WHETHER you’re a skincare newbie or a grooming veteran, getting into the most basic skincare routine comes down to this – your morning products are all about protecting the skin against the damage it will face during the day, while your night-time routine gives you the chance to nourish, restore and regenerate your skin overnight. Each season, our skin faces unique challenges which require us to adjust our routines accordingly.
After a heady, humid summer, the time comes when we need to change our light formulas for more hard-working products. Especially if you’ve spent the last few months basking in the sun (naughty you!) now is the time to turn up the volume when it comes to repairing that ever-important skin barrier. Incorporating the products below can ensure that not only do you give your skin the fighting chance it needs to face the following day but that you take full advantage of the night-time regeneration process our body naturally undertakes. So, slather it on and hit the sheets – you’ll thank me in the morning.
Dr Barbara Sturm Face Cream & Night Serum
£135 for 50ml & £245 for 30ml, both at Cult Beauty
A favourite amongst celebrities, Dr Barbara Sturm’s eponymous line hailing from Germany utilises a no-nonsense approach to skincare. Her Night Serum and Face Cream undoubtedly make for a stellar overnight double threat. Launched this year, the Night Serum takes her anti-inflammatory approach to skincare one step further by regenerating with ingredients like cotton thistle extract, senna alata extract and purslane. Finish with a generous layer of Face Cream to lock in hydration.
La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – when it comes to luxury skincare, La Prairie is the ultimate brand, bringing technology and innovation together to justify the high price tag. Their Skin Caviar Luxe Sleeping Mask is no exception. The beautifully crafted jar is just the start for this product, which has a faint scent of rose upon application. It feels soothing and restorative, gliding silkily onto the skin but leaving no tacky residue behind. It’s the ultimate indulgence but boy,
is it worth it.
Zelens Stem Complex Rejuvenating Overnight Treatment
Sometimes I test a product, look at the price tag and let out a groan. I know I’ll never really find anything cheaper to replace it with. Zelens Stem Complex Rejuvenating Overnight Treatment is the epitome of that problem. The gel-like texture glides on like a dream, leaving a slight film on the skin that pleasingly lasts till morning when it’s washed off. It restores hydration, smoothes lines, evens redness and generally imparts a glow I didn’t know was possible to get from a jar.
COSRX Nourishing Rice Spa Overnight Mask
Korean beauty brand COSRX was a true revelation for me, not to mention my first step into the wonderful world of K- beauty. Producing excellent products at accessible price points, their Ultimate Nourishing Rice Spa Overnight Mask is a particular favourite. The creamy, gentle formula, infused with 68 per cent rice extract, is not only hydrating but super soothing on the skin. The key is in its simplicity – I like to slather it on over my retinol at night, comfortable in the knowledge that it won’t ever react adversely with the products that preceded it.
Lixirskin Night Switch Essential Lipids
Lixirskin’s Night Switch range is a super smart idea for those of us who prefer not to litter our bathroom cupboards with a million and one products. Simply add a few drops of your preferred Night Switch to your base moisturiser, mix in your hand and apply. The Essential Lipids is a fabulous little glass bottle of super nourishing skin-elixir. When mixed with a moisturiser base it turns even the simplest cream into a heavy-duty overnight mask, intent on repairing and healing the skin’s barrier. As easy to use as it looks, it’ll save your precious cupboard space as well as your skin.
Allies of Skin 1A Retinal + Peptides Overnight Mask
I’m a big fan of retinoids in general, but sometimes my usual retinol just doesn’t quite cut the mustard. After a disastrous experience using tretinoin, I’ve settled on retinal rather than retinol products as being my potent sweet spot (retinals are more potent than retinol and do not cause any skin-peeling side effects) – the 1A Retinal + Peptides Overnight Mask being the ideal solution for when my skin needs an extra kick. It gets to work clearing my skin in that magical way retinoids are famed for, with the bonus of being super user- friendly and gentle on the skin.
Jane Scrivner Circadian VitC
Whilst this product requires a little bit of work, the benefits are worth the effort. Massaging a pump or two of this unique product into the skin is a strange experience. After a minute or so the formula turns super sticky, and you almost have to drag the tacky substance across your skin to get it to soak in, but that’s all part of its formulation. The “sticky” stage is actually the encapsulated vitamins being released, so work through it to ensure that you reap the full benefits of the slow-release formulation which provides a steady flow of vitamin-infused goodness to the skin as you sleep.
Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Facial
Probably the most unique in texture of the options listed here, Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis Overnight Facial is essentially a heavy oil. If that sounds off-putting to you, you wouldn’t be alone. However, when it comes to repairing a damaged skin barrier this product is actually a bit of a dream. I’ve started whittling down my skincare routine, and this is one of those products you can apply generously after cleansing and drying the skin, then hit the pillow straight after. Super easy to use and guaranteed to give you a glow the following morning, I like to use it as a special treat for my skin once a week or so.
The Inkey List Ceramide Night Treatment
The Inkey List is one of those brands inspired by the Deciem-esque wave of industry disruptors providing consumers with genuinely effective, no-BS skincare at super affordable prices. Their Ceramide Night Treatment is the perfect example of this ethos. Packed with a 3 per cent blend of ceramides and a 2.5 per cent hyaluronic acid complex, it’s a skin-barrier-saving miracle in a bottle. I like to forgo most other products in my routine when I apply this as I feel it works best on its own, however applying it over a nourishing serum would also be highly effective.
Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
Although I’d heard a lot about this cream, I was still surprised by the texture upon my first application. Smoothing in the way silicone heavy products tend to be, the cream has an almost dry feel with a thick, creamy consistency. Once applied it feels instantly soothing and restorative, sinking into the skin to repair and replenish dry, impaired barriers with ease. It works equally as well for me over a simple serum as it does over my oil-based retinoid, and unlike most silicone-feeling products I have no problem with it pilling or balling up. When I’ve overdone exfoliation, I reach for this to calm everything back down again.
by Thomas Marrington
A version of this feature originally appeared in the Autumn 2020 issue of Glass Man Magazine