My Morning Skincare Routine for Dry Skin in Winter

I filmed this morning routine in our hotel bathroom. Here is what I used that morning, the alternatives I brought along, and a few favourites that make getting ready more enjoyable.

At a glance

• Face: Pixi Antioxidant Tonic and rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid.
• Eyes: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Eye Patches, worn while I styled my hair.
• SPF: Round Lab Camellia Deep Collagen Firming Sun Serum, before makeup.
• Small favourites: Gisou Honey Milk 5-in-1 Styling Cream and Huxley Moroccan Gardener Hand Cream.

Watch the full routine

The morning routine from this article, filmed in our hotel bathroom.

Winter skincare for dry skin: my face routine

For my face, I used Pixi Antioxidant Tonic, followed by rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid.

I had also brought rhode Glazing Milk and rhode Barrier Restore Cream as alternatives for those same steps. I rotated some products during the trip, and filming gave me a chance to include favourites I hadn’t yet shown in a YouTube routine.

Eye patches while I style my hair

I put on Summer Fridays Jet Lag Eye Patches and kept them on while I styled my hair. Round Lab Birch Moisturizing Eye Balm was another eye-care option I’d brought, but the patches were what I used that morning.

I applied Gisou Honey Milk 5-in-1 Styling Cream while my hair was still damp, as part of my heat-protection routine. After drying, my hair feels light, loose and hydrated, with less frizz, and the cream doesn’t weigh it down. I always use heat protection when styling, and I’ve been using a Dyson Airwrap for around five years instead of straighteners and curling irons. I’m much happier with the condition of my hair since changing those habits.

I also rotate two shampoos. La’dor Root Re-Boot Activating Shampoo felt more cleansing to me, so I choose it when I want that especially clean feeling. Gisou Honey Gloss Ceramide Therapy Hydrating Shampoo felt more nourishing, and I use it when I want more moisture.

SPF under makeup: my light sun serum

After styling my hair, I removed the eye patches and applied Round Lab Camellia Deep Collagen Firming Sun Serum.

It’s the SPF I reach for because it feels light and works well under my makeup. I don’t find that it pills, and it leaves no white cast on my skin. It absorbs quickly, leaving a healthy-looking sheen. To me, it feels like another layer of skincare as well as my sunscreen.

Product facts

Round Lab Sun Serum, at a glance

What it isRound Lab Camellia Deep Collagen Firming Sun Serum

Feels likeLight, absorbs quickly, leaves a healthy-looking sheen

Under makeupDoesn’t pill, no white cast

When I use itLast step of my morning skincare, before makeup

A small favourite

Hand cream without the greasy feeling.

My hands get very dry because of eczema, and a greasy finish often puts me off using hand cream. Huxley Moroccan Gardener Hand Cream feels moisturising on my skin without leaving that oily feeling, and I love its distinctive scent. Huxley is scented, though. If your skin is eczema-prone, it is worth asking a dermatologist, who may recommend fragrance-free creams or ointments.

Travel usually means taking fewer products.

Travel skincare: what to pack when space is limited

If luggage space were unlimited, I’d happily bring all my bottles for the ten-step routines I love. Travel usually means taking fewer products. For a smaller bag, choose the option you enjoy most at each stage rather than treating every pair in the video as two products to bring: This routine is from our December trip to Bad Gastein, and I keep my winter skin routine in my barrier repair playbook.

• one toner or tonic;
• one fluid or serum;
• one cream;
• eye patches or an eye balm;
• one SPF you like wearing under makeup.