The heating’s on, the clocks have gone back, and your skin has noticed. November is when knuckles start to crack, legs turn flaky under winter tights, and the eye area looks every bit as tired as we feel when it’s dark by half four.
That’s exactly what this month’s box is built for. Five products, worth £130, each one chosen to put back what cold air and central heating take out, and to help you rest properly while they do their work.
If you had October’s Night Shift box, you’ll see this one picks up where it left off. Night Shift was about what your skin does while you sleep. The Cold Weather Edit carries that into the coldest stretch of the year: face, hands, body and that all-important wind-down.
This is the one I reach for on grey mornings. It's Gatineau's beste-selling product because it is so unique and so brilliantly useful as a hybrid between skincare and cosmetic. It’s a hydrating eye cream with hyaluronic acid. The clever part is that it adapts to your skin tone, so it softens the look of dark circles the moment it goes on. Wear it alone on no-make-up days, or under concealer when you want a bit more.
If winter had a hero ingredient, it would be ceramides. They’re the natural fats that hold your skin’s protective barrier together, and our levels drop with age, just when cold winds and dry indoor heat are doing their best to break that barrier down. The result is skin that feels tight, rough and thirsty however much you moisturise.
This generous 175ml tub puts them back. A 5% ceramide blend works alongside niacinamide to strengthen and support the skin’s barrier, while squalane and shea butter replenish moisture and stop it escaping. Glycerin draws in extra hydration. It’s a rich, nourishing cream that absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy feel, and it’s fragrance-free, so it’s gentle enough for the driest, most sensitive patches. It’s a true multi-tasker you’ll use every day this winter.
Winter skin is dry skin, and dry skin needs clearing before it can drink anything in. This is a gentle, at-home microdermabrasion treatment for body and face. It polishes away the dull, rough layer that builds up under jumpers and tights, so everything you put on afterwards sinks in rather than sitting on top.
The “triple” is three types of exfoliating particle working together: natural bamboo, finely milled corn cob (fully biodegradable, so no microplastics) and rose-infused jojoba spheres. Together they buff without scratching, which is exactly what thinner, drier midlife skin needs. Rose, geranium and palmarosa essential oils give it that warm, floral scent, so it feels like a treat rather than a chore.
It’s suitable for dry, normal and combination skin. It’s also vegan, cruelty-free, and free from parabens, silicones and sulphates.
Hands are the first thing winter shows up on, and the first thing we forget. They’re also one of the first places time shows, which is why this is far more than a basic hand cream.
It’s a triple-action formula. It hydrates instantly, visibly softens the look of fine lines and wrinkles over time, and protects hands from the cold, pollution and constant washing that winter brings. It’s clinically proven to keep skin hydrated for up to 12 hours. It’s light and silky too, absorbing without any greasy residue, so you can put it on and get straight on with your day.
At its heart is Gatineau’s Double Collagen Complex, a collagen peptide paired with collagen amino acids, which leaves hands feeling soft, supple and smooth. A blend of ceramides that mirror the skin’s own lipids strengthens the moisture barrier, so hands hold on to hydration. Hyaluronic acid adds deep moisture, while
If you only try one thing this month, make it this, Aromatherapy Associates’ Deep Relax Sleep Well body treatment, a rich, velvety butter made for the end of the day. It nourishes dry winter skin while helping your mind settle for sleep.
The scent comes from Deep Relax, the brand’s best-known essential oil blend. It was developed from co-founder Geraldine Howard’s aromatherapy studies, using oils chosen for their sleep-supporting qualities. Earthy vetivert grounds you, camomile soothes, and sandalwood adds warmth and comfort. It’s the kind of fragrance that tells your brain the day is done.
What it does for your skin is just as good. Jojoba esters deliver deep moisture, rosehip oil helps skin hold on to it, and squalene-rich amaranth seed oil leaves skin feeling velvet-smooth. Velvet flower and gotu kola support elasticity and the skin’s natural protective barrier, which matters more than ever when the heating’s on full.
It carries the Menopause Friendly mark, which tells you it was chosen with women at our stage of life in mind. It’s vegan too, and despite the richness, reviewers say it sinks in quickly. Wake up with skin that feels soft, comforted and properly cared for.
This is a small thing that makes a big difference. When the mornings are dark and the evenings darker still, a proper night’s sleep is the best beauty treatment there is, and this mask helps you get one.
It’s a soft, smooth satin mask in a cheerful festive red, printed with “Presently Sleeping” in typewriter-style lettering. That’s the perfect do-not-disturb message for a lazy Sunday lie-in or an afternoon nap you’ve more than earned. It blocks out the light so you drift off faster and sleep more deeply, whether that’s at home, on a train or in a hotel room that’s never quite dark enough.
Satin is also kinder to the delicate skin around your eyes. It glides rather than drags, so there’s less friction on fine lines and lashes than you’d get from cotton. The gathered elastic strap holds it comfortably in place without pulling at your hair. It would make a lovely stocking filler too, if you can bear to part with it!
You don’t need to use all five every day, and you shouldn’t. Here’s how I’d fit them into a normal week:
Cold air outside and dry heat inside are a tough combination for any skin. From our forties onwards, our skin also has less natural oil to fall back on. That’s why this box goes beyond the face: hands, body and sleep matter just as much when the weather turns.
And with party season only a few weeks away, getting your skin smooth, hydrated and well rested now means you won’t be playing catch-up in December.
Stay warm, and look after yourself.
Karen x
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