Do you want to get maximum benefits from your beauty routine? I guess the answer is YES! Who wants to spend hours in the bathroom layering products for nothing?!
When you follow a cooking recipe or a set of instructions, it’s pretty crucial that you do it the appropriate order, right? Step one comes before step two, which comes before step three, and so on. It would be kind of odd to jump from one to five to four to seven to two—cos that cake you’re baking we know wouldn’t work. I’m not saying your face is a cake, but it does require specific and thoughtful care.
You could be using the best products in the world but, if you’re applying them randomly, they’re not going to be nearly as effective. Some products are conducive and other occlusive; knowing their natural chemistry and establishing the correct order to apply them helps you optimise their benefits in your skin.
Though it may vary a bit depending on the person and the products, there are a few general rules when it comes to the order in which you should be applying skin care so it’s as effective as possible. It’s not like the stuff won’t work if it’s not applied in the exact same order every single day, but it does make a difference when you follow these rules.
Since your skin performs most of its regenerating and restoring functions at night when you’re sleeping, let’s start with how you should be approaching your night-time skin care routine. Take notes!
Step 1: Makeup Remover
Take that stuff off and let your skin breathe. By removing that layer of cosmetics, dirt, pollution and general daily build-up, you’re preparing your skin for everything that comes after, making it the ideal canvas to soak up subsequent products. (Hint hint: This is the perfect time to employ the double cleanse we talked about in our blog post The Secret for Extra-Glowing Skin !) You can use any type of makeup remover, foaming, creamy or micellar it all comes down to your preferences.
Step 2: Cleanser
If you’re double cleansing, this is where the “double” comes in. If you’re ignoring my wise advice, that’s ok. But seriously, this is the most rewarding step you can take when it comes to your skin. Now is the time to use a gentle cleanser, like Floral Cleanser. Mix it with water, oil or a creamy yogurt and gently massage into your face for 30-6o seconds. I like to take my time in this step, I find it’s a mindful ritual that connects me with my body—a great opportunity to provide care and love to your skin.
Step 3: Mist
Feel free to skip this step if you have flawless skin, but if not, treat your face to a spritz of facial mist. Our face mists may seem indulgent, but they are formulated in such a way that they treat your face thanks to their so-good-for-you botanicals along with extra hydration before you even start applying curative products. And since they leave your face a bit damp, whatever you layer on top will have water molecules to grab onto, letting it travel that much further into the skin. Discover our Dew Drops a unique blend of botanical extracts rich in antioxidants, vitamins and phyto-actives that leaves the complexion feeling refreshed, radiant and revitalised. And our Mist of Roses designed for fortify skin’s matrix and prevent the appearance of wrinkles and laxity—the perfect anti-aging mist.
Step 4: Treating Products
If you are using a specific product to treat a skin condition like a whitening serum, or an acne treatment, it should be applied to skin that’s as close to bare as possible (free of makeup and any other products) to maximise their benefits. Most acne treatments work by drying up excess oil and targeting bacteria. I don’t agree with this approach to treat acne, however if you use any of these and apply it over other serums and oils, it’ll have a hard time getting through to the blemish and will likely just dry up the expensive face oil you just applied, not the excess sebum you’d like to target.
Step 5: Aqueous Serum
Think of serum like a skin multivitamin complex—our Aqua Serum Elixir is a concentrated blend of things that are superb for your skin, depositing them all in one go. Because serum are so active, you want them on clean skin that’s as free as possible of dead skin cell build-up so they have the best chance of penetrating. Go ahead and treat your face to some serum goodness by gently pressing the stuff into your skin. Patting rather than rubbing. Those active ingredients are delicate and need to be released into your skin as such. Rubbing isn’t bad but pressing is better. Plus, gently pressing ensures the serum actually sinks into skin instead of just chilling on top of it. If you’re using more than one serum — which is totally ok — just make sure to apply the thinnest one first and give each a few minutes to really sink into your skin before moving onto the next.
Tip: For very sensitive skin, some serums can be too reactive if applied to bare skin. Applying them over a moisturizer will dampen the effect and hopefully reduce irritation.
Step 6: Moisturiser (Optional at Night-time)
You know in our alchemic approach, we rather not to add any lipid-based (oil-based) or occlusive products at nighttime (You can read more about at the bottom of this page). But we understand we are all different and that’s what makes us all very especial and unique. Hence, if you’re into the heavier portion of the evening, this is the time to lather that creamy and cushiony face cream like Whipped Cream. If you accidentally moisturise before your serum, the ingredients in the latter will have a really hard time penetrating through the moisturiser layer and your skin won’t benefit nearly as much.
Step 7: Face Oil or Balm (I highly recommend this one only in the mornings)
If you’re suffering from extra dry skin or just love using these very lipid-rich products, now is the time to do so. Unlike the more delicate serum, oil can penetrate moisturizer to get down into the skin. (But, moisturizer can’t penetrate oil, so again, make sure you’re going in the right order.) Face oil or balm is also the ultimate barrier and will securely lock everything you’ve applied before it into your skin, so it can get to work all day long.
Step 8: Eye Cream + Lip Treatment
I know, I know: I told you to apply the lightest stuff first and work your way up to heaviest, but eye cream is the exception. If you’re using our products, and you are like me, you don’t need this extra step as all our face products can be applied around your eyes and are designed to do so. But if you’re using stuff that shouldn’t really go near your eyes anyway, as that skin is very thin and sensitive, this is when you would apply it. You’ll want to apply a very small amount and do so very gently (use your fingers to gently tap it on). And of course, your lips are skin, too; don’t skimp on the moisture there either (day & night for moistened & plump lips).
Et voilà! In a perfect world, this is how you optimise your skincare routine.
Keep Sparkling Naturally,
Sonia x
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