Fall Beauty Routines Around the World
Find out how women all over the world adjust their beauty routines for fall.
Here in Canada, we often associate fall with stunning colours as the leaves turn; pumpkin-flavoured everything and, the return of layers (and more layers) as temperatures begin to drop. For us Canadians this can mean anything from frosty gusts of wind to freezing rain to bright and sunny days spent outside. This translates into a somewhat erratic beauty regimen, as skin can be dry one day; then in need of serious SPF the next. Combine that with our need to repair after the damage of the summer months (we all love the sun) and autumn becomes the time to get into a healthy beauty routine.
Here in Canada we understand our seasons, but what happens when your fall is just as hot as summer, like in Egypt, or when it’s dry, cool and dusty, like in Uganda? Read on to learn how women around the world adjust their beauty routines for autumn.
Laura Pearson-Smith
Beauty & Style Blogger at A Life With Frills
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
My fall beauty routine and makeup looks are definitely very different from the ones I go for in the summer. I never fake tan, but in the summer, I really pack on the bronzer; I like to go for lots of gold sun-kissed highlighter and shimmery lip glosses. For this look, I love Elizabeth Arden’s Prismatic Lip Glosses paired with gold eyeshadow. I really go for bright pops of colour on my eyes, too — I love Nyx’s Vivid Brights Eyeliner ($10, nyxcosmetics.ca).
In the fall and in winter, I really embrace my extremely pale skin. I draw more attention to my lighter complexion by wearing darker toned lipsticks and smoky eye makeup, like Eyeko’s Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner ($22, eyeko.com), and gunmetal shadows such as Sephora Collection’s Colourful Eyeshadow in “Queen For a Day” ($13, sephora.ca). In Scotland, we get a lot of rain and very dull weather in the fall, so these tones suit perfectly. Lip wise, I go for a lot of matte berry-toned lipsticks — Urban Decay’s Mega Matte Vice Lipstick in “Hex”($21, sephora.ca) is a particular love of mine.
Where skincare is concerned, I have very dry and dehydrated skin. In the fall, I start to use thicker, more luxuriously textured cream moisturizers. This help my skin deal with the bad weather we get here, and I love using L’Occitane’s Immortelle Precious Cream ($65, ca.loccitane.com).
Soraya Abdalla, Travel Writer at Suzee Out of the City
Cairo, Egypt
I live in Cairo; we don’t have a fall season here — it’s just summer ten months of the year, and then a few cold weeks. Since I have sensitive combination skin, my beauty routine consists of washing my face with Moroccan rose water, which I bought from a market in Marrakesh, as well as washing with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser ($26, kiehls.ca) twice a week (or after a night out). I moisturize twice (or sometimes even three times) a day with Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream ($34, kiehls.ca). When it gets cold and my skin feels like it’s peeling off, I’ll add a drop or two of pure argan oil, bought from a wholesale trader in Fez, Morocco, into the Kiehl’s cream; it works like magic. I also love Wild Ferns’ Bee Venom Mask ($32, amazon.ca), which I use maybe once or twice a week depending on how flaky or dry my skin is. If my skin is breaking out or reacting to the 40 degree-plus heat, I’ll use The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil range (thebodyshop.ca).
I keep this routine throughout the year, and add more moisturizer and argan oil according to how cold it gets. As for makeup, Cairo heat makes everything melt, so I stick to M.A.C. Select MoistureCover in “NC30” ($24, maccosmetics.ca) as a concealer, skip foundation, and use Benefit’s Highbeam ($34, sephora.ca) on my cheeks and brows to look alive. Brows get the Revlon Brow Fantasy ($10, well.ca) treatment, and I love layering on Benefit They’re Real Mascara ($31, benefitcosmetics.com). If it’s cold enough, I’ll go for a dark lipstick like M.A.C.’s in “Rebel” ($21, maccosmetics.ca) with its matching lipliner. Since that’s rarely the case here in Cairo, I usually end up sticking to an easy nude lipstick like Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in “Boy” ($50, nordstrom.ca), which I love because it glides on easily like a lip balm and you can apply when you’re on the move without worrying about making a mess.
Clare Oparo, Corporate Events Manager and Beauty Blogger at Wolf + Moroko
Kampala, Uganda
While the Western Hemisphere is in summer, we are experiencing winter in Africa. The months of June, July and August are cold, windy and rainy — a welcome relief from the heat of March and April. This cool weather carries into the months of October and November, so moisturizing and hydration are top skincare priorities for me during these months, especially because I have normal to dry skin. This means plenty of rich creamy, moisturizers, masks and serums!
