Age-old tradition states that it’s a fashion faux pas to wear white after Labor Day. The ritual stems from Americans historically setting aside their lighter summer clothes in favor of deeper hues at the start of September. Equally important in aesthetic, but perhaps more consequential to your health, is another post-summer ritual: transitioning your skin care routine toward the cooler fall weather. While Binghamton will probably stay balmy for another few weeks, consider these products selected by Arts & Culture to stay feeling fresh as the semester progresses.
Cleanser: Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Cleanser and Makeup Remover — One of the harshest self-inflections to your skin can be continuing to use aggressive makeup removers and cleansers into the fall and winter months. While the products serve your skin well in the summer because you’re naturally producing more oils in the heat, these kinds of products can hurt your skin as these natural effects subside as the weather cools down. A micellar water, like this one from Garnier, is cost-friendly and can take the makeup removal step out of your routine, all while being a much gentler cleansing process.
Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water can be purchased for $6.99 at target.com.
Exfoliant: St. Ives Acne Control Apricot Scrub — Exfoliants like St. Ives’ Apricot Scrub are considered “controversial” by in-the-know beauty experts due to a lawsuit the company faced in 2016. The plaintiffs in the case alleged that the scrub was detrimental to users’ skin, causing micro-tears and hurting their moisture barrier. However, Arts & Culture maintains that these kinds of products are crucial in moderation. The first casualty of the colder seasons in the Binghamton area is feeling moisturized — as little time as you may spend outside walking to classes or trekking to the University Union from Parking Lot M, it’s impossible to avoid the wind chafing what small area of skin you may have exposed. Hence, St. Ives Apricot Scrub is a good bet to keep you feeling fresh this fall, bringing a deep exfoliant to keep dry skin at bay. While the concerns about this product aren’t unfounded, an exfoliant should only be used once or twice a week to avoid aggravating your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. Additionally, the brand did away with microbeads in its exfoliants in 2014 and transitioned to natural products like apricot-pit kernels for a more environmentally friendly scrub.
St. Ives Apricot Scrub can be purchased for $2.77 at target.com.
Moisturizer: Weleda Skin Food — Skin Food can be a year-round moisturizer — but only if you’re OK with looking like you’re coated in a subtle sheen in the summer. For fall and winter, though, it’s perfect for both day and night moisturizing, and brings a protective barrier between your face and the wind tunnels on campus each time you wear it. Although the moisturizer is on the heavier side and does take longer to absorb than other, lighter products, it can be mixed with powder highlighters and blushes to add a creamier kick to your makeup routine. If you’re able to bring yourself to put on a heavier makeup look as the semester progresses, this moisturizer also doubles as a primer, smoothing over pores and creating a clean canvas for your fall makeup look.
Weleda Skin Food can be purchased for $9.99 at amazon.com.
Face Oil: Deciem Rose Hip Seed Oil — If you’re looking for a light addition to your skin care routine, consider a rose hip seed oil. This version from Deciem aids dark-spot removal and collagen formation because of its high concentrations of vitamin C and A, respectively. More importantly, though, it brings extra coverage from dry skin that you might not be getting from just your moisturizer. If you’re adding this product to your routine, using it as a nighttime oil allows your skin to have enough time to fully absorb the product, leaving you glowing by the time you wake up.
Deciem Rose Hip Seed Oil can be purchased for $9.80 at deciem.com.