How to Apply Your Skincare Products Like A Pro

In this post, you'll discover how to apply your skincare products in the right order.

 

Skincare can be as confusing and frustrating as dating. 

 

Just like in relationship matters, where one expert tells you to open up to your partner while another says to keep some things to yourself, skincare advice can be just as confusing.

 

One source says to use a cleanser and toner, while another says to choose between a serum and moisturiser. With so many different opinions out there, it's no wonder you might feel like you’re on a rollercoaster, not knowing which way to turn.

 

So, here's the thing: There is no one-size-fits-all skincare routine. What works for one person might not work for another. 

 

If you're about to start your skincare journey and you’re feeling overwhelmed, fear not. We're here to help you navigate this skincare maze, providing you with the clarity and direction you need to achieve your skincare goals.

 

Let's dive right in!

 

Key Takeaways: How to Apply Your Skincare Products Like A Pro

• Skincare is more than just a routine; it's a form of self-care—an investment in your skin’s well-being, which represents you for a lifetime.

 

• In the morning, start with a cleanser to prepare your skin for the day. Follow with toner, serums, moisturiser, sunscreen (if it's daytime), and makeup (optional).

 

• At night, cleanse your skin to remove impurities. Use toner, apply serums and treatment products, moisturise, and consider using treatment products for specific skin concerns.

 

• Applying skincare products in the right order is crucial for their effectiveness. For example, a moisturiser should come after a serum to ensure it's absorbed properly.

 

• Overall, know your skin type, keep your routine simple, use sunscreen day and night, maintain a healthy diet, stay hydrated, and get good sleep. These practices are essential for healthy and glowing skin.

 

What Really Is Skincare? How to Apply Your Skincare Products

Technically, skincare is a variety of practices implemented on the skin to improve your overall skin’s appearance and treat certain skin conditions.

Put simply, skincare is everything you do to your skin to make it look better and treat any problems it might have.

 

Why Invest In Skincare? The Benefits of Skincare

“Invest in your skin. It's going to represent you for a very long time." Linden Tyler

 

Looking and feeling our best is a fundamental part of our daily lives. I mean, we ought to face the world with confidence and radiance, but sometimes our skin has other plans. 

Whether it's those unexpected blemishes, signs of fatigue, dark circles, signs of ageing, swollen undereyes, or those pesky skin concerns like acne or hyperpigmentation,our skin can be both our best friend and our worst enemy.

 

This is why buying skincare products and mastering how to apply them can indeed do wonders for your skin. 

 

But beyond that, it’s about taking proactive steps to address your skin's unique needs, allowing you to feel confident and comfortable in your own skin as you go about your daily life.

 

So, the benefits of indulging in skincare include:

• Reduced visible pores, wrinkles, and under-eye circles.

• Protection from harmful sun rays, hyper-pigmentation and lower risk to skin cancer

• Renewed dead skin cells result in a healthier and younger look

• Early detection of underlying medical conditions is important, as sometimes our skin can tell us something about our overall health.

• Increased confidence 

• Better self-care and self-love

Bottom line: the skin is the largest organ of the body. 

 

As we go about our daily hustle and bustle, our skin acts as our "guardian shield," ensuring that we are protected from the harmful elements in the environment and the wear and tear of life. 

 

So, it’s important to invest time and energy in protecting and preserving our skin with the best skincare products and routines.

 

How to Apply Your Skincare Products: The Right Order of Application

 

When it comes to applying your skincare products, doing it in the right order matters. 

 

It's like building a house or making a dish, where you need to ensure you lay the proper foundation and follow the right sequence of steps; otherwise, you won’t achieve the desired results.

 

In the same way, layering your skincare products in the correct order translates to the right recipe for healthy, glowing skin. 

 

So, let’s discover the perfect recipe for healthy, radiant skin.

 

Morning Skincare Routine: How to Apply Your Skincare Products in the Morning

Start With a Face Wash (Cleanser)

 

This is just like when making a meal, you wash your ingredients to get rid of dirt and prep them to make the rest of the cooking process easier.

 

In the same way, start your morning routine with a gentle cleanser to remove impurities and build-ups from overnight.

 

A simple everyday gentle face wash will thoroughly cleanse your face, preparing it for the other products.  

 

A foaming face wash is ideal for oily and acne-prone skin, whereas a non-foaming and hydrating face wash is ideal for dry skin. Likewise, use a gentle body wash to cleanse the rest of your body.

 

Use a Toner

 

What’s that one activity you do to awaken your senses and kickstart your day? It could be taking a cup of coffee or listening to your favourite jam. That’s the same effect of a toner on your skin.