My favourite discovery this year has been South African brand Nyla’s Naturals Marula Oil. I slather it on every night before bed and add a drop or two to my daytime moisturizer. It smells like oranges, absorbs like a dream and the key ingredient, marula oil, has been used for generations to keep the skin of Southern African women soft and supple. No surprise there, since it has a high concentration of oleic acids that really moisturize dry skin.
During the colder months, I rely on three serums that have become staples in my beauty wardrobe. The African Extracts Rooibos Triple Action Serum is brightening, moisturizing and comes in a gorgeous crimson packaging. When I want even more antioxidant goodness, I reach for DermaFix’s Vitamin C or Optiphi Intense Retinol Infinity Serum.
I’m quickly becoming a mask junkie, thanks to K-beauty and Asian beauty on Reddit. A few of my cold weather favourites are Whamisa Organic Flowers and Aloe Vera Fermented Hydrogel Masks ($8, glowrecipe.com), Banila Co. Miss Flower and Mr. Honey Masks ($38, yesstyle.ca), Freeset Donkey Milk Aqua Gel ($23, amazon.ca), and nearly all the My Beauty Diary masks ($27, amazon.ca). There’s nothing like a mask to leave your skin feeling plump and hydrated!
When it comes to makeup, I tend to wear only lipstick and mascara during the cooler months. Whenever I go to Nairobi, I stock up on Flori Roberts and Suzie Beauty lipsticks; they have all the lipsticks a lippie lover would ever want. My favourite Suzie Beauty shades are Zamba, Desert Rose, Cocoanut and Asali.
I’m not picky when it comes to mascara, partly because I have long curly lashes (thanks to genetics). Also, since mascara expires so quickly, I don’t see the need to purchase the expensive ones. This means I tend to look for great quality mascara that comes at an affordable price like, the Maybelline Volum’ Express The Mega Plush Mascara ($7, ulta.com).
Michèle Krüsi, Fashion Blogger at The Fashion Fraction
Zurich, Switzerland
During the fall season, I love to play around with darker shades on my lips — always in matte, and preferably in a red wine colour, like M.A.C’s Power Driven ($21, maccosmetics.ca). When it comes to eye makeup, I like to use a touch of gold, which reminds me of the golden forests in autumn and goes perfectly with the season during the day. It also goes well with the aforementioned dark lipstick for a nighttime look. When creating that evening look, I love Zoeva’s Cocoa Blend Eyeshadow Palette ($83, amazon.ca). I love to play around with this palette in autumn – the warm tones is pure perfection for this season. When it comes to skincare, I’m very lazy; I only use Rituals’ Sensitive Skin Night Cream.
Lulu Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief of teen magazine La Revista Colección 15 Años, Art Director of La Revista del Mundo de Las Novias and Fashion and Lifestyle Blogger at The Lady Posh
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The winter in Argentina is really cold, windy and sometimes really humid. I live in Buenos Aires, where temperatures fluctuate, but we don’t get snow here like the south of Argentina. I need to pay a lot of attention to my skincare routine, and take great measures to do so. At night, I always clean my face with a baby soap that removes all my makeup, and then I wash my face with cold water, followed by a night cream. If my skin is really dry, I use a thick cream with aloe vera, but not every night; only once or twice a week. Otherwise, I use a lighter choice for every day. Before makeup, I use a tonic to enhance the shape of my face and prevent makeup from getting into my pores.
For makeup, I start with using a contour eye cream and a face cream with SPF 20; even in the winter, protection against ultraviolet radiation is very important. Next, I use a combination of Maybelline’s Dream Go Matte! and Rimmel’s Dual Action Concealer Stay Matte ($81, amazon.ca) to cover imperfections. I finish with Pupa’s Extreme Matt Powder Foundation and Anastasia Beverly Hill’s Contour Kit ($52, sephora.ca) — my favourite shade is the Medium to Tan because I love to stay bronzed in the winter, too.
My favourite eyeshadow palette to use in the fall season is Urban Decay’s Naked Smoky ($66, sephora.ca), I prep my lids with the brand’s eyeshadow primer ($29, urbandecay.ca). I also up my brow game with Anastasia Beverly Hills’ DipBrow Pomade ($23, sephora.ca). Last but certainly not the least, I finish off with L’Oréal’s Voluminous Superstar Mascara ($11, ulta.com) and a cherry-coloured Clinique lipstick ($21, thebay.com).
For my overall health, I ensure I get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. In the mornings after washing my face, I drink a glass of water after breakfast. It’s so important to drink a lot of water in both the summer and winter, because our body needs to stay hydrated.
