With all the travel plans, out-of-town visitors and seasonal holidays, there are a lot of (welcome) breaks in routine this time of the year. But if there’s one routine you shouldn’t break, it’s your skincare regimen. Make sure you follow the three steps to clean, nourished and protected skin as you brave (both literal and figurative) storms.

Follow our simple guide to ensure you celebrate the holidays with glowing skin.

Step 1: Cleanse Away the Dulling Debris

You might be indoors more often—which technically means decreased exposure to the outdoor pollutants in the air and probably less sweating—but your skin is still ravaged with pore-clogging particulates all day long, whether it’s the layers of makeup, naturally produced sebum or dust in the air. Make sure you thoroughly cleanse your face every night to sweep the grime off your face and purify pores. A cleansed face isn’t just good to protect from breakouts, but it helps your complexion look youthful too. 

Winter Skin Tip: Although cleansing is paramount, don’t overdo it. Be extra cautious of your skin’s sensitivity due to harsher winds and drop in mercury. Choose from our variety of cleansers that help balance skin’s pH and harness gentle surfactants to dissolve impurities. For the chilly season we recommend ORMEDIC balancing facial cleanser or the MAX stem cell facial cleanser.

Step 2: Age Later With a Potent Serum

Serums are the “strongest” skin care you can use, as it contains the highest concentration of active ingredients that powerfully target specific skin issues, such as wrinkles, sagging, hyperpigmentation, blemishes and dryness. Always layer on a serum, morning and night, after you cleanse to feed your skin what it needs.

Winter Skin Tip: With the cooler temperatures that arrive after the summer, your skin is likely more dehydrated while peppered with dark spots or stressed from the damage caused by the extra time you’ve spent under the sun. Use a serum that hydrates while adding a shot of antioxidants, particularly the ultra-brightening vitamin C. Try our VITAL C hydrating anti-aging serum.

If your skin is especially thirsty, layer on the AGELESS total pure hyaluronic filler to drench your skin with balanced, plumping hydration.

Step 3: Protect and Repair to Prevent Future Damage

No matter what your skin type or issue is, moisturizing is essential not only to lock in the actives in the serum but also to add a nourishing boost of restorative moisture and reinforce the delicate skin barrier. During the day, you should always use a moisturizer with a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect against UV rays. In the evening, use a SPF-less reparative moisturizer that helps your skin rebuild itself as you slumber.

Winter Skin Tip: During the day, apply PREVENTION+ daily ultimate protection moisturizer SPF 50, which contains a blend of plant stem cells and antioxidants to amplify the protective potency against UV rays and free radical damage. At night, choose a cream that best suits you and slather on over your serum.

Step 4 (Optional!): Perfect and Cover

If you want to take it a step further and soften out your complexion to reveal a flawless, even-toned canvas, add a smoothing primer and foundation after your SPF moisturizer. If you don’t have a lot you want to conceal, layer on a primer without a foundation to create a gorgeous blurring effect with a natural luminosity.

Take the Skin Quiz

With the hundreds if not thousands of options out there for you and your unique skin, it can be overwhelming to find the right fit for you. Because IMAGE Skincare develops skin solutions for all skin types and issues, the perfect combination exists right here. Simply take our simple Skin Quiz and we’ll tell you exactly what you need to make sure your skin glows as easy as 1-2-3.