Winter is the season for richer skincare products that will repair, replenish and rejuvenate dry and aggravated skin – think of it as comfort food for your face.
Despite what our compadres overseas may think, Australia is a country for all seasons. And my personal barometer says we most definitely do have a winter, with frozen toes and soup cravings indicating the bottom has dropped out of the mercury.
The further evidence lays in my skin, subject to the parching effects of dry wind and indoor heating that nix even the best efforts to put my best face forward. Winter demands a special skincare regimen to combat the cool.
Repair
Barrier is the word of the season. In healthy skin the top layer (epidermis) has a seal around the cells to trap moisture, known as a barrier function. Dryness, cold and 
sensitising products wreak havoc on this natural function, so you need products to bolster your skin’s defences. Using or adding a richer cream or oil into your routine will help to nourish and nurture your skin back to health.
Our picks:
1. Medik8 Hydr8 Night, $129. This rich yet fast-absorbing restorative night moisturiser contains superior anti-ageing actives including resveratrol for cell longevity and renewal.
2. SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2, $183. Refills cellular lipids to help support natural skin repair and nourishment. This anti-ageing treatment helps restore fullness, resurface texture and promote radiance.
3. Obagi Hydrate Luxe Moisture-Rich Cream, $79.95. Specifically formulated for overnight moisturisation, this intensely hydrating cream is rich in peptides to promote skin renewal and improve skin firmness and fine lines.
4. asap Soothing Gel, $49. From the first application, skin is less red, skin temperature and inflammation is reduced, and skin becomes stronger and more resilient to further sensitivity.
5. Germaine de Capuccini Royal Jelly Pro-Resilience Royal Cream, $85. A comfort cream for dry and very dry skin, this rescue remedy for compromised skin helps to repair damage to the barrier function.
6. Skinstitut Repair Balm, $45. This intense recovery balm works like a charm on dry, cracked and extremely sensitive skin.
7. Synergie Skin Vitamin B Serum, $110. An essential serum to rejuvenate and strengthen skin while providing hydration and fading pigmentation.
8. DNA Renewal Restoring Mask, $89. Scientifically proven ingredients to immediately renew dull lacklustre skin. DNA Repair Enzymes deeply penetrate the skin to boost cellular renewal.
9. Sisley Paris Restorative Facial Cream, $210. Dubbed the “emergency skin cream”, it calms, revitalises and brings immediate comfort to the skin. Is touted to increase skin hydration by 58% just 90 minutes after application and by 77% after three weeks’ use.
10. L’occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Comforting Cream (50ml), $56. With a 25% concentration of shea butter, this comforting cream restores moisture to dry skin.
11. L’occitane Shea Butter Cleansing Oil, $31. This cleansing oil lifts impurities and removes makeup (including waterproof), in a silky texture that contains five percent shea oil to nourish and hydrate skin.
12. Napoleon Perdis Anti-Pollution Refining Skin-Fusion Milk Toning Essence, $49. Offers protection from environmental aggressors and promotes radiance while refining and toning the skin.
Replenish
Winter can wreak havoc on your skin’s pH balance so don’t assume the products that 
maintained the status quo over the humid summer will cut the mustard in winter.
Whether your skin is sensitive, dry, oily, blemish-prone or combination, re-evaluate what you’re working with. Regular exfoliation, balancing and purifying masks and hydrating moisturisers are essential.
Get religious with your eye cream at night and lip balm during the day, and up the ante with daily body hydration. It’s all about putting back what your skin’s giving out, so replenish supplies!
Our picks:
13. asap Super B Complex, $95. Combines the highest percentage of niacinamide on the market plus cross-linked hyaluronic acid to rehydrate skin.
14. Scout Cosmetics Nourish & Hydrate Moisture Defence Crème, $45. An ultra-nourishing moisturiser that harnesses the natural power of white tea and pomegranate to help stimulate collagen production.
15. Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Mask, $80. Using a combination of precious oils and natural clay, this creamy mask moisturises and de-stresses skin.
16. endota spa Intense Moisture Mask, $40. Hydrating face treatment that works to prevent the signs of ageing and replenish moisture loss. Leave on overnight for a more intensive treatment.
17. Thalgo Source Marine Ultra Hydra-Marine Mask, $79. Infused with hyaluronic acid, this mask smooths, hydrates and plumps skin in five minutes.
