Skin can resemble the sky in winter – clouded with grey and in desperate need of lustre. The reason, according to REN’s Global Brand Expert David Leigh Delport, is exposure to central heating combined with the sudden drop in air temperature. 'It’s these fluctuations that ‘sap the skin of essential moisture and plumpness,’ he says, ‘to leave it looking flaky’.

A shortcut to getting your skin back its zing is a high dose of vitamin C. REN’s Flash 1 Minute Facial contains it in water-activated form, as well as boswellic acid and magnesium, to brighten the skin, smooth out wrinkles and aid elasticity – all in 60 seconds. Use three times a week like you would a regular cleanser – apply to the face, massage for a few seconds and then splash on water – to turbo-boost skin with super-radiance. A pick-me-up – and then some. 

Suitable for…all skin types except sensitive.

REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, £32 for 75ml, www.johnlewis.com

You might also like
Bye bye blemishes: top spot treatments
Age defying beauty: how to get flawless skin
What do your blemishes really mean?

Dior’s new serum tackles the build-up of toxins in skin. Pollution, UV rays, lack of sleep, stress; all are unavoidable yet leave skin feeling suffocated. The epidermal balance in this state reacts more strongly to disruptive elements, arctic temperatures being one of them.

One Essential counters the effects of cold weather and restores skin’s vitality with red hibiscus extract, which stimulates enzyme activity at the heart of the cell’s mitochondria to set a potent detoxification process in motion. Cellular respiration is rebooted and skin revived from its seasonal stupor. Think of One Essential like a winter coat – an investment you won’t regret. 

Suitable for…all skin types.

Dior Essential Intense Skin Detoxifying Booster Serum, £82.50 for 50ml, www.selfridges.com

You might also like
Bye bye blemishes: top spot treatments
Age defying beauty: how to get flawless skin
What do your blemishes really mean?

You only need 3-7 drops of Sisley’s new elixir to reap the benefits of its nourishment, so don’t be put off by the fact it’s an oil. Rich in Omega 3 and 6, as well as a power blend of five plant-based active ingredients and essential oils, it works especially well on dry or mature skin to regenerate, protect, moisturise, plump and sooth during the bleak midwinter.

Fines lines and wrinkles will also be visibly reduced after just four weeks, while the combination of rose and magnolia steeps the senses in a floral haze on application. Once the reverie’s over, don’t fret. Say hello to skin that’s supple and totally revitalised.

Suitable for…dry or mature skin.

Black Rose Precious Face Oil, £136 for 25ml, www.sisley-paris.com

You might also like
Bye bye blemishes: top spot treatments
Age defying beauty: how to get flawless skin
What do your blemishes really mean?

Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonderglow sets the benchmark high for hero products. Its formula combines anti-ageing ingredients to boost collagen production and smooth wrinkles with a Fluorescent Core Light Diffuser. This sucks UV light from its surroundings and scatters it across the skin for luminous coverage. Clever eh?

Its application varies depending on the occasion. For a bare-faced, fresh-as-a-daisy glow, simply moisturise skin then rub Wonderglow into the apples of cheeks. Applying under foundation will suffuse the skin with warmth, while dabbing a walnut-sized blob to the cheek and brow bones on top of your day’s makeup will act as an instant perk-me-up – a dazzling one at that.

Suitable for…all skin types.

Wonderglow, £38.50 for 40ml, www.charlottetilbury.com

You might also like
Bye bye blemishes: top spot treatments
Age defying beauty: how to get flawless skin
What do your blemishes really mean?

Chloro Plasma might sound suspiciously like something you’d find in the amniotic sac – or in an episode of ‘Doctor Who’ – but it’s actually Perricone MD’s treatment mask. It works by harnessing the power of chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, in the form of phytonutrient microcapsules. These burst over the skin when the gel formula’s rubbed on, slowly changing from light to deep green, to purify its surface with antioxidant action, visibly minimise pores, fill out wrinkles and leave a post-spa-session shine within 10 minutes. Never mind the depths of winter; skin will never have looked more dewy. 

Suitable for…all skin types.

Chloro Plasma, £67 for 59ml, www.perriconemd.co.uk

You might also like
Bye bye blemishes: top spot treatments
Age defying beauty: how to get flawless skin
What do your blemishes really mean?

For winter skin that’s dehydrated, lacklustre and tired, we prescribe a liberal coat of Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. Its new formula for night-time is scented with lavender, uber-soothing to the senses, and full of intensely moisturising ingredients like petrolatum and shea butter. Salicyclic acid gently exfoliates dead skin cells, while vitamin E forms a protective veil over the face to fight fierce climate conditions and pollutants. Apply every night before bed and you’ll rise with baby-soft skin. Sweet dreams.

Suitable for…all skin types.

Elizabeth Arden Nighttime Miracle Moisturiser, £28.80 for 50ml, www.debenhams.com

You might also like
Bye bye blemishes: top spot treatments
Age defying beauty: how to get flawless skin
What do your blemishes really mean?

Brightening the complexion is half the battle in winter, which is where the geniuses at Chanel come in. Their Le Blanc concentrate contains three mystic-sounding ingredients – ascorbic glucoside, 2-year pearl extract and one-day flower – which regulate melanin synthesis and prevent dark spots, flood the skin with radiance by delivering intense hydration and stop lipid peroxidation for a translucent complexion. Apply morning and evening to the face, after cleansing and before your normal moisturiser. The weather outside might be frightful, but your skin will brim with brightness.

Suitable for…all skin types.

Le Blanc Illuminating Brightening Concentrate, £98 for 30ml, www.selfridges.com

You might also like
Bye bye blemishes: top spot treatments
Age defying beauty: how to get flawless skin
What do your blemishes really mean?

Icy temperatures and radiators puffing out hot air mean you can expect dry, tight skin that’s at its least luminous for next few months. But instead of waving a white flag in the face of a wan complexion, now’s the time for a nourishing facial.

We recommend Decléor’s Divine Nutrition service, which boosts lipid production and micro-circulation, thanks to chestnut extract, to jump start the hydration process during your 75-minute treatment. Geranium and rose then feed the skin its vital nutrients to lock in moisture, form a protective shield against the elements and leave skin buttery soft. Take that Jack Frost. 

Suitable for…dry to very dry skin.

Decléor Divine Nutrition, £75 for 1hour 15 mins, www.decleor.co.uk

You might also like
Bye bye blemishes: top spot treatments
Age defying beauty: how to get flawless skin
What do your blemishes really mean?