Step one to a multistep skin-care routine is getting all the products. Step two is letting Bank of America know that you were not hacked but merely making an annuity-level skin-care investment toward perfect pores at Sephora. And step three is knowing what order in which to use your newly acquired products. Unlike assembling an IKEA Hennes desk, there’s no fold-out diagram instructing you to slather Potion 1 after Similar Potion 4. When does sunscreen come into play? When do you apply eye cream? This beauty GIF will show you the correct order in which to tackle your skin-care routine.
Step One: As a general rule, the lightest products go on the face first. In most cases, that means toner. Washing your face alkalizes your skin’s pH, and toners aim to restore its balance. If you use a softener (meant to soften the top layer of skin to prepare it for moisture absorption) as seen here, you would apply that product first.
Step Two: Follow the sage advice of Nora Ephron and don’t forget to give your neck some skin-care love.
Step Three: Next, apply your serum. Think of serum as fertilizer for your face. Its aim isn’t so much to provide moisture (as a moisturizer should) but to target-treat skin concerns. It can also work with a moisturizer to provide an added boost.
Step Four: Moisturizer goes on after serum. You’ll want to start at the top of your face and work down.
Step Five: Eye cream goes on after moisturizer, which you want to pat on lightly around your orbital bone.
Step Six: Make sure you also apply eye cream above your eye, too, especially if it is a lifting cream. The skin above your eye is just as delicate.
Step Seven: In your daytime routine, sunscreen goes on last. Sunscreen should go on last to maximize the time of its UV protection effectively (generally around three hours after first application) and also so the benefits of your skin-care routine are felt first.
Step Eight: The satisfied glow of someone who has finally finished her skin-care routine.