Courtney Salviolo, Creative Talent Recruiter
Los Angeles, USA
Everywhere I turn, I see flawless, golden-toned women walking down the streets of Los Angeles. As an LA transplant coming from Santa Barbara, I am newly surrounded by a life of beauty, perfection, plastic surgery, and lots and lots of botoxed, lifted faces. If you’re like me, you want to avoid any sort of “plastic” work done to your face — yes, I am still young, but I want to keep my skin looking that way. Since living in Los Angeles, I have battled with dry lips, intoxicated skin (from the smog, of course), and the struggle to keep my skin glowing from the sun while avoiding any potential damage caused by skin cancer-causing UV rays. Here’s the beauty regimen I have developed that I follow all year-round to keep up with the beauty trends, and flawless, sparkling skin everyone wants to maintain in the gorgeous LA area.
What kind of skin do I have? I have mildly oily to dry skin. I notice many of my friends using multiple products in the mornings; I tend to steer away from that, because I like to have a quick and simple routine —I’m always on the go. I start off my morning routine with a gentle face wash, and use Cetaphil’s Gentle Skin Cleanser ($15, ulta.com). I also like to use an exfoliating wash two to three times a week to really scrub away the smog-filled air that I am engulfed in every day. The best exfoliating wash I have found is Korres Wild Rose Daily Brightening & Refining Buff Cleanser ($32, beautyboutique.ca)–my skin always feels refreshed after each time I use it.
Serum, serum, serum. I can’t begin to express how important using serum is here in Los Angeles, and how much it has benefited my skin. The best serum that I have come across for my skin type is Fresh’s Rose Deep Hydration Face Serum ($65, sephora.ca. Afterwards, I apply a moisturizer, and then a heavy-duty sun block. My favourite moisturizer is Skin Inc.’s Hydrating Shield ($56, sephora.ca), and to block out those sun rays, I use La Mer The Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Daily UV Protecting Fluid ($129, shop.nordstrom.com). I won’t use anything else at this point—it breaks the bank, but I’d rather it be the bank than my skin.
Hydrating overnight is the key to nourishment and I will never go to sleep without the following products. First, I use Simple’s Micellar Makeup Wipes ($5, walmart.com) to wipe away my eye makeup and to get off the sweat-infused makeup that has been on my face all day. They are the best wipes out there; they don’t burn my skin, nor does it feel like I’m peeling my skin off (which I’ve found many brands do). Next, I wash my face with the same Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser that I use every morning. Then I apply a brightening moisturizer; I have so many sunspots and millions of freckles, so this totally helps brighten those spots. My go-to product for this is Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Moisturizing Cream ($74, sephora.ca). Lastly, I apply an overnight mask for even more moisture, and use Skin Inc.’s Pure Deepsea Hydrating Mask ($92, sephora.ca). I literally use this every night; I won’t go to sleep without it.
Julia Scott, Programme Manager for Children’s Sports Activities
Wellington, New Zealand
Summers in New Zealand means we are outdoors a lot in the sun and heat, and also swimming mainly in the sea water. When it turns into autumn, I need to rehydrate my skin from spending summer outdoors and use Decleor’s Hydra Floral 24hr Hydrating Light Cream ($58, amazon.ca) to do so. I also like to exfoliate my skin with Decleor Life Radiance Double Radiance Scrub ($43, amazon.ca) to keep my skin radiant and healthy.
Another essential preparation for my skin with the cooler months looming is a booster. For this, I use a concentrated Decleor White C + Extreme Brightening Essence ($454, amazon.ca). This is not only an amazing product to use as a skin booster, but it also works on any pigmentation and sun damage that has occurred during summer. My Decleor Nourishing Lip Balm ($80, amazon.ca) also becomes an absolute essential, especially in the cooler months and I keep this in my handbag at all times. I can suffer from dry skin—especially on my legs—so the Decléor Système Corps ($718/pack of 6, amazon.ca) is the only product I have found that will rectify this problem. I may need to apply this twice a day at this time of year.
During fall, I tend to apply makeup that offers more coverage as I lose my healthy colour from summer. I use Quoi Cream Beige Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation, which gives me wonderful coverage without feeling heavy on my skin. The bonus with this product is it also has an SPF 15, which is needed all year round in New Zealand — especially as my job means I often spend many hours outdoors. To finish off, I cannot go past my Eye of Horus Dual Brow Perfect ($28, eyeofhoruscosmetics.com) for my eyebrows. It adds definition and colour to the brows, and also sculpts the brows to give me a quick polished look with the help of the serum I use.
