Autumn brings many joys as it dons a sensible jacket and trundles in — umber leaves that crunch underfoot, jumpers of every imaginable description, and terrible and enormous pumpkin-themed American coffees that taste nothing at all like pumpkin. It is the real new year, for beauty lovers at least, as we see our summer make-up and skincare become suddenly redundant in transforming light and temperatures. The demands placed upon a sheer summer foundation in the lower, cooler glare of autumn prove too much, and when the heating goes on for the first time, skin always seems to react as though it is suddenly under existential threat. Like our wardrobes, our skincare must compensate by becoming a little more robust and soothing.
The body often cries out for moisture first, so incorporating a good moisturiser will help prevent itchy, scaly legs, as will continuing body care through the winter, even though we can hide dry limbs snugly cocooned in tights and trousers. Body care brand Sanctuary Spa has had something of a makeover, and has sashayed glamorously on to shelves just in time for autumn. Ruby Oud Natural Oils Melting Pearl Body Butter (€15 at Boots) is for fragrance lovers as well as those who appreciate a rich, winter-appropriate body cream.
I always veer toward a little more coverage when autumn sets in. Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer (€30 at Brown Thomas) is as reliably great as I’ve come to expect from Tilbury’s products. It offers glow, excellent coverage and lasting power, along with a creamy texture that flatters autumnal skin rather than migrating in fluctuating temperatures. I like it best when applied with a damp sponge, though a brush or fingers work too.
With the drop in natural light that autumn inevitably brings, it can become harder to knock a bit of light reflection and radiance into your make-up. e.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Liquid Filter (€15 at Boots) has gone viral for a reason. This product is similar to a much more expensive, bestselling skin filter for under make-up. While deliberate product dupes are not the most ethical way for brands to profit, and usually turn out not to be the affordable twins of expensive bestsellers that they present themselves to be, this product does do a similar job to the one it mimics.
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The best possible way to signal and mark seasonal change in beauty terms is a fragrance switch. Suddenly the warm, jammy fig scent that I’ve been wearing all summer just feels inappropriate and slightly obscene, like wearing denim cut-offs and espadrilles to a wedding. If you’re intimidated by the idea of changing your go-to scent, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. The classic Jo Malone London English Pear and Freesia (from €62 at Brown Thomas) has been released in a special edition fluted bottle, and remains the smart girl’s transitional fragrance. The freesia keeps something of summer lightness as we move into autumn, but the tart, juicy and crisp pear wrapped in amber and warm woods beckons to the cooler weather.
Product of the Week
Trilogy Botanical Body Wash (€21 from pharmacies nationwide)
