Get familiar with your own skin type and build a basic routine that consists of a cleanser, serum and sunscreen for the day; and an oil or balm cleanser as your first cleanse, your day cleanser for your second cleanse, serum and night cream for the evening. Choose products that suit your skin type, that you can rely on. If ever your skin flares up for whatever reason, this is the routine you can fall back on.

Pick your targeted treatments

When you understand your skin type, you can focus on supplementing your core routine with actives that address your specific skin concerns. Hyaluronic acid can help hydrate the skin, whereas niacinamide can help control oil production. Struggling with hyperpigmentation? Layer a vitamin C serum under your sunscreen. A retinol product for the evening is a good staple to have, to encourage cell turnover, and if your skin is feeling a bit fragile and in need of repair, look for a moisturiser with ceramides or peptides.

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Don’t skimp on cleansing

This is a common mistake. “I don’t get oily, so why wash off what natural oils I have?” Right, so you may not be producing much oil, but your skin is still coming into contact with the elements and pollutants, and if you’re layering skincare without cleansing in between, your pores will get clogged. That is a recipe for breakouts or irritation. Consider cleansing as a way to reset your skin, and keep doing it twice a day.

Exfoliate regularly

Similarly, many resist exfoliating in cooler weather, fearing it will dry their skin out. In fact, it’ll do the opposite and keep your skin supple. Of course, you don’t want harsh scrubs, but you want to be exfoliating around twice a week. Exfoliating removes dead skin cells and product build-up, which will allow your skincare products to actually reach your skin and perform the way they’re meant to.

Sunscreen

Winter sun is still sun! It still emits UVA and UVB rays, so SPF should be in your daytime routine all year, and with so many lightweight chemical and physical formulas available, you really have no excuse to skip this crucial step. Not only does SPF reduce your risk of skin cancer, it acts as a shield against UVB rays that burn, and UVA rays that age your skin. It also serves as an additional barrier to prevent transepidermal water loss, which leaves your skin dehydrated and unhappy. Don’t rely on SPF in foundations either, that’s a lie. Apply an actual sunscreen either after or as your day moisturiser.

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Holiday make-up ideas

A wash of colour

Draping is a technique that describes the blending of a product from the eyelids into the cheek colour, and often done using blush. Focus the product on your cheekbones and blend upwards into your hairline. Then use the blush as a one-and-done shadow for your eyes, and blend it from the outer corners towards the temples where it can connect with the blush.

A warm, neutral shade means you can practise draping as your everyday look, and when you’re ready to kick it up a notch, switch to a brighter and bolder blush.

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Get graphic

A graphic liner draws focus to the eyes using more dramatic lines and shapes. They can be geometric or asymmetrical, and you don’t even have to stick to black or brown.

To ease into this look, do a standard winged liner, followed by a second line parallel to the base of the wing. Extending it just a touch longer will help to elongate the eye. After that, experiment with shapes and shades to your heart’s content!

Dot your eyes

If the idea of a graphic liner – even a simple one – is a bit daunting, try just dots.

Smudge eyeliner along your lash line for definition, and instead of doing a wing, place three small dots at the outer corners where the wing would have been. Alternatively, place just one dot right at the inner corners of your eyes.

Feeling festive? Do multiple dots and in different colours! To keep them uniform, apply liquid or gel liner to the back of your hand, and use the non-bristles end of a small make-up brush or a Q-tip to create the dots.

Mismatched lips

A more daring version of an ombre lip would be two different shades for the top and bottom lips entirely.

If the idea of noticeably different colours is a bit too intimidating, start with two lipsticks that are just a few shades apart, and use the deeper one for your bottom lip. For a party, two completely different or even contrasting shades might be fun!

Refined contouring

Forget the pronounced contour you often see on social media – a soft contour, which is much closer to the original make-up artists’ techniques, is more natural and hard to detect. Far from being easily missed, a contour that actually looks like shadows on your face is elegant and lends its wearer a certain je ne sais quoi.

Start by picking the right contour shade. It should be deeper than your natural skin tone, but unlike a bronze that’s warm, a contour shade should have cool undertones. Look at your face in the mirror from all angles and take note of where your bone structure casts shadows.

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Usually that’s at the head of the brows close to the bridge of the nose, under the cheekbones, and beneath the lower lip.

Apply your contour shade with a light hand and blend well. You can always build up if you need to.

Add a touch of the same product as an eyeshadow in the crease of the eyelids and darken the outer corners for definition.

Highlight is optional for this timeless look, but a pop of colour to the lips, in a neutral or bright shade, is a good way to inject your own personality.