An Irish winter is not extreme; it is persistent. Wind and damp outside, dry heat inside, and a short day between the two. Skin that is dry or easily reactive does not need a different routine in that climate so much as a more regular one, split three ways: a gentle face routine, a body step that happens after the towel, and hands treated as their own separate case. Avène covers the first, Eucerin the other two.
The Face
Avène's Soothing Cleansing Gel, Sensitive Skin is used morning and evening: a small amount on damp skin, massaged into a lather, then rinsed thoroughly and kept away from the eyes. At 400 ml it is a bathroom-shelf size rather than a handbag one, which is right for a step that happens twice a day for months on end.
The Thermal Spring Water Facial Mist follows, or interrupts, depending on the hour. Avène asks for it held eight to twelve inches from the skin and misted evenly, morning, evening and through the day as wanted, including over make-up. It is the one step here with no fixed place in the order, which is exactly why it gets used: it lives on a desk rather than in a cabinet.
Then the Rich Thermal Water Hydrating Cream, 40 ml, morning and evening on a cleansed face and neck. A pea-sized amount, smoothed upward until it has fully absorbed, and reapplied to the drier areas as needed. That last instruction is the useful one in February: the cream is not rationed to twice a day, it is simply started twice a day.
- Soothing Cleansing Gel, Sensitive Skin
- Thermal Spring Water Facial Mist
- Rich Thermal Water Hydrating Cream
The Body
Eucerin's Ph5 Body Lotion, 400 ml, is applied liberally to clean, dry skin and massaged in until absorbed, morning and evening or whenever skin wants the comfort. Clean and dry is the part to note: this is a step for after the towel rather than one to attempt in the shower, and the drier places take the extra.
The Hands
Hands come off worst in this weather and are the easiest step to keep, because the tube can sit by the sink. The UreaRepair Plus Hand Cream carries 5% urea in 75 ml. A pea-sized amount on clean, dry hands, massaged in with attention to the rough places, after washing, before bed, and as often in between as they ask for it.
Two Houses in One Routine
Avène builds its face range around its own thermal spring water; Eucerin builds its body and hand range around pH and urea. Using one house above the neck and the other below it is not a compromise, it is a division of labour, and each is set out by its maker for skin described as sensitive. Nothing in either half needs the other half to work.
The Morning, in Five Lines
Written out, the whole thing takes less time than deciding whether to do it. The evening is the same list without the last two items, since hands can be done last thing instead.
- Cleansing gel on damp skin, lathered, rinsed thoroughly.
- Thermal spring water mist, eight to twelve inches away, misted evenly.
- A pea-sized amount of the rich cream, smoothed upward over face and neck.
- Body lotion on clean, dry skin, more where it is drier.
- Hand cream, and then again after the next wash.
The only judgement call in that list is the fourth line, because it is the one that competes with getting dressed. If it keeps losing, move the bottle: a body lotion kept in a bedroom rather than a bathroom is used twice as often, and the instruction on the bottle asks for dry skin anyway.
How Often
- Cleanse the face morning and evening; rinse thoroughly and keep it clear of the eyes.
- Mist as often as you like, over bare skin or over make-up. There is no ceiling on this step.
- Face cream morning and evening, then again on the dry patches whenever they ask.
- Body lotion morning and evening on clean, dry skin. The minute after the towel is the one that gets used.
- Hand cream after every wash and before bed. Keep a tube where the washing actually happens.
Three places, five products, one habit: the step that survives a wet January is the step within arm's reach. Put the mist on the desk, the hand cream by the sink, and the rest follows.
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