Does Your Skin Need a Change-Up?

Goodbye summer—hello cool, dry air...and a new game plan for amazing skin. Here’s how to transition your skincare and foundation for the new season.


“When I start needing layers in my wardrobe, I take that as a cue to start adding more layers into my skincare routine too,” says Lizzy Bilisano, Chantecaille’s Director of Digital Education Content. And if your skin is in recovery mode from a buildup of sunscreen, sweat, extra oil and more summer-related skincare troubles, you don’t want to pack it with heavy skincare quite yet. A just-enough approach is the way to prep skin for crisper weather while building a foundation for foundation season. Here’s how.

Clean Up Your Act

“First thing I need is a deep detox from all that SPF and exfoliation to get rid of dead skin cells from the summer heat,” says Olivia Chantecaille. “I’m not ready to put on any foundation until I do that first.” In the weeks after Labor Day, she uses Detox Clay Mask for a deep clean, followed by Hibiscus Smoothing Mask with grapefruit and hibiscus to smooth the surface of the skin. With fewer daylight hours and weaker sunlight (UV exposure makes retinol less effective), early fall is also a good moment to reincorporate retinol to help slough off dull skin. Our Retinol Intense+ is great for all skin types—even those who might have been sensitive to other retinol formulas, because the retinol is micro-encapsulated and gentle.

Ease Into Richer Textures

You don’t want to reach right for the heaviest moisturizer. “Back to my wardrobe analogy, you don’t put on a winter coat come fall—you ease into it with sweaters, then jackets, until you need that super heavy coat in winter,” Lizzy says. Rose de Mai Cream "is a great transition moisturizer because It’s nourishing yet lightweight in texture." Olivia likes to incorporate restorative serums into her routine to hydrate and plump without weighing it down. She layers Blue Light Protection Hyaluronic Serum (to prep for digital screen time) with Radiance Elixir for its skin-awakening effects and instant glow, then turns to Bio Lifting Serum+ at night for its deep penetration and restorative line-fighting powers.

Hydrate Throughout the Day

Less humidity and heaters coming back on further dehydrates skin, Lizzy says. “I recommend everyone keep a bottle of Pure Rosewater everywhere they might need it so they can refresh and hydrate their skin no matter where they are. I personally keep a full size in my bathroom, a travel size in my bag, and another travel size by my desk. I can’t live without it when the seasons change."

"Our skin always needs a little more love when the seasons change."

Troubleshoot Where You Need It

To help target sunspots, Blanc Gardenia Brightening Essence contains garden cress and chinese cabbage root to help erase visible pigmentation. Lizzy’s post-summer woe is oil build-up around her nose and mouth; she uses Detox Clay Mask on those areas to rebalance, then applies Gold Recovery Mask on her cheeks and forehead to help soothe redness and firm—“plus it gives my skin a beautiful glow,” she says.

Maximize Your Mask at Night

Lock in moisture and nourish your skin at night with a mask like Bio Lifting Mask or Gold Recovery Mask to help firm, lift and re-energize summer-whipped skin. "Our skin always needs a little more love when the seasons change, so I always like to say you should maximize the benefits of your mask and ‘treat while you sleep’ to wake up with plump, hydrated skin," Lizzy says. "Both these masks are heavenly to sleep in."

Switch Up Your Foundation

Tiptoe, don’t leap. After a summer of barely-there coverage, Olivia starts with Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer, a tinted moisturizer loaded with skin-soothing botanicals; then, if her skin is uneven, she’ll dab on Future Skin. “It’s oil free and 60 percent water—hydrating and gentle for sensitive skin—and can be worked in a very sheer way or built up for more coverage,” she says. “It’s an ideal transition foundation.” Lizzy, meanwhile, wears Real Skin+ on spots as needed all summer, but in the  fall she goes back to applying Future Skin all over. “I welcome the even finish it gives my skin,” she says, “’plus the aloe, chamomile, and arnica infused into the formula help my sensitive skin transition into windier months by toning down any visible irritation.” She adds a drop of Radiance Elixir into her foundation “for an extra radiant look.”

After all this smart skincare, Olivia says, "your skin might look so amazing you might not even need foundation—yet. Wouldn’t that be the best possible result?"

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