You don't have to exfoliate simply because it's Tuesday.
Your skin doesn't know your schedule. Listen to what it's telling you instead.
3. Don't wait until your skin feels dry to moisturise
It's easy to think of moisturiser as the solution once your skin already feels dry.
Instead, think about keeping your skin feeling comfortable in the first place.
Apply your moisturiser while your skin still feels fresh and hydrated after cleansing rather than waiting for that familiar tight feeling to appear.
And look for hydration that lasts beyond the first hour or two.
Your morning moisturiser should ideally be something you can apply and then forget about. You shouldn't be sitting at your desk at 4pm thinking about how dry your face feels.
That idea – lasting, comfortable hydration – is actually one of the reasons I created The Meadow. But whichever moisturiser you use, pay attention to how your skin feels several hours after applying it, not just how lovely it feels going on.
4. Look beyond your bathroom shelf
Not everything that affects how your skin feels comes in a jar.
Autumn changes quite a few of our everyday habits without us really noticing.
Perhaps you're drinking more coffee and tea and reaching for your water bottle less often. You're spending more time indoors. The heating is going on. You're having hotter showers. And those dark, rainy mornings aren't exactly encouraging anyone out for an early walk.
Living in England, we certainly can't blame everything on a lack of humidity – many of us will be getting the dehumidifiers out soon enough.
So think about the bigger picture too.
Keep water nearby. Get outside when you can. Eat plenty of colourful, seasonal food. Move your body. Sleep.
None of it is revolutionary. But good skincare doesn't have to be.
Your autumn routine doesn't need to get bigger
The beauty industry is very good at making every new season feel like a reason to buy an entirely new routine.
It doesn't have to be.
If your skin starts feeling different this autumn, start by paying attention to it.
Turn down the shower temperature. Be gentle when you cleanse. Prioritise lasting hydration. Simplify when your skin asks you to.
And then enjoy the nicer parts of the season.
Put on the jumper. Make the tea. Light the candle. Go for the walk even if it's grey outside.
Your skincare can be part of your autumn ritual without becoming another thing you have to think about.
Sometimes, simple really is enough.