“When I pull up it gets hectic” is not just a Cardi B lyric, it could be what’s happening to your face right now. Or, give it a few weeks...it’ll happen soon enough. Because whenever a new season “pulls up”—and fluctuating temperatures and fresh new allergens along with it—it’s hard for your skin to easily adjust (unless it’s not hard, to which we say stop bragging…). Maybe the lightweight moisturizer that was perfect for summer turns hostile when hit with its first fall breeze. Or the exclusive relationship that you thought would last forever with your cleanser becomes acrimonious without warrant or warning.

Transitional skincare cuts through the chaos that a new season and changing weather often bring. But it’s a little more complicated than just swapping your summer moisturizer for your winter one, or a hydrating cleanser in lieu of an acid wash. That’s because the weather during this time is so wildly inconsistent! Maybe the light moisturizer is fine on Tuesday when it’s 80-degrees and humid, but come Wednesday night, when the thermostat bottoms out at 55-degrees, what then? What’s the appropriate course of action? If you’re consistently replacing a bunch of products in your routine, you run the risk of skin irritation. If you switch over to your cold weather routine, you might feel too moisturized and shiny on warmer days, and if you stick to your summer routine, you could be missing out on some helpful hydration. Honestly, what’s a person to do? We’d really like the answer, because we’re kind of stumped. How do you approach transitional skincare? Help us out in the comments below. October's nearly here and there's no time to waste!

Photo via ITG