How to get glowing skin in winter

Dull skin can occur at any time of year, but often creeps up on us in winter.

It may not be as glaringly obvious as a blind pimple or an eczema flare-up, but it can have a surprisingly big impact on our overall appearance, making us look tired and, on our very dullest skin days, older than we actually are.

Keen to learn how to get glowing skin (and skip the sallow-skin struggle) this winter? Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about dull skin, including expert tips to help brighten your complexion…

What causes dull skin in winter?

Trilogy beauty expert Corinne Morley explains, “winter is a particularly demanding time of year for skin due to the cold temperature and lack of sunlight, which can often result in our complexions starting to look dull and grey.” Optimal skin hydration (which is essential for a radiant complexion) can also be more difficult to maintain in winter. “Lovely as it may be coming in from the cold and heading straight for the heater to warm up, this is one of the main causes of skin dehydration during winter,” says Corinne. Throw in other environmental factors such as pollution – which can deprive our skin of much-needed oxygen – and the result is a dull, sallow skin tone. The worst part? For some of us, dull skin is just the beginning, signalling other skin concerns to come: “Dull skin is often one of the first signs of ageing, as skin renewal slows down with age,” says Corinne.

How to brighten dull skin in winter

A brightening foundation can work wonders for concealing dull skin, but for a truly radiant complexion, your skin care routine should be your main focus. Corinne says “weekly skin exfoliation and daily moisturising” are essential steps for brightening dull skin, as they help to slough away dead skin cells and boost your skin’s hydration level, giving it a dewy glow.

Even if you already have an effective exfoliant and moisturiser in your skin care arsenal, when it comes to the winter months, your complexion could probably use an extra kick! For an extra radiance boost, Corinne recommends using a specifically formulated skin-brightening serum, such as Trilogy Rosapene™ Radiance Serum. Formulated with Trilogy’s signature antioxidant complex, Rosapene™, this serum is “an all-in-one skin-brightening shot of vitamins, antioxidants and nourishment,” says Corinne. It all comes down to three main ingredients:

Certified organic rosehip oil, which has been shown to help to repair skin and protect it against free-radical damage, one of the key causes of dull skin and skin ageing.
Sea algae, a natural marine extract that has been found to promote skin hydration, soothe inflammation and protect against accelerated skin ageing.
Cooling aloe vera, which Corinne says helps to support the skin’s moisture balance and is beneficial for soothing skin sensitivity and irritation.

For best results, Corinne recommends using this silky-textured serum twice daily, for a minimum of four weeks. Start by cleansing your skin, then layer it with a facial oil and/or your moisturiser, for best results.

What else can I do to promote glowing skin in winter?

Although a super-charged skin care regimen can work wonders for improving the appearance of dull skin, lifestyle factors also play an important role. “Our skin is our largest organ,” says Corinne, “so it makes perfect sense that lots of the things that deliver health benefits as part of our diets are also good for the health and wellbeing of our skin.” The expert recommends including antioxidant-rich superfoods in our diets throughout winter, as “antioxidants help to protect the skin from free radicals, which can cause tissue damage.” Try goji berries, blueberries, dark chocolate, pecans, artichoke, kidney beans and cranberries, which are packed with antioxidants to help support your skin’s health from the inside out. A skin-friendly diet may necessitate some extra effort, but as Corinne says, “it’s easier to prevent the signs of poor skin health with a healthy lifestyle than to cure them” later on.

In addition to adjusting our diets, Corinne also stresses the importance of “water, water, water!” for glowing skin. She recommends aiming for at least eight glasses of water per day, to “help rid your body and skin of toxins, and give your skin a more radiant glow!”.