Your Autumn Face: The Skincare and Make-up Routine for Cold Mornings and Central Heating

Cleanse gently. Swap foaming washes for a cream or milk cleanser such as CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser. Lukewarm water, never hot. Hydrate. A hyaluronic serum on damp skin, then a richer moisturiser. Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré doubles as a primer and is a make-up artist favourite. SPF, still. UVA gets through clouds and windows all year. A light SPF 30 to 50 like La Roche-Posay Anthelios sits nicely under make-up.

Matte, full-coverage foundation looks dry and flat in autumn light. A tinted moisturiser or skin tint gives coverage where you need it without sitting on top of dry patches. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser is the classic. Your summer shade will be too dark by now, so check it in daylight. Use concealer only where you need it, like Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer under the eyes and around the nose, and powder only the T-zone.

Once the tan fades, skin can look a little grey. A cream blush in terracotta or berry fixes that instantly, and a soft bronzer along the cheekbones and temples brings warmth back. See our blush edit for the best ones. Then pick a single focus. A bronze lid from the eyeshadow guide or a deep lip from the autumn lip edit. Both at once is an evening look.

Brush brows up with a tinted gel such as Glossier Boy Brow. It frames the face with almost no effort. One coat of a lengthening mascara like Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High is plenty for the day. If your eyes water in the wind, switch to a tubing mascara, which won't smudge into panda eyes.

Double cleanse: a cleansing balm from Space NK to melt off SPF and make-up, then your gentle cleanser. Autumn is a good time to start retinol, since there is less sun to irritate new skin. Use it two nights a week to begin with and build up slowly. Finish with a thicker night cream, and put a dab of Weleda Skin Food on any dry patches, elbows and knuckles.

Put a bowl of water or a humidifier near the radiator in your bedroom. Drink more water than you think you need. Don't forget your lips and hands, which dry out first and age fastest. And if your skin suddenly turns red, tight or flaky, simplify. Fewer products, not more, is usually the fix.