Here’s one good thing to come out of the COVID pandemic: With all the extra time we’re spending indoors instead of going out, a shift has taken place, and more people are skipping makeup to embrace the skin they’re in.
“Beauty is definitely trending more toward the natural side right now,” says Ella Williams, aesthetician and owner of Ella Esthetics in Alexandria. “I have noticed that between staying home more often and wearing masks, people are choosing to wear less and less makeup, and I’m just loving watching people become more comfortable in their skin.”
That all begins with having a healthy skincare routine in place.
Start with SPF. (Yes, even on cloudy days.) “It’s imperative that you do not skip the SPF in the wintertime,” says Williams. “And you also want to be using a product with vitamin C or an antioxidant, and vitamin A, which would be your retinol products. That right there is basically the holy trinity of skincare.”
Consider your sources. What looked so miraculous on that TikTok video may not be the best advice for your own skin. “One thing that people don’t think about with skincare is seeking out a professional,” says Williams. “Many people tend to turn to social media or online, but aestheticians see and touch and work with, in, and on the skin every single day, and that’s really important.”
Make sure you’re giving products enough time to work for your skin. “People sometimes tend to use a skincare product for two or three days and then decide it’s not for them,” says Williams. “But honestly, you are not going to have a result within two to three days. Unless you have a true allergic reaction to something in a product, you will not know if it works for you within a short amount of time.”
You should really give a product a minimum trial period of four weeks to see results, Williams adds. “I know people don’t like to hear that answer,” she says. “I usually say eight to 12 weeks, but again, it depends on what you’re treating.”
Nurture dry skin. “For those who experience eczema or psoriasis, it tends to flare up in the winter months,” Williams says.
To help with dry skin, there are a few products you can introduce into your daily skincare regimen. “Keep in mind that there are hydrators, and then there are moisturizers,” says Williams. “And a lot of times, you’re working with both when you need to introduce a lot of moisture to the skin.”
Beta-glucan is one ingredient that is highly overlooked, and hyaluronic acids are also helpful, says Williams. Products with ceramides in them can also be soothing.
“That is going to feel and be very luxurious,” says Williams. “Those three things are key ingredients within skincare that will help to hydrate your skin.”
Attack maskne. It’s the ugly truth of wearing face masks: They can bring on acne or other skin conditions. The need for masks doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon, but luckily, there are some things you can do to reduce unintended consequences.
Williams recommends two products from the Danné Montague-King (DMK) cosmetics line that combine to combat maskne: Actrol Powder, an antifungal and antibacterial powder that can be sprinkled on the inside of your mask, and Acu Masque, a purifying sulfur-based skin mask.
Whatever you’re dealing with, just don’t get impatient. “Consistency is going to be your best friend when it comes to skincare, meaning that you just have to stick with it every day,” says Williams. “When you’re in a routine every morning and night, that is really when you will start seeing an evolution within your skin.”
Feature image, Samsonfm/stock.adobe.com
This story originally ran in our March issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
