While we’re used to adapting our skincare to allow for skin type and evolving age, many of us stick to the same routine and products all year. Climate has always had an impact on skin health, with hydration key for summer and thicker moisturisers recommended to protect winter-chapped skin.
Even in regions such as the UAE, where the evolving seasons are more subtle, changes in temperature, humidity and more can affect the skin in myriad ways, which can then be balanced with a seasonal approach to skincare.
Seasonal skincare
“Adjusting your skincare routine with the changing seasons is essential, as seasonal variations can significantly impact the skin’s health,” says Melissa Van Wyngaard, an educator and ambassador for skincare brand Comfort Zone.
“During hot and humid months, increased perspiration and oil production can lead to congestion, dehydration and breakouts. In colder, drier weather, the skin often becomes parched, tight and even flaky. Tailoring your skincare regime to account for these seasonal shifts ensures optimal skin health year-round.”
Adjusting the layers in your routine each season is key to maintain the skin without needing a complete overhaul of products
Latifa Elnour,
pharmacist and founder of Ashri Skin
Changes in seasons can also influence changes in diet and exposure to sun, illness and allergens, all of which can adversely affect the skin. “In summer, higher humidity and heat might make your skin oilier and more prone to breakouts, so you need lighter, oil-free products,” says Latifa Elnour, pharmacist and founder of Ashri Skin. “In contrast, winter’s cold and dry air can strip moisture from your skin, making richer, more hydrating products essential.”
Spring skincare: Antioxidants and allergens
In warmer countries such as the UAE, wearing SPF all year round is recommended to prevent sunburn, ageing UV exposure and pigmentation. “Spring is a transition period from winter to warmer, more humid spring weather. This can result in fluctuations in oil production and hydration levels,” says Wyngaard.
The early season requires lighter products, such as non-comedogenic moisturisers, gel-based serums and hydrating mists to provide moisture without added heaviness. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and niacinamide can help the skin journey from the harshness of the winter months and protect the skin from environmental stressors.
Additionally, the season is a time when allergies hit their peak as plants and flowers bloom again, releasing pollen. “Increased pollen can lead to allergic reactions that manifest as itchy, red or watery eyes and exacerbated skin conditions like eczema or hives,” says Elnour.
Summer skincare: Hydration and oil control
Higher summer temperatures cause sweating and excess oil production on the skin, both of which can clog pores leading to breakouts, while moisture loss through the epidermis is at its peak, causing dehydration. This can lead to a skin conundrum as experts advise avoiding heavy moisturisers and serums, while also ensuring maximum hydration.
“Summer calls for oil-control ingredients such as salicylic acid and niacinamide to manage excess oil and breakouts,” says Elnour. “Use lightweight hydrators to provide moisture without added heaviness. Ensure effective sun protection with a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF30 or higher and integrate antioxidants to protect against environmental damage and brighten the skin.”
During the hotter months, experts advise avoiding thicker, heavier emollient creams, which can often feel greasy on warm skin.
Autumn skincare: Exfoliants and acids
The arrival of autumn can cause skin to feel tighter as the mercury drops and the atmosphere gets noticeably drier. Wyngaard says: “Going from summer’s warmth to cooler autumn temperatures can heighten skin sensitivity and irritation.”
Like spring, the season can affect those with allergies, leading to skin redness and sensitivities. Light exfoliants, which include lactic acid or glycolic acid, can work to soften seasonally affected skin and remove dead skin cells. Hyaluronic acid and squalene can support hydration in drier air for smoother skin.
Colder temperatures and low humidity levels can lead to dryness, flakiness, and heightened sensitivity
Melissa Van Wyngaard,
ambassador, Comfort Zone
“During the cooler seasons of autumn and winter, switch to richer moisturisers containing ceramides and fatty acids to prevent dryness and include repairing agents like peptides, to strengthen the skin barrier,” says Elnour. “Heavier creams with hyaluronic acid and fatty acids combat dryness and incorporate soothing agents like oatmeal or aloe vera to calm irritated skin.”
Winter skincare: Ceramides and emollients
Experts agree that winter can be the most challenging season when it comes to skin due to dehydration, skin redness, tightness and capping. “Winter is undeniably the harshest season for the skin,” says Wyngaard. “The combination of colder temperatures and low humidity levels both outdoors and indoors can significantly compromise skin hydration, leading to dryness, flakiness and heightened sensitivity.
“Cold climates outdoors and heated indoor environments both contribute to stripping the skin of its natural oils, which disrupts the skin’s barrier and leads to increased irritation,” she adds.
Avoid astringent products in winter, which tighten and shrink pores, including AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) or highly concentrated acids, which may be too harsh for winter air thus increasing skin sensitivity. Choose thicker, heavier moisturisers and emollients and barrier-protecting and repair formulations, and look for ingredients such as ceramides, shea butter, and fatty acids.
“Exposed areas such as lips, hands and feet can become chapped and cracked due to low moisture,” says Elnour. “Even though the sun may seem less intense in winter, UV rays are still present. This can lead to the misconception that UV protection isn’t necessary during colder months.”
Do you need to buy a new skincare range every season?
Far from splashing out on an array of new products every three or four months, it’s easier and more cost-effective to make small, incremental adjustments to your routine and adapt your existing products to the seasons.
“Adjusting the layers in your routine is key,” explains Elnour. “In winter, you might add a hydrating serum beneath your moisturiser for extra moisture, while in summer, you could simplify your routine by reducing some layers and using lighter, non-greasy formulations to prevent feeling oily. This approach helps you maintain an effective skincare routine without needing a complete overhaul of products each season.”
Tacking on serums and sprays to your existing moisturisers is an easy addition, while a light non-stripping cleanser and light exfoliant can be used year-round and balanced out with lighter or heavier creams based on the season.
Wyngaard says: “By tailoring your cleansing and treatment products to the specific demands of each season, you can maintain balanced, healthy skin throughout the year without the need for an entirely new set of products.”
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
SPECS
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
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The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
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Moving%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SMG%20Studio%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Team17%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
