Cold, dry winter weather often wreaks havoc on skin, pulling out moisture and compromising its protective barrier. The result? Skin that is brittle, flaky and sensitive. Keep your skin glowing all winter long with these 7 K-Beauty winter skincare tips courtesy of Glow Recipe.

1. The New Way to Layer

Layering skin care is a K-Beauty staple. A common practice is applying skin care while skin is still damp for maximum absorption. By misting between skincare steps, the skin is plump and constantly hydrated to battle winter weather. A typical ‘fluid misting’ routine would be to cleanse, mist, serum, mist, and finish with moisturizer.

2. Eye Before All

As the delicate eye area is more prone to dryness during the wintertime, use an eye cream before your treatment steps. This way, your eye area is being protected by an ophthalmologist-tested formula before you apply serums with actives that may not be optimally formulated for the undereye area.

3. Snow Flakes Before Skin Flakes

Skin gets especially patchy and flaky in the winter as cell turnover slows down and causes a build-up of dull, dead skin cells. Avoid harsh exfoliants that can cause irritation and reach for a formula with PHA or polyhydroxy acid to gently slough off dead skin.

4. Double Up

Skin changes every day based on environmental factors, stress, and other lifestyle choices. A major trend in Korea is to cocktail your treatments or ‘double serum’ depending on how your skin feels. If skin is dull and dehydrated, layer a brightening serum with vitamin C, and a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid or panthenol.

5. Don't Hate, Encapsulate

Retinol is one of skin care’s winning ingredients that often gets neglected in the wintertime due to misunderstood side effects like peeling, irritation, and redness. Use a gentle encapsulated retinol to help accelerate skin cell turnover and repair winter ravaged skin—without the side effects.

6. Harvest Season

The OG hydrators like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, and B5 are all important to keep moisture anchored in the skin during the dry winter months. Hearty, nutrient-dense fall/winter vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, and cabbage are also full of antioxidants and vitamins to help fortify skin.

7. Lose the Towel

After showering, it’s a common instinct to reach for your towel to dry off. Scrubbing a towel roughly over your face can potentially cause micro-tears on winter-worn skin, and you can never be sure that your towel is completely bacteria-free. Our winter quick fix: keep skin damp and apply skin care on top for optimal absorption.

Thank you to Glow Recipe for these helpful winter skincare tips! Be sure to check out Glow Recipe’s fabulous limited-edition holiday collections, available at Sephora!

• Let it Glow ($48, Value: $76)

• Damn Bright ($49, Value: $65) *online only*

• Glow Baby Glow ($29, Value: $47)

[Above image courtesy of Glow Recipe]