Skin Health and Longevity: Seasonal Skincare Using Marie Veronique

A professional holistic beauty practitioner's recommendations for optimizing skin health according to the season.

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In my almost decade as a holistic esthetician, I have been dedicated to the science and the art of skincare for skin health and longevity. I have held no other skincare affiliates, in the extent of my professional life, other than Marie Veronique which will be discussed for the purposes of this blog.

The primary brands I have historically worked with professionally and personally have been founded on the comprehensive understanding of the skin's intelligent system - the chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and integrity of the largest external organ.

As an herbalist who is passionate about both the science and the plant-centered approach of caring for the skin, I care most about balancing and maintaining the skin's health, yielding a radiance from inside and out. Further, as an minimalist with a less is more practice, I tend to prioritize well-suited, strategic, results-based products that will have a lasting effect and optimize the skin's health according to the season. Products with multi-function, bioavailable ingredients the skin can recognize and use, minimal preservatives, and potent plant-based chemistry, are what makes a comprehensive approach to holistic skincare that most people can benefit from.

At least once a season, I suggest a professional facial treatment and/or an appropriate refresh of your skincare routine. Do you ever get stuck with the guesswork or overwhelm? Consultations are most supportive with educated professionals.

Your Skin's Barrier for Turn of the Season

During the colder months, ensuring your skin's resilience and balance is fundamental to promoting ease in the transition. This goes beyond hydrating the skin, as the vitality of the body (and energy) support your whole system's well-being. Afterall, the internal body adapts to the external environment in an effort to balance and remain in homeostasis.

Changes in the weather, such as cold, wind, forced dry heat, humidity/dampness, and overall spending more time indoors (hello, low vitamin d)

The ritual becomes listening—responding to what the body truly needs rather than reacting to symptoms.

Nutrition for the Skin is like Medicine for Radiance

Most people underestimate how deeply the skin reflects the internal ecosystem. When I speak about “nutrition for the skin,” I am speaking about two pathways:

what you apply topically, and what you nourish internally.

Both are forms of medicine.

During colder months, your skin thrives with internal nourishment that builds warmth, moisture, and vitality. Consider:

• Healthy fats like ghee, olive oil, avocado, sardines (personal fave), walnuts, and flax for deep internal lubrication.

• Mineral-rich broths (vegetable or bone, I like to make my own) to replenish the building blocks of collagen and cellular repair.

• Warming spices such as ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin to support circulation and digestion (according to your constitution, some of these may be too firey).

• Seasonal root vegetables that ground and stabilize the body while supporting blood sugar balance - I harvested at the end of the growing season to have roots throughout the winter.

• Bitters and digestive herbs to keep the liver flowing when heaviness, stagnation, or holiday indulgence weighs down the skin - this year for the first time I made a fire cider, too in my herbalism class.

  

  
  

Topically, “nutrition” means bioavailable ingredients your skin recognizes—ceramides, fatty acids, phytosterols, humectants, and plant compounds that mimic the skin’s natural chemistry. What our skin naturally depletes, we must replenish.

This is why I love seasonal oil serums and barrier-supportive moisturizers: they feed the skin what it is structurally made of. The result isn't superficial glow, but a regulated, resilient, nourished complexion that radiates vitality.

Radiance is not a surface treatment. It’s a whole-body conversation.

Supporting your Skin for Cold Season

Cold seasons are a test of the skin’s adaptability. Instead of tightening and stripping your routine to “avoid breakouts” or “combat dryness,” think in terms of supporting your skin’s natural intelligence.

Here are foundational pillars I recommend as a holistic esthetician:

1. Strengthen the Barrier

Opt for lipid-rich moisturizers, ceramide-supportive formulas, such as Barrier Restore Serum and Barrier Lipid Complex and occlusive plant oils when needed. This prevents trans-epidermal water loss and maintains elasticity.

2. Shift to Gentle Cleansing

Foaming cleansers and strong acids can be too harsh in cold months. Switch to milk cleansers, oil cleansers like the Pure + E.O. Free Oil Cleanser, or gentle enzymatic options that preserve your microbiome.

3. Hydrate, Then Seal

Layer hydrating mists, like Pre + Probiotic Daily Mist or serums with humectants (like glycerin or aloe) before applying oils or creams. This mimics the skin’s natural structure and enhances product performance.

4. Embrace Humidity

Indoor heat strips moisture. A simple humidifier can transform your skin overnight—especially placed near your bed during winter.

5. Reduce Over-Exfoliation

More exfoliation does not equal more glow. Cold season skin often needs repair, not resurfacing. Lean into barrier repair first; brighten later.

6. Reboot Your Facial Rituals

Learning proper gua sha technique with warming oils, gentle facial cupping, steamed herbal compresses, and lymphatic drainage support circulation and counteract winter stagnation.

When the season cools, your skincare becomes a practice of protection, nourishment, and softness.

Photo Credit: Shakira Hunt

The Holistic Approach

Holistic skincare means recognizing that your skin is not separate from the rest of you—it’s an extension of your nervous system, immune system, and emotional landscape. It reflects your rhythms, your environment, and the way you move through each season of your life.

A holistic approach honors:

• Seasonality

• Slowness

• Presence

• The intelligence of the skin

• The relationship between inner and outer worlds

• The earth as a guide for rhythm, repair, and renewal

  
  

Your skin is not a problem to solve; it is a living organ that expresses your overall health and energy.

Supporting your skin seasonally becomes a ritual of returning to yourself—each time the weather shifts, each time your body asks for care, each time you choose softness over strategy.

This is where holistic beauty becomes transformative: it’s not just about better skin; it’s about a better relationship with your body.