The Fall French Skincare Switch: What to Add, Remove, and Ignore Completely
DISCLOSURE
Please note that this post contains affiliate links which means that if you follow a link and make a purchase, I will receive a commission. This helps support my business so that I can bring you more sparkly free content. Thank you for your support!
Darling, let’s be honest: fall arrives like a sly little thief.
One day you’re glowing on rosé and SPF, the next your skin has the texture of yesterday’s baguette.
And yet, you’re still slathering on the same light gel cream as if September were just July with better outfits. Non, non, non.
A French fall skincare routine is not about panic-buying pumpkin masks or hoarding serums like toilet paper. It is about refinement.
Editing. The kind of chic transition that says, “Yes, my skin noticed the weather changed, and unlike my children, it adapted gracefully.”
So let us perform the ultimate fall beauty transition together, deciding what to add, what to remove, and, most importantly, what to ignore with the disdain of a Parisienne pretending she does not see her ex at the café.
1. Add: Hydration That Dresses Like Cashmere
Your skin in autumn is basically whispering: “Water, please.” And what do most women give it? A sad splash of toner and a prayer. Pas possible.
This season, bring in richer creams, serums with hyaluronic acid, or a facial oil that glides on like a silk scarf.
Layer them. Hydrating serum, moisturizer, oil. Done. If your vanity does not resemble a Parisian pastry shop, with textures and layers upon layers, you are doing it wrong.
Result? You will wake up looking luminous, not like the decorative gourd sitting on your neighbor’s porch.
2. Remove: The Summer Scrubs That Belong at the Beach
Exfoliation is not a personality trait, darling. Summer called and it wants its gritty apricot scrub back. By fall, your skin is fragile, like a Dior slip dress in the washing machine.
Swap your scrubs for smarter acids: lactic acid, mandelic, PHAs. Two to three nights a week, not seven.
Enter skin cycling, Pinterest’s obsession that the French have secretly been doing since the invention of good wine. One night exfoliate, one night retinol, two nights repair. Repeat. Balance, sophistication, and zero regret.
Because nothing says “I don’t understand skincare” quite like sanding your own face raw.
3. Ignore: The Pumpkin-Spice Skincare Circus
I beg you. Ignore the pumpkin enzyme scrubs, the maple serums, the chai latte face masks.
They are not skincare; they are dessert. And dessert belongs in your mouth, preferably with champagne, not smeared on your décolleté.
The French? We scoff. We stick to vitamin C, retinol, and SPF (yes, even when it rains and even when Karen from carpool says you do not need it).
Fall is not a free pass to forget sun protection. Unless, of course, you are auditioning for the role of “Wrinkled Walnut” in a school play.
The Best Skincare Swaps for Fall, à la Française
Here is your fall beauty transition boiled down:
Add: Hydration that behaves like cashmere.
Remove: Exfoliation that behaves like sandpaper.
Ignore: Skincare that smells like Starbucks.
Darling, I know your to-do list already reads like a court summons. But this is the rare, delightful rebellion where you refuse to look tired, flaky, or pumpkin-scented.
Your face deserves better. And frankly, so do you.
Polished to perfection (even if the laundry isn’t),
The Glamtorious Mrs.
