From hydration to daily skincare: Expert reveals 5 essential steps to prepare your skin for the festive season

Nagaveni K.S. highlights key points to keep in mind for a face glow-up and explains why one should start preparing early.

The festivities are on the way, and more are on the way in the coming months. Understandably, having healthy, glowing skin at this time of the year is important for many. But the skin does not transform overnight, Nagaveni K.S., research scientist at Personal Care R&D, Himalaya Wellness, told HT Lifestyle.

“The most visible change from a new step in your routine takes four to six weeks to show, which means whatever you want ready for the winter festivals needs to begin now,” she stated. “None of this calls for an elaborate routine. It simply calls for the right timing.”

The five-step checklist that Nagaveni shared to give the skin a glow-up is presented as follows.

1. Start early if brightness is the goal

Dullness builds gradually, as cell turnover slows and pollution and sun exposure take their toll. Vitamin C remains one of the more reliable ingredients for addressing this, known for evening out skin tone over time rather than delivering an instant shine. Introducing it early gives skin the runway it needs to look visibly better.

2. Hydration comes before brightening

It is the consistency of treatment that makes the skin glow.

3. Adapt to the changing weather

The shift out of monsoon rarely happens cleanly. Humidity lingers, pollution builds, and by early festivities the heat often returns before the season properly cools. That unpredictability is enough to trigger breakouts, congestion, or patchiness with little warning, shared Nagaveni.

“The habit worth adopting isn't waiting for a breakout to appear and then responding to it. A simple, consistent cleansing routine through autumn should be foundational from the outset,” she stated.

4. Don't let unprotected sun undo the rest

Brightening efforts hold up only as well as the sun protection that follows. A broad-spectrum SPF 50 worn daily, including on overcast days, protects the progress already made and prevents new pigmentation from forming just as skin begins to improve.

The expert noted that lightweight creme-gel formulations, built around ingredients like vitamin E, tend to work best here, absorbing quickly without the heavy feel that discourages reapplication through humid days.

5. Give the routine time, not urgency

The instinct closer to festivities is often to add more products, more steps, more actives, all at once. Nagaveni warned that this tends to backfire.

New ingredients need time to show results, and layering too much too quickly usually leads to irritation rather than improvement. A simpler routine, followed consistently, tends to deliver a more even result than a rushed, last-minute overhaul ever could.

“The idea of festive-ready skin isn't really about a single product or a last-minute fix. It is about timing ordinary habits correctly. Brightening, hydration, cleansing, and protection, built in early, mean skin isn't playing catch-up once the celebrations begin,” she added.