 

A toner refreshes and awakens your skin, setting the stage for your skincare products to work their magic. It's the invigorating boost your skin needs to start the day feeling rejuvenated.

 

It also balances the skin’s pH level and provides an extra layer of hydration. A hydrating toner will also help remove dead skin cells and improve skin texture.

 

Apply Your Special/ Treatment Serums (Optional)

Serums and treatment products are the MVPs of any skincare routine. They're formulated with the right concentration of active ingredients that go deep into your skin to target specific concerns, like fine lines, dark spots, and acne.

For example, a vitamin C serum can help brighten your complexion and fade dark spots. Retinol, on the other hand, can help speed up cell turnover and improve your skin's texture and elasticity.

In summary, adding a couple of treatment products to your daily skincare routine can make it more effective and help you address specific skincare concerns.

 

Moisturise: The Right Order to Apply Your Skincare Products

What do you do when you’re about to go outdoors on a rainy day? You use an umbrella, right?

 

In the same way, you shouldn’t leave your house without a moisturiser. A moisturiser hydrates and protects your skin from the effects of the harsh elements in the atmosphere. 

 

It can also help to reduce oil production and prevent breakouts. Using face moisturizer and body moisturizer will hydrate and lock in moisture, helping to keep your skin soft, smooth, and well-nourished.

 

Use Sunscreen

The sun’s ultraviolet radiation can be harmful to our skin, and sunscreen is our protective shield against our skin’s number one enemy.

 

So, the penultimate step in your morning skincare regimen should be to apply a face and body mineral sunscreen with at least SPF 50. Mineral sunscreens are generally considered safe and are less likely to cause skin irritation or allergies, making them suitable for sensitive skin.

 

Apply Primer & Makeup (Optional)

 

If you want to finish up your day’s look with simple makeup, you can go ahead and start with a primer. A primer helps lay the foundation for other products to blend in smoothly.

 

It also helps your makeup last longer. Once you are done priming your face, you can go in with your products, like foundation and powder, and end with a setting spray for a smoother look.

 

 

Night Skincare Routine: How to Apply Your Skincare Products at Night

Cleanse Your Skin

Yeah, you guessed right! Start again by cleansing your skin! 

 

After a long day, cleanse! This will remove all the dirt, sweat, and oil that's built up on your skin throughout the day. If you had makeup on for the day, you'll need to do a double cleanse. 

 

That means using two different cleansers: one to remove your makeup, and then another to cleanse your skin deeply.

 

Use Your Toner

As usual, use a toner to eliminate the remaining dirt on your face and prep your skin for the other products in your nighttime regimen.

 

Apply Your Serums & Treatment Products

At night, when you apply your skincare products, your skin absorbs them better because it's not bombarded with the harsh elements of the environment. So, if you have any specific skin issues, like acne, hyperpigmentation, or wrinkles, it's best to use treatment products at night.

 

Our skin does a lot of repairing, restoring, and rejuvenating while we sleep. That's why you wake up with a "morning glow" after a good night's sleep, and when you don't get enough sleep, your skin looks dull and tired.

 

Why do you think it’s called “beauty sleep”?

 

Apply Your Moisturiser: The Right Order to Apply Your Skincare Products

 

This is another important part of the nighttime routine, as your skin gets to reap all the benefits of your products while you sleep. So, moisturise your face and body with a good moisturiser.

 

Apply Face Oil  and Other Essentials (Only If You Have Dry Skin)

This is essential if you have dehydrated skin, and nighttime is best so that it doesn’t interfere with other products. And with this, you can end your nightly routine or proceed to apply your treatment products.

 

Use Your Retinoids( Recommended for People Treating Acne and Hyperpigmentation)

 

You can use azelaic acid and retinoids to treat acne and hyperpigmentation. However, they’re not to be used in the same routine.

 

Ideally, azelaic acid can be included in your morning or night routine, whereas retinoids should be used only at night.

 

If you’re including retinoids as part of your nighttime routine, do not pair them with the following ingredients: vitamin C or salicylic acid.

 

Why the Order of Your Skin Care Routine Matters

The order of your skincare routine matters because of the nature of some skincare products. Certain products can’t work effectively if they're applied after another. 

 

For instance, if you apply a moisturiser before a serum, the moisturiser will block the serum from penetrating your skin. This is why it is important to apply your products in the right order to get the most out of them, which is:

 

• Cleanser

• Toner

• Serum

• Moisturiser  

• Sunscreen (for morning routine only and optional at night)

• Makeup (optional for daytime routine)

• Retinoids/spot treatment with active ingredients (as your nightly routine finisher)

Obviously, the specific products you use and the order in which you use them will vary depending on your skin type and concerns. But by following this simple general guide, you’ll be doing it right.

