Knowing where skin products fit in a routine can be a real puzzle. Beauty editor Bettina Tyrrell provides a fool-proof guide to skin care layering.
The fundamentals of a good, basic skin regimen include cleanse, moisturise and protect. The additional steps like exfoliate, tone and treat (this is your serums, mists, masks, etc) are the bells and whistles that make a skin routine fun and completely addictive. But amid the joy of a multi-step regimen is making sure to apply your products in an order that will be most effective.
As a general rule, skin care should be applied in order of its consistency, from thinnest to thickest. A standard routine should go something like this: cleanser, mists and toners, actives or treatment products (think Vitamin C in the morning and AHAs or retinol at night), humectants (hydrating serums such as hyaluronic acid), face oils, face cream, and then SPF (a non-negotiable if it’s daytime).
The key ingredients in your skin care can also determine where the product sits in a routine. For example, because retinol can make your skin more sensitive to UV rays, and sunlight can decrease its efficacy, retinol is a night-time only ingredient. There are a few additional skin ingredient guidelines I like to follow:
Vitamin C is best applied in the morning. While there is no harm in applying it at night, as a powerful antioxidant Vitamin C provides brilliant protection against the damaging effects of stress, sun and pollution.
Hyaluronic Acid’s main benefit is that it provides a temporary plumping effect to the skin. If you apply it before bed, no one is going to see your beautiful dewy, bouncy skin, so pop it on in the morning.
Do your exfoliating at night. Resurfacing and exfoliating actives like AHAs and BHAs can make skin more sun-sensitive, and for me personally, they can bring out some redness in my skin. So, I like to keep them for the PM.
To help provide a guide to skincare layering, this is a peek into my AM and PM regimens. I like to keep my routine fairly pared back and simple with multi-benefit products that are clean and effective.
CLEANSE: This doesn’t suit everyone, but I prefer to wash my face in the morning with just lukewarm water, and sometimes a soft washcloth. My skin tends to be on the dryer side, so this works for me. Although, when we get to peak Australian summer and those sticky humid nights, I might opt for a gentle cleanser such as the ultra-soothing Madara Cleansing Milk.
MIST: I like to apply my skin care to a slightly damp complexion; I believe it helps with the absorption of products. A couple of spritzes of Amala Soothe Replenishing Rosewater Mist, perks my skin right up.
Soothe Replenishing Rosewater Moisture Mist
TREAT + MOISTURISE: Recently I’ve become completely obsessed with Vitamin B as a skin care ingredient. It literally does it all: helps to improve uneven tone, wrinkles and fine lines, dullness and enlarged pores. Usually I would apply a Vitamin B serum followed by a hydrating moisturiser, however since discovering Venn’s Vitamin B Activated All-in-One Concentrate, I can do two-steps in one. This super luxurious cream is loaded with Vitamin B and all its genius benefits plus it gives my skin the moisture it needs. It’s been a total gamechanger.
Vitamin B Activated All-In-One Concentrate
PROTECT: This is the important one. If you don’t apply sunscreen every day, you can consider all of the steps before this one void. We know that sun damage causes 80 percent of what we call signs of skin ageing (eg lines, wrinkles and pigmentation). Finding a sunscreen that feels right for you is important. Salt And Stone’s SPF 50+ Face Stick is a brilliant natural option because it provides broad spectrum protection, plus it’s spiked with antioxidants which pair so well with SPF to help combat the effects of environmental impact on skin.
SPF 50+ Face Stick
A skin nourishing, 100% natural sunscreen face stick with a matte finish. This water-resistant formula glides on smoothly and sinks into the skin effortlessly offering broad spectrum UV protection combined with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory botanicals for healthy and hydrated skin.
Best for: Everyday sun protection for all skin types.
Volume: 15 grams
DOUBLE CLEANSE: Because I wear layers of skincare, SPF and makeup I’m a big advocate for double-cleansing to sweep the skin of all that build-up. Whether you use the same cleanser twice or opt for two different formulas is entirely up to you. Personally I love a cleansing oil, like Les Huilettes Mon Huilette Cleanse because as it cleans it drenches the skin in nourishment and the result is a soft, supple complexion. Remember to spend some time washing your face too, like we learnt with hand washing, a good 30 seconds massaging the skin is what’s needed to really purify. Once a week I will add in an exfoliating step after cleansing to whisk away dead cells and debris that sits in pores.
Mon Huilette Cleanse
MIST: Instead of a hydrating and soothing mist like I would use in the morning, for the evening I’ll opt for a formula that has toning and clarifying benefits.
TREAT: From night-to-night the products in this step change depending on how my skin is feeling and looking. A retinol or Vitamin A, or AHA product would sit nicely here. But lately I’ve been enjoying using True Organics of Sweden Face It Serum. It’s a gentle jack-of-all-trades serum that does so many things in one and my skin has been looking happy and healthy since I’ve started using it.
Face It Serum
MOISTURISE: For the evening I like a good thick night cream or balm. I want my face to be cocooned in moisture so when I wake up my it’s plump, firm and fresh. The Namari Sorbet is jam-packed with goodness. It melts onto the complexion and my skin slurps it right up. If you like an eye cream in your regimen, apply it before your moisturiser or balm. Eye creams are brilliant, but this is the one step I’ve never fully committed too. However, after the year we’ve had, I think I definitely need to invest in one.
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