While I love the idea of spring being around the corner, early March is always a mess for me fashion-wise. Do I wear tights or bare legs? Boots or white sneakers? A functional puffer or a cute coat? I’ll never understand how to get dressed when it’s 45 degrees and drizzling one minute and 65 degrees and sunny the next.
But what I do understand? How to do skincare when the weather is all over the place and your face needs some extra TLC. As a longtime beauty editor, I’ve got the perfect spring skincare routine down to a T.
Ahead, I’m breaking down the basics of a good spring skincare routine—a cream-to-foam cleanser, antioxidant serum, lightweight moisturizer, and dedicated face sunscreen—and explaining why these specific products work so well this time of year. Read on for all my tips and recommendations. And if you happen to have any good fashion advice, my sartorial self is all ears.
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Best Face Washes for Spring
Spring weather is ideal for transitioning textures. When it comes to face wash, this means cream-to-foam formulas that are nourishing yet provide enough lather to remove buildup, excess oil, and sweat from the skin. Cream-to-foam cleansers are unique in that they won’t strip your skin or leave it feeling “squaky clean,” but they’re not so mild that they can’t effectively deep-clean skin at the end of the day. I have all three of the below in my shower and rotate them throughout the week.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydrating Cleansing Mousse
First Aid Beauty Ultra Gentle Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser
Now 30% Off
CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam CleanserBest Face Serums for Spring
In December, January, and February, the focus is on skin hydration. For March and beyond—as the days get longer and sunnier and we’re spending more time outside—the name of the game is skin protection. That’s where an antioxidant serum comes into play, specifically one with vitamin C. The ingredient is superior for protecting skin from free radical damage and inflammation (the roots of all skin evils) while also improving skin tone and texture by regulating pigment production and stimulating collagen.
In years past, vitamin C-based serums have gotten a bad rap for being sticky and/or smelly, but these three formulas are cosmetically elegant and provide impressive antioxidant benefits, too.
Doft Vitamin Antioxidant Renewal Serum
Skinfix Brighten + Firm 15% Vitamin C Serum
Maelove Glow Maker Vitamin C Serum
Now 82% Off
Best Face Moisturizers for Spring
If your skin is dry year-round and thrives on a thick cream, by all means, continue using your winter moisturizer. But if you have oily skin, combo skin, or live in an area where spring marks the start of warmer, more humid weather, a lightweight lotion or gel cream will be your skin’s BFF. I swear by these three for plump and dewy (but not greasy) skin.
Innbeauty Project Recharge Gel Cream Smoothing & Plumping Moisturizer
Biologique Recherche Crème M.E.C
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated CreamBest Sunscreens for Spring
During winter, most of us can get away with using a combined moisturizer with SPF or a tinted moisturizer with SPF, but once spring rolls around, you should really be using a separate sunscreen with SPF 30 or more for adequate UV protection. Luckily, there are so many amazing formulas that blend in seamlessly and have additional benefits, like blurring, brightening, and hydrating.
PUR Minerals 4-in-1 Skin Tint Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50
EltaMD UV Daily Broad-Spectrum SPF 40
Ourself Intelligent Defense Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50The Extra Skincare Step That’s Worth It for Spring
If I’m going to commit to an extra step this time of year, it’s popping on a pair of eye patches. Spring allergies are the worst, and the delicate skin around my eyes always seems to pay the price in the form of redness, swelling, and irritation. There are so many new (and good!) eye patch options to choose from these days, but when it comes to combatting the effects of spring allergies and pollen overload, I swear by 111Skin’s Cryo Eye Patches. The cooling properties feel instantly amazing, and the combo of peptides, seaweed extract, and vitamin E visibly depuffs and brightens under the eyes in 20 minutes.
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Lauren Balsamo is the beauty director at Cosmopolitan with more than 13 years of experience researching, writing, and editing beauty stories that range from the best skincare routine for your 30s to a comprehensive roundup of the best drugstore skincare brands. She regularly tests and analyzes new skincare products and treatments while working with the industry’s top experts to assess new brands, trends, and technologies.
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Lauren Balsamo is the beauty director at Cosmopolitan where she writes, edits, and produces all types of beauty content—from product reviews to personal essays and trend reports. She has covered beauty for more than a decade at Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram.