18. SK-II R.N.A Power Radical New Age Essence, $180. Improves skin texture, radiance, firmness and resilience. A healthy dose of moisture that leaves skin silky soft and hydrated.
19. Thalgo Cold Cream Marine Nutri-Soothing Cream, $64. Replenishes, soothes and repairs dry and sensitive skin for guaranteed comfort for up to 24 hours.
20. June Jacobs Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque, $96. Clarifying masque containing the highly effective papaya natural fruit enzyme, papain. Removes impurities and improves tone and elasticity of the skin.
21. Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Overnight Lip Balm, $29. With beeswax and Vitamin E, this powerhouse balm protects and moisturises dry lips while you sleep.
22. Ella Baché Intensive Extreme Regeneration Mask, $78. Hydrate, plump, smooth, soften and protect the skin with this antioxidant-infused mask that gives the appearance of an instant lift.
23. Trilogy Rosapene Night Cream, $46.95. Works overnight with the skin’s own natural processes of regeneration so you can wake up with a brighter, fresher complexion.
24. Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+, $35.95. Combines the benefits of Trilogy’s award-winning Certified Organic Rosehip Oil with red berry super antioxidants to deliver intensive nourishment to skin.
25. Bioeffect Daytime Rich for Dry Skin, $95. Enriched with cellular activators to boost cell renewal for a smoother and more fortified complexion.
Rejuvenate
Winter is the season for richer beauty products that will protect, calm and soothe skin as well as protect against the elements – think of it as comfort food for your face.
Blood and lymph fluid naturally nourish your skin but in cooler weather blood flows less freely, so give your skin extra protection and nourishment to repair skin cells and combat ageing effects.
Don’t drop sun protection from your routine and carry a luxurious hand cream in your handbag. Use regenerating day moisturisers and night creams, massaging the skin in a light circular motion to improve circulation and keep the skin’s outer layer active and healthy.
Our picks:
26. Skinstitut Rejuvenate 15 Serum, $45. This corrective treatment assists with skin regeneration and renewal and is infused with copper, minerals, peptides and antioxidants for skin support.
27. Paula’s Choice Resist C15 Super Booster, $60. With 15% stabilised Vitamin C as well as Vitamin E, ferulic acid and peptides, it helps to reverse the visible signs of ageing and stimulate collagen production.
28. L’unico Laboratory High Potency 30% Vitamin C Serum, $100. This serum, containing an impressive 30% Vitamin C potency, has superior absorption and skin penetration to enhance collagen and elastin synthesis (both necessary to restore loss of hydration and density) and encourage antioxidant activity.
29. Obagi Professional-C Serum 20%, $99.95. This concentrated Vitamin C serum uses stabilised L-ascorbic acid that immediately absorbs into skin to retain moisture, help minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and to lighten and brighten the skin.
30. PCA Skin C-Quench Antioxidant Serum, $110. An exceptional Vitamin C serum, this hydrates, brightens and nourishes the skin, as well as binding water to the skin for all-day comfort.
31. SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, $214. Best-seller CE Ferulic has won multiple awards and has an A-List following. Contains 15% pure L-ascorbic acid, 1% alpha tocopherol and ferulic acid, a plant-based antioxidant.
32. mesoestetic Stem Cell Active Growth Factor, $140. A revolutionary cosmetic treatment designed to help protect existing skin cells by stimulating the skin’s natural self-repair processes.
33. Aspect Retinol Brulee, $129. Smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles, pigmented, dull and deflated skin with this unique, stable formula of Vitamin A.
34. Scout Cosmetics Cell Renewal Peptide Serum, $50. Select anti-ageing and antioxidant ingredients designed to renew your skin and leave it feeling fresher, more hydrated and revived.
Skin SOS
1. Avoid hot baths and long showers. They strip essential oils and moisture from your skin.
2. Avoid products with strong fragrance, colour, astringents or high alcohol content which 
can irritate your skin.
3. Don’t forget to exfoliate! Skin renews itself more effectively when it’s free of dead cells.
4. Apply a moisturiser straight after a shower when your skin is still slightly damp. This traps the water in the upper layers and reduces dryness and itching.
5. Drink eight glasses of water a day and eat lots of omega 3-rich fish containing fatty acids, which contribute to a healthy heart and brain and moist skin.
