Can you believe it’s mid-March already, and spring is just a week away? Now if only the weather would get on board (what happened to the gorgeous 70°F weather from February?) this topic would actually make more sense, because right now it still feels like winter to me. Give me all the facial oils and heavy creams!
Anyways, when it does eventually start warming up, the rich serums and moisturizers you were using during the winter might not be ideal anymore. I know that’s definitely the case with my skin, but does that mean we need a whole new set of products every time the seasons change? Absolutely not! You can easily transform your winter skincare into something spring-appropriate using products you already own!

Light toner + heavy cream = spring-ready moisturizer
We all know you can add a bit of facial oil to your moisturizer to make it richer, but what if we wanted to make it lighter? Add a lightweight toner or essence to your moisturizer to thin out the consistency.
Depending on how much lighter you need your moisturizer to be, adjust the amount of toner accordingly. Make sure you mix it in your hand each time you apply it, don’t go pouring your toner into your jar of moisturizer!
However, if your moisturizer contains any actives or acids, mixing it with a toner/essence could disrupt its effectiveness. To minimize any issues, pick a toner with simple ingredients to mix with your moisturizer.

Thick toners + cotton pads = stickiness be gone!
I love a thick goopy toner like the Klairs Supple Preparation Toner for the winter but it can feel sticky during the warmer weather. The easiest way to minimize stickiness? Apply the toner with a cotton pad instead of your hands.
If you find that it’s difficult to soak a cotton pad with your toner, dampen the cotton pad first with a bit of water or even a simple facial mist like my favorite La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water!
Another great way to use your thicker toners is to do a lotion mask. You’ll need thick multi-layer cotton pads like the MUJI Facial Soft Cut Cottons, and again, dampen it with a bit of water/facial mist first. Apply the toner liberally until the whole pad is soaked, then peel off the layers and apply them on the various parts of your face. Wait 3-5 minutes, then peel off, and your skin will feel super hydrated.
Or you can go the easy route and buy compressed sheet masks and just drench that with the toner for a similar effect!

Rich serums + sheet mask = painless absorption
I’ve always applied my sheet masks after my toner and serum steps because the occlusive design + extra moisture from the sheet mask helps your skin absorb all the products you previously applied. So if you’re struggling with a serum that’s too rich or takes forever to absorb, try layering it before a sheet mask to help it out.
Read more: Oh sheet! 6 mistakes you might be making with sheet masks
For this to work, you’ll want to make sure the sheet mask you’re using doesn’t have a heavy/creamy essence itself. When in doubt, go with a mask that focuses on pure hydration, as those usually contain a lighter essence. My favorite lightweight + affordable masks to use are ones by My Beauty Diary , My Scheming, and Naruko (I’m partial to Taiwanese brands).
Read more: $2 indulgences – my top 5 affordable sheet masks

Facial oils + anything = so much awesomeness
Even though I have combo skin, I’m a huge fan of using facial oils in my routine, even during spring and summer. The trick is knowing how to use them so you don’t end up a shiny oily mess, and here are 2 methods I love for the warmer months:
- Mixing it with a toner/essence to create an emulsion. Similar to mixing a heavy cream with toner, the idea is to thin out the thicker consistency of the oil by adding a water-like product.
- Apply it before a sheet mask. This method creates a synergy between the oil and the sheet mask essence, increasing our skin’s ability to absorb ingredients. Plus, it’ll completely minimize any of that oily feeling of applying facial oils! Just keep in mind that occlusive oils won’t work well with this method.

So there you go, a lighter and fresher spring skincare routine just from your winter products! Hopefully you’ll have sheet masks, cotton pads, and a light toner/essence available for mixing, and if not, they’re worth the small investment as they can be used year round!
Hope you enjoyed this post, and let me know if you have any tips for a winter-to-spring skincare transition! Have a lovely week everyone :)
Melissa
Friday 14th of April 2017
I've been doing the Korean skin care routine for a while now and I've recently been seeing others do things differently. I start with the Klairs toner, than get into my snail mucin essence, then i proceed to my Cosrx aha liquid, then my vitamin C20 serum then my oils then moisturizer. Both my serum and aha liquid are liquid form and many bloggers have been saying to apply them before my essence since it's an acid treatment. Is this true? Usually you're supposed to apply serum after essence, idk if there is an exception with vitamin c
Jenny
Wednesday 26th of April 2017
Hi Melissa! That's correct that you should apply any AHA (eg. the CosRX aha liquid), BHA, or l-ascorbic acid (eg. the vitamin c20 serum) products first because they are actives and require your skin to be a specific pH level to work. You can learn more about the how and why here, hope this helps!
Heather Noire
Tuesday 4th of April 2017
Mixing facial oil is such a great tip! Jenny you have some amazing photos here and I love your guide :) http://www.bauchlefashion.com/2017/04/7-signs-your-beauty-addict.html
Jenny
Wednesday 12th of April 2017
Thank you so much Heather, glad to hear that! :)
An Dang, TheBeauParlour
Thursday 16th of March 2017
I have a super oily skin but I do recognize a few routines from you that I also use! The serum+sheetmasks is awesome and I learned it from you. I did this during the winter time (yes you talked about spring hehe) but I loved it so much <3 My Klairs toner is on its way and now I hear its quiet hydrated i'm kinda scared if it will work for my skin, even when i apply it on a cotton pad. Oh well, you will see a review about my experience with the Klairs toner soon! It was fun to read hon
XX, An || http://thebeauparlour.com/
Jenny
Sunday 19th of March 2017
Thanks An! So glad you like the serum + sheet mask combo, I actually use this year round too :P The Klairs toner is definitely on the richer side when it comes to toners, but if you use it on a cotton pad I don't think it'll be too bad :) Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!
Jen
Wednesday 15th of March 2017
You have a marvelous skincare routine, I'm taking notes to buy some of this products and try them! ♥
www.heresometimes.com
Jenny
Wednesday 15th of March 2017
Thank you so much Jen! If you do try any of these I'd love to hear your thoughts on them! :)
ayudamayanthi
Wednesday 15th of March 2017
Lovely products you share in here! Thanks for sharing with us <3
xo ayu
Jenny
Wednesday 15th of March 2017
No problem, glad you like them! :)