 

Essential Skincare Tips to Elevate Your Skincare Routine and Promote Healthy Skin From Skincare Experts

Here are a few skincare best practices recommended by our skincare experts and other dermatologists:

• Know your exact skin type

An easy way to discover your skin type is by observing your skin. 

 

If you have a shiny face throughout the day, you likely have oily skin. If your skin feels tight, flaky, or scaly, you likely have dry skin.

 

More so, if the shine is only in your T-zone, you probably have combination skin, and if your skin feels hydrated and comfortable but not oily, you likely have normal skin. Still, it’s important to always consult a skincare specialist to determine your skin type and the best skin treatment and products for your specific skincare concerns.

 

• Keep your skincare products simple, as using too many products may cause irritation

 

• Stick to the recommended quantity or dosage of your products. Layering your products in an excessive amount does not make the product work any faster. 

 

Rather, it could lead to irritation and clogged pores.

• Always patch-test products on your inner arm before applying them to your face and the rest of the body, especially when introducing a new product to your skincare routine.

 

• Use your moisturiser day and night

 

• Use sunscreen in the morning. Sunscreen is essential in your everyday morning skincare routine, all year round, not just on sunny days.

 

Skincare expert Dr. Palmer suggests that "our daily exposure to UV light from our environment contributes to visible ageing signs and wrinkles. Hence, we need to protect our skin using sunscreen, whether outdoors or indoors.

• Maintain a healthy and nourishing diet. Healthy and glowing skin requires a holistic approach consisting of a healthy diet and a great skincare routine.

 

• Stay hydrated

 

• Avoid touching your face.

 

• Maintain proper hygiene. Wash your body, clothing, and bed linens properly to get rid of dirt and bacteria.

 

• Always get good sleep. 

 

“Sleep is your skin's best friend. During deep slumber, your skin goes into repair mode, healing and rejuvenating. A good night's sleep is the secret to waking up with a radiant, refreshed complexion." Dr. Emily Jones, a renowned dermatologist

• Pregnant women and people with skincare conditions affecting their skin should always seek advice from a professional before using any products with active ingredients.

Wrapping Up…

Embarking on a journey to master the art of applying skincare products is a rewarding endeavour. Just as a seasoned chef carefully selects and combines ingredients to create a delectable dish, so too can you curate a skincare routine that enhances your natural beauty. 

 

Skincare is more than a daily ritual; it's a form of self-care that invests in the well-being of your skin, which, in turn, represents you for a lifetime. This guide has provided you with the foundation to build a sustainable skincare routine. 

 

Remember, it's not just about products; it's about creating a harmonious relationship between your skin and the world. By following the recommended steps, and adhering to essential skincare tips, you'll not only achieve a healthy, radiant, and glowing complexion but also celebrate the journey of self-discovery and self-care.

 

FAQs

What is the correct way to layer skincare products?

 

The basic rule is, after cleansing, start with your light products, like toner and serums, then move to products with a thicker consistency, like moisturisers, to hydrate your skin and lock in moisture.

 

What are the 5 basics of skincare?

 

The 5 basics of skincare are: cleanser, toner, serums, moisturiser, and sunscreen.

 

Is sunscreen a moisturiser?

 

No, sunscreen is not a moisturiser. Sunscreens and moisturisers serve different purposes, and one should not be used in place of the other.

 

Sunscreens protect you from harmful UV light, whereas moisturisers keep your skin hydrated.

 

Should you use a cleanser or toner together?

 

You should use a cleanser first. A cleanser and toner serve different purposes and should not be used together. 

 

Instead, they should be used sequentially. In other words, start with your cleanser, and after a few minutes, use your toner.

 

Should you use a serum before or after moisturiser?

 

You should use a serum before applying a moisturiser, because your moisturiser serves as a sealant for all the products you’ve applied from the start of your routine to this point. 

 

Serums have a lighter consistency and contain more active ingredients that target specific skin issues than moisturisers. So,  using a moisturiser first will hinder the effectiveness of your serums.

 

How much time should you give in between products before applying another?

 

The amount of time you should wait between applying skincare products depends on the products and your skin type. For example, you can apply a toner immediately after cleansing. 

 

However, for other products, such as serums, you may need to wait a few minutes to allow your skin to absorb the nutrients and work effectively. Overall, it is generally best to wait 3-5 minutes between applying each product.

 

Find out more popular skincare FAQs answered for you!