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Honey Halo Moisturizer
Honey Halo Moisturizer
Original photo by Aria Mantsourani
Style > Beauty

Skincare Essentials You Need This Fall/Winter That Are Actually Worth Your Money (From a Sephora Employee)

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emmanuel chapter.

As fall gets cooler and winter approaches, it’s time we upgrade our skincare routine to accommodate our skin in these cooler months! Here are some of my favorite recommendations brought to you by a Sephora employee.

Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Ceramide Moisturizer

Price: 1.7oz – $48.00, 3.4oz – $74.00, 0.8oz – $25.00

The Farmacy Honey Halo Moisturizer has been my absolute favorite for dry skin in the cooler months. The formula contains a potent ceramide blend to help moisturize and strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier. Ceramides are my go-to ingredient in the cold months because my dry skin loves it, especially because ceramides help with flakiness and provide all day moisturization. Farmacy is a clean and planet positive brand and is also cruelty free and vegan friendly!

Honey Halo Moisturizer
Original photo by Aria Mantsourani
Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm

Price: 6.8oz – $60.00, 3.4oz, $36.00, 1.7oz – $24.00

Another one of my favorites from Farmacy! The Green Clean Cleansing Balm is a must-have in your skincare routine. I always recommend double cleansing when removing your makeup (the use of a cleansing balm then a foaming cleanser thoroughly cleans makeup residue off your skin) and The Green Clean has to be one of my top picks. Cleansing balms are ideal for dryer to normal skin types as they don’t strip the skin of all its moisture, but all skin types can certainly use cleansing balms. One of the key ingredients of the balm are  papaya enzymes that help to break down makeup and gently exfoliate pores. If you tend to be on the more sensitive side, Farmacy also makes a scentless and dye-free version of their best selling cleansing balm called Clearly Clean that works just the same as the original.

Green Clean Cleansing Balm
Original photo by Aria Mantsourani
Fenty Skin Butta Drop Refillable Whipped Oil Body Cream

Price: 6.7oz – $44.00, 6.7oz Refill – $39.00, 2.5oz – $23.00 

During the fall/winter moisturizing not only our face, but our body as well is so important! Investing in a good body butter to keep your skin feeling moisturized and luminous is key to keeping your skin feeling its best during these cooler months. The Fenty Skin Butta Drop is packed with 7 luxurious oils (kalahari melon, sorrel, baobab, sunflower, rice bran, coconut & jojoba) to really lock in moisture. The best way to use this body butter is fresh out of the shower on damp, clean skin. Fenty Skin also offers a refill for $5 cheaper, which helps reduce the amount of plastic waste!

Butta Drop Body Butter
Original photo by Aria Mantsourani
Fresh Rose & Squalane Deep Hydration Oil-Infused Serum

Price: 3.4fl oz – $62.00

This serum is the perfect hydrating serum for all skin types. It contains vegan squalane which protects the skin barrier and helps to lock in moisture. Rose is a key ingredient in this product as it helps to calm and soothe the skin. Our skin tends to get more irritated in the colder weather, so the rose will help to soothe that. Because this is a lightweight oil, those with combination to oily skin types can use this without worrying about it being too heavy on their skin (remember, oily skin needs hydration too!). This unique serum provides both hydration and moisturization to the skin to help with flakiness and tight feeling skin. Hydrating ingredients attract water to the outer layer of skin while moisturizing ingredients protect the skin barrier to prevent water from escaping. Fresh is also a brand that is very committed to sustainability and was started right here in Boston!

Rose Hydration Serum
Original photo by Aria Mantsourani
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Refillable Exfoliator

Price: 2.6oz – $65.00, 2.6oz Refill – $56.00, 0.4oz – $18.00

If you’re looking for an exfoliator that’s very gentle but effective, the Microfoliant is for you! Dermalogica’s Daily Exfoliator is a very gentle rice enzyme powder that helps to exfoliate dead skin for a brighter, more even complexion. It contains salicylic acid to help clear clogged pores and draw excess oil from the skin. It also has colloidal oatmeal which is great for soothing the skin and calming redness and irritation. This product is perfect for those who may be more sensitive to chemical exfoliants or highly abrasive formulas. This non-irritating exfoliator is safe for daily use (although I would say every other day is probably best since you don’t want to run the risk of over exfoliating) and perfect for getting rid of excess flakiness and dry skin that we might have during cooler months.

Daily Microfoliant Exfoliator
Original photo by Aria Mantsourani
Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Refillable Face Cream

Price: 3.0oz- $78.00, 1.7oz – $54.00, 1.7oz Refill – $45.00, 0.5oz – $20.00

The Skinfix Triple-Lipid Peptide moisturizer offers a rich moisturizing and hydrating formula to dry, sensitive skin. It contains hyaluronic acid,a lightweight hydrator, to attract water to the skin and shea butter, a very rich moisturizing butter, to help lock that hydration into the skin. Skinfix is a very eczema friendly brand that caters to those with more sensitive skin prone to flare ups. They offer both skin and body care. I will say that the Skinfix moisturizer has to be one of the best moisturizers for the cooler months (next to the Farmacy Honey Halo) because of the ceramides and peptides it’s packed with. I will say though, if you are prone to breakouts I would opt for the gel cream version they offer because it does not contain shea butter, which is a known pore clogging ingredient.

Skinfix Moisturizer
Original photo by Aria Mantsourani
Summer Fridays ShadeDrops Mineral Milk Sunscreen SPF 30

Price: 1.7oz – $36.00Last but not certainly least, sunscreen is probably the most important step in your skincare routine (yes, even in the chilly months). SPF is always so overlooked once summer is over but your skin still needs protection during the fall and winter, even if it’s cloudy. This one from Summer Fridays is one of my favorites. It provides a lightweight hydration while protecting from UVA/UVB rays. This formula also contains an antioxidant complex to combat free-radical damage to the skin (this works like an anti-pollution shield for your face).

Summer Friday’s Sunscreen
Original photo by Aria Mantsourani

Remember to take care of yourself and your skin this fall/winter!

Hi, I'm Aria! I'm a marketing major with a communications & media studies minor at Emmanuel College. My dream career path is to enter product development within the beauty industry. In my free time I enjoy singing, drawing, and reading tarot. I am very passionate about feminism, politics, and social justice issues.