The End of Daylight Savings Doesn't Have to Ruin Your Routine—These Beauty & Wellness Items Play Defense

My skin gets so dull in the fall and winter. I also tend to experience more breakouts and irritation as my skin adjusts to the colder temperatures. Luckily, I have this high-tech LED mask. It uses red, blue, and deep infrared light with interlocking tri-wick LEDs for complete coverage, without gaps or hot spots. (Red light provides anti-aging benefits, while blue light kills acne-causing bacteria). Meanwhile, cryo-inspired eye pads de-puff the under-eye area in minutes.

The time change can throw a wrench in my sleep schedule, as I adjust to fewer daytime hours. That's why I wear blue light-blocking glasses in the evenings to protect my sleep-wake cycle and support natural melatonin production. They make me feel chic and put-together, even when I'm in sweats or an old pajama set.

Speaking of wake-sleep cycles, I take these gummies on nights I need a little extra help falling asleep. With melatonin, L-theanine, and magnesium, they work like magic (I'm not the only one who thinks so; my colleague and Who What Wear's senior beauty editor, Jamie, swears by them. The best part? They don't make me feel groggy in the AM. I also love the Lemme Relax Magnesium Complex Soft Chews ($30).

A weighted blanket never hurts either.

Fall and winter is the time of year in which I go into deep damage-correction mode. I make sure to use a vitamin C serum every morning (more on that in a minute) and a retinol serum three times a week at night. Celebrity esthetician, Shani Darden, created this editor-favorite formula. With 1% encapsulated retinol, it helps firm, brighten, smooth, and plump the skin with minimal irritation.

Here's my current vitamin C fixation. It's packed with powerful antioxidants like L-ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, ergothioneine, niacinamide, and inulin to brighten, firm, and protect the skin from free radicals. I love how it helps even out my skin tone and fade dark spots.

A milky toner is a must for me, as my skin gets so dry and irritated in the fall and winter. Rhode's Glazing Milk is a classic choice. It cushions my skin with deep, plumping moisture and prevents redness and irritation. I use it twice a day.

I've gushed about this humidifier for years (here's proof). It's innovative in that it delivers no-mist moisture, making it completely mold-free. It also has an antimicrobial filter that removes bacteria and heavy metals from the water before evaporating the moisture into the air. The components are even dishwasher-friendly.

Even though it's small enough to fit on my bedside table, it has a 2.5-liter tank that hydrates rooms up to 500 square feet for up to 36 hours of straight running time. Turn it on, and you're good to go. The humidifier uses sensors to maintain optimal moisture both day and night. It helps keep my skin hydrated as I sleep. More than that, it increases air moisture, which makes it harder for airborne viruses to spread.

If there's one eye cream I recommend for fall and winter, it's Kiehl's Avocado Eye Cream. Rich in moisture and essential fatty acids, it plumps the delicate skin around the eyes, while caffeine reduces puffiness.

In the AM, I treat my under-eyes to the best eye patches known to man, AKA YISE Beauty's The Overachiever Eye Patches. The non-slip hydrogel stays right where I put it (there's no annoying slippage), while a combination of vitamin C, peptides, and hyaluronic acid gets to work. They make me look like I get eight hours of sleep every night (I don't).

I simply don't wake up to an iPhone alarm. Even though they're grating, I roll over, hit snooze, and fall right back to sleep. Once I tried the Hatch alarm clock, I was hooked. It uses soft light to mimic a sunrise, waking me up softly and gently while signaling my brain that it's time to wake up (no snooze button needed). It also functions as a sound machine, dampening the noise from my upstairs neighbors. There's even a wind-down feature, which uses light to mimic a sunset, helping your brain and body prepare for sleep.

My Hatch alarm clock certainly helps me wake up, but that doesn't mean I don't need caffeine. I'd like to say I drink water and eat before I head to my espresso machine, but I don't. I roll out of bed and head straight for it. Nespresso's Lattissima One brews the best espresso, and I can even use the built-in milk steamer to make lattes and cappuccinos. It's an investment, but a worthwhile one, in my opinion. It's helped me save so much money on expensive coffee-shop runs.

Once I'm ready to head out the door, there's a 99% chance I'm wearing this jacket. It's versatile and looks even better than it does in the pictures. It's also lightweight, yet incredibly warm, and easy to travel with. I want it in every color, but right now, I'll settle for this dark-green one, Evergreen.

I also love incorporating a vibration plate into my morning routine. They help with muscle activation, balance, circulation, and some people even say lymphatic drainage. All I know is it makes me feel refreshed and wide-awake, and helps me shake off stress (quite literally).

If you're looking for a thick moisturizer that won't clog pores, I can't recommend Aestura's Atobarrier365 Cream enough. With ceramides and niacinamide, it strengthens the natural mositure barrier and keeps redness, dryness, and irritation at bay. I come back to it every fall and winter, and I've even gotten my friend and family members hooked on it.

I have to keep it real. Cold, dark mornings mean I rarely make it to the gym. I simply can't be bothered to change, get ready, drive to a separate location, work out, and drive back. So, I focus on at-home workouts instead. And for those, I need a high-quality, durable, and grippy mat, like Alo's best-selling Warrior Mat.

These convertible wrist and ankle weights are also at-home workout staples.

If you don't have a shower lamp, what are you doing? Seriously, though, I have no regrets about hopping on this TikTok trend. Instead of using my bathroom's overhead light, I turn on this warm-toned, waterproof light source to create a more relaxing ambiance. I keep one by the sink and one directly in my shower. (It's on a shelf out of direct water contact.) They're small but mighty and make my nightly shower feel extra soothing and luxurious.

It might seem like a silly suggestion, but when daylight is scarce and the weather is cold and blustery, my gratitude journal makes a real difference in my state of mind. It takes a minute or two to use, yet it puts me in a brighter mood.