Order of Skincare

“What is the right skincare order?”

This is probably one of the most asked questions I hear. So I’ve updated this one because well, skincare never goes out of style. Every client that sits in my chair gets a skincare diagnosis because I’m just OCD like that.

I believe that pretty skin = pretty makeup. And a pretty soul = pretty skin. Click To Tweet

If at any time you’d like your own consultation in person (NYC) or via Zoom, you can contact me here to book.

But First: The Importance of Skincare

Like makeup, skin care is a very personal and specific recipe per given face. The type of skin one has in regards to whether it’s oily, normal, combination or dry is just one factor. Environment, diet, age, and lifestyle are also factors that must be taken into consideration.

In other words, if you’re a one product and out-the-house type. I’m not going to give you a 6-step process to gorgeous in the morning. That’s not YOU.

The point of skincare is to meet your skin AND sanity needs. Although, I will push you to step outside your comfort zone and into 2 products because eye cream is a freaking MUST.

I’m really NOT trying to make this complicated and intimidating, I swear.

And either way, don’t worry, I got you.

We all have our THANG.

For instance, I found that my skin changes dramatically (DRY AF) when I move to a different climate. It’s also dry when I’m stressed for a prolonged period of time, and that goes for ANYWHERE on the planet. Or hormones… ladies – no need to elaborate, I know you get it.

And so, I’m writing this for the newbies, the experienced, the curious. Those who have been winging it with makeup and skincare and not sure what a serum is or does. Those wanting to know what to use and what goes on where, when and how.

The Skincare Order of Operations are as follows:

1. Wash your face. Morning and night. There are multiple types of cleansers, ranging from milk to gel, foaming and rinse-off oil.  

• Foaming and gel formulas work best on oily skin. 
• Milk and oil cleansers are best on normal to dry skin. 
• Despite what it sounds like, the oil cleansers work great at removing makeup and DON’T leave you like an oil slick, especially the long wearing formulas. You just pump some onto dry hands and rub it all over your face.  Then rinse off with warm water and watch your day go down the drain.  There is no oily residue if you rinsed well.  
• Personally, I take off my makeup with Simple Micellar Water and a non soap cleanser from the drug store called Purpose. 
• Side note: DO NOT EVER SLEEP IN YOUR MAKEUP. I don’t care what state you’re in or not in, or what hour you get in at. Program your subconscious to wash it off before bed. Not only will it mess up your pillows, it will age you 10 years over time if you sleep in it regularly, no doubt.

2. Apply a toner. Morning and night. This balances out the PH on the skin and also helps remove any leftover makeup and residue.

• There is a wide range of types of toners. If shopping at a drugstore, I love the Simple Soothing Facial Toner. The entire line is formulated for sensitive skin. 
• For a natural toner, I will use Thayer Witch Hazel or Rose Water. I buy it at Whole Foods or any health type store. 
• I also love the options at Mario Badescu as well as the Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals by Nuxe.  Mario is great for beginners because the bottles actually say what type of skin the toner is best for as well as having a great price point. He can be found at Blue Mercury or Nordstrom.

3.Apply eye cream. I use my ring finger to apply ANYTHING skincare related to my eyes, including eye cream and primers, as it has the least amount of pressure.

• Currently, I’m using Premier Cru The Eye Cream by Caudalie.  Caudalie is grape derived, from France and this particular collection within the line has a Resveratrol, to lift and firm. I apply eye cream day and night with my ring finger along the oracle bone, from brow to underneath the eye. 
• Side note: do not apply any eye cream to the eyelids in the morning. This will inhibit your eye makeup to set, causing it to move throughout the day. 

4. Press in serum. I use serums morning and night after I wash my face and tone, and apply it by pressing it into my T zone. This way the pores are open from the heat of the water.  

• Serums activate the layer of skin underneath the top layer that we see. It allows for the skin to absorb more of what is placed on top of it, acting much like a conduit for moisturizer. 
• Serums vary by the active ingredient(s) in the particular type of serum being used.  
• Serums are preventative in my book. Hence, if you’re under 25-27 and don’t have problematic skin, you most likely don’t need one because your body is still reproducing cells. 
• If you’re 27+ (like me), serums are your friend. 
• I don’t put face serums in the eye area. (There are eye serums for that. That’s another post.)
• In the beginning, I started with the Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Supplement, which is like a multivitamin for the skin. 
• Now I use SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel at night and the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum during the day.
• These both serve to correct and calm the redness I typically have. 
• SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic is an AMAZING day option as well. The antioxidants protect heavily again environmental factors (i.e. sunlight and pollution) and fight free radicals (which age us).

5. Apply moisturizer. The type of moisturizer you use again depends on your situation and budget. I like to use thicker moisturizers during the winter and/or at night. And gel based ones in the summer/during the day. 

• When I bought the Cru Eye Cream, it came with a trial size of Premier Cru The Cream that had similar active ingredients as The Eye Cream. I’ve been on it for a little over a week and I love it! 
• I switch off between that and SkinCeuticals Face Cream.

Final Thoughts

Skincare is something I have accepted I need to spend money on as a 30+ gal, but that doesn’t mean the drugstore or indie brands won’t work! 

This is just a basic rundown of things mixed with what I use to keep my skincare swagger on point.  There are also masks and exfoliators, etc. But I’ll save that for another post. 

In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you use and are doing! 

Feel free to shoot me a comment or message with what’s working for you and/or your concern. 

Or, if you’re ready to go ALL IN, you can book one of my online makeup lessons and we’ll work on your skincare routine in that space!