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It is in winter that I notice the changes my skin has gone through with age the most. Up until three years ago it was mostly oily and acne prone, meaning that in winter it actually felt quite good – the sebum protected me against the cold and with a little extra hydration in my skincare routine I’d easily get through winter.

Well, that has changed now. My skin is still acne-prone, I don’t think I will get rid of that feature anytime soon, but it is much less oily now. My routine had to be adapted to that and today I wanted to share what I am using during winter and why – my morning and evening skincare routine alongside a mention of the devices I use now that the cold is upon us.
What I focus on
Just for reference, I live in Southern Germany, so cold means windy and around zero degree – this routine would probably not cut it if I lived in Jakutsk.
The main focus I have during these months is to protect my skin barrier from environmental stressors and the prescription Tretinoin I am using, and I do that by trying to replenish hydration and seal that in through richer textures than I would use in summer.
The secondary focus is of course managing my acne and preventing premature aging, but the focus on treating hyperpigmentation for example, which I was mainly concernced about during fall, is taking a back seat now – keeping my skin happy is more important at the moment. (More info: My skincare routine to fight hyperpigmentation for fall 2024)

Morning skincare routine
The biggest change compared to my previous routine is probably that I switched my ZIIP from morning to night time use – both because it is so much harder for me to get out of bed now that it is pitch-black outside and because I don’t want to cleanse my face in the mornings. If needed I freshen up with some water, but no dedicated cleanser in winter for me.
Instead I directly start with a hydrating toner, The Ordinary Saccharomyces 30% Ferment Filtrate (100 ml for 16,80 €, full review here), followed up by my Vitamin C, the Geek and Gorgeous C-Glow Serum (30 ml for 12,50 €, full review here). Two nights a week I don’t use The Ordinary, but instead the Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant (118 ml for 36 €, full review here) to combat congestion – it is the only form of exfoliation I do over winter, but can’t skip it completely unless I want to risk breakouts. (More info: The benefits of acids in skincare explained)
After that had some time to sink in, I follow up with a second serum, this time a hydrating one: the Timeless Matrixyl Synthe’6 Serum (30 ml for 20 €, full review here) – the added peptides obviously won’t hurt, but it is the hydration I am mainly after. For eye cream The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream (15 ml for 11 €, full review here), it is the same year round, and the the Real Barrier Intense Moisture Hyaluronic Cream (60 ml for 25 €, full review coming soon). The brand has another much thicker cream with an almsot indentical name that comes in a jar, so don’t get confused: This one hear is lightweight, but still quite hydrating.
To finish my morning routine then of course sunscreen, one of the lovely hydrating options. I currently have the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ (50 ml for 14,50 €, full review here) open.
Now if you decide to wear sunscreen in winter or to skip it is up to you and your circumstances. I am quite concerned about hyperpigmentation, which is triggered by UVA that is present year round, and I am outdoors pretty much every day because I cycle to the office or go on one of these mental health walks on the weekend, so for me it is a yes. I also don’t really want to think about it every morning and decide new, so I just apply it every single day and if I don’t happen to leave the house, that extra layer won’t hurt either.

Evening skincare routine
The first thing I always do is remove my makeup – there is barely a day I don’t wear some at least around the eyes, and the cleansing balm I am currently using is the Florasis Cordyceps Care Makeup Remover Cream (98 ml for46,95 €, full review here). It is really lovely, but also really pricey, so somthing I’ll gladly finish, but not repurchase.
Then is the time to use my devices. I use my LED mask almost nightly and my ZIIP around five times a week afterwards, just one of the short programs available on the app. This isn’t something specifically helpful in winter, but more of a year round thing.
If I used my ZIIP, I need to cleanse again to get the gel off, and for that I use the Murad Soothing Oat and Peptide Cleanser (200 ml for 23 €, full review here), very gentle and hydrating on the skin. I follow up with the Real Barrier Extreme Essence Toner (200 ml for 20 €, full review here) – the same brand used in the mornings, the name gives away that barrier repair is what they mainly focus on – which is quite rich and hydrating.
For even more barrier support I then use The Ordinary Soothing and Barrier Support Serum (30 ml for 19,95 €, full review here) – not everyone needs to put that much focus on their skin barrier, I am just extra careful because I know my Tretinoin makes me prone to irritation. Eye Cream is again the same I use year round, the Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Cream (15 ml for 96 €, full review here).
What happens then depends on the night: I use my Tretinoin every other night and to prepare for application I use a thick moisturizer, the Murad Daily Defense Cream (50 ml for 40 €, full review here). The rich texture means it provides a kind of barrier that buffers the Tretinoin applied on top, and with that method I am able to keep the Tretinoin up every other night without irritation.
If it isn’t a Tretinoin night, I use the NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 (30 ml for 87 €, full review here) and also use a different cream that is rich, but a little more lightweight than the Murad one: the SKIN1004 Probio-Cica Enrich Cream (50 ml for 18,90 €, full review here).
There are two extras I wanted to mention: the La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ (100 ml for 19,50 €, full review here) that I pull out whenever I feel my skin is starting to act up – that happens mainly around the mouth for me after I have been outdoors for a long time and is usually prevented when I apply a layer of this. Not cosmetically elegant, but very effective. And the Remedy for Dark Spots (30 ml for 44,95 €, full review coming soon) that I am currently testing and that goes on my chest. My chest isn’t as exposed to the cold as the face thanks to my sweaters and has quite a bit of sun damage because I used to be very careless with protection there, so I decided to keep the focus on hyperpigmentation there for now. Can’t fully comment on it yet, but the review will be up eventually.
For devices I recently started microneedling with the Qure system (3 months supply for 148 €, full review coming soon) and will talk about that is a separate blog post, but that gets done around twice a month according to manufacturers instructions, and once a month, on a weekend when I don’t microneedle, I use my CurrentBody Radiofrequency device (1 device for 364 €, full review here). I am in the upkeep phase, so once a month is enough, but if you start to do it it is recommended more frequently. Both are a weekend evening thing for me as they leave my face quite red, and both are exclusively done on nights when I don’t use Tretinoin.

Shop my morning routine here
Shop my evening routine here
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