Do you use a serum? I did a piece in<em> ELLE Canada</em> on them not long ago—they're basically light, translucent fluids that can deliver a higher percentage of skin-beautifying active ingredients into your dermis than, say, your usual moisturizer. (And those ingredients aren't just for lines and wrinkles: serums can improve texture, hydration and tone too.) Since they're so light, you can layer them under your usual cream or lotion. Or, if you've got oilier skin, you can even wear them alone... although maybe not in the winter in Canada!

At the 'rents over the holidays I did some rummaging through my products arsenal—if you caught <a href="http://blog.chickadvisor.com/2009/11/colour-sensational-kisses-michelle.html" target="_blank">this piece</a>, you know that my old bedroom is sort of a makeshift beauty closet—and one of the products I reacquainted myself with is <a href="http://www.thisworks.com/home/shop/18/31/active-serum" target="_blank">This Works Active Serum</a> (available at Holt Renfrew stores across Canada). <a href="http://www.thisworks.com/" target="_blank">This Works</a>, if you're not familiar with it, was founded by <a href="http://www.thisworks.com/home/about/kathy-phillips" target="_blank">ex-UK Vogue beauty director Kathy Phillips</a>, who decided to create her own line when she couldn't find products that contained therapeutic levels of essential oils. (Translation: products that really work.) And so, a brand was born. I interviewed Phillips last year and trust me: she really, really knows her stuff.

Case in point: the award-winning <a href="http://www.thisworks.com/home/shop/18/31/active-serum" target="_blank">Active Serum</a>—infused with vitamin C, ginseng, guava and algae—seriously rivals the more high-tech options out there in terms of hydrating, brightening and tightening. But it comes <em>sans</em> chemicals. It also has the most amazing ylang-ylang scent (the main reason I fell in love with <a href="http://beautyeditor.ca/2009/10/27/decleor-a-cult-favourite-goes-paraben-free/" target="_blank">Decléor's Ylang Ylang Purifying Night Balm</a>). I'll be using this all winter along with <a href="http://beautyeditor.ca/2009/11/30/editors-picks-november/" target="_blank">my Biologique Recherche Paris routine</a>.

What about you—have you jumped on board the serum train? Which ones tickle your fancy?