Prepping my skin for Autumn

Photographed at my home in Paris

When the seasons change, my skin is the first to suffer. Add to the mix lack of sleep and travelling (in the past two weeks I've visited Bordeaux, Beijing and Shanghai), and I can almost see the bags under my eyes moving south, and my skin getting dryer and duller by the minute.

Although I have been looking after and lathering my skin with cream since I was a teenager and remained faithful to my cleansing, toning and moisterising routine, I have only in recent years learnt the merits of masks, serums, eye-creams and the impact of different products on my skin during different times of the year, seasons and climates. In traditional Chinese medicine autumn is considered a season of transition between summer – a time of activity; the Yang – and winter, a time for pause and rest; the Yin. Cha Ling, a French-Chinese skincare brand (which I’ve talked about before here) harnesses the extraordinary antioxidant properties of Pu’er tea – tea grown in the Yunnan Province of Southern China, known as the country’s ‘green lung’. Offering a full skincare line that ranges from rich face cream to exfoliants and eye serum, Cha Ling has also cleverly created seasonal products, specifically masks – which if you think about it, totally makes sense! Our skin isn’t the same in winter as it was in summer. It too needs to be treated differently, just as our diet does - we swap salads for comfort food - and when it comes to our wardrobes, well it’s all change and we pack away those off-the-shoulder tops in favour of chilly breeze–busting, bulkier knits.

Their new Autumn Mask intensely nourishes the skin and prepares it for colder weather. And it even heats up on application! As someone who sleeps with a hot-water bottle in winter (and basically likes her normal state to be warm), this is a big thumbs-up from me. And they supply a brush, so you don’t get your fingers all gooey when applying the mask. Leave it on for 10 minutes and remove any excess with a cotton pad, et voila – back on track to glowing, hydrated skin. The mask left a residue on my face that I could feel working while I slept and once I washed it off in the morning my skin was left feeling very soft.

In the morning and I’ve been applying the Fluid Care, which is a light, but highly moisterising cream to my face and neck (always apply with upwards strokes – going against gravity) and the Eye Serum (dab on with your fourth finger to avoid pulling the delicate skin and pat around the eye area) before I put on my makeup. In summer I was applying their SPF 50+ Protecting Care – an example of how my skincare routine has changed for the new season.

I also find myself using more hand cream and lip balm when the temperatures drop and keep both in my day bag. I particularly love Cha Ling’s new trio of lip balms, which are enhanced with mango butter and camellia oil, adding lasting moisture that don’t end up drying my lips like others I’ve tried, which often (I don’t know why) contain alcohol – maybe to make you constantly reapply and therefore use the product quicker? I’ve been wearing the red tinted during the day when not wearing lipstick and the nude at night while I sleep.

Do you change your skincare routine depending on the time of year? And if so, what do you do differently?

(Cha Ling are also offering you a 20% discount on all their products with the code: RUERODIERxCHALING)

Created in collaboration with Cha Ling, all words and opinions my own.