When I first started playing around with skincare, I made a lot of mistakes.
I was so excited about all my fancy new skin stuff, but I had little (“no”) care for how I was actually using it all. And so, I ended up using products in the wrong order or rushing through the whole thing with sloppy application.
As it turns out, speeding through a routine and misusing products will not get you perfect skin (weird), instead, it will waste your time and your products (annoying). In the hopes of saving you from the same confusion and frustration, I’ve collected a few of the essential tips I learnt that thoroughly improved my routine.
Apply Skin Care From Thinnest To Thickest Layering skincare in the correct order is essential to make sure everything can actually work correctly. Always follow product instructions, of course, but if in doubt, just remember that skincare needs to be applied from thinnest to thickest (or from most active to least active).
A standard routine should go something like this: cleanser (because the rest of your skincare needs a clean base), mists/toners, actives or treatment products (e.g. vitamin c in the morning and AHAs or retinol in the evening), humectants (hydrating serums such as hyaluronic acid), face oils, face cream, and then SPF, if it’s daytime.
Wait At Least 60 Seconds Between Each Step Ever applied your skincare, and found that no matter how delicately you tried to pat it over your face, the product just kept balling up? That’s called pilling, and it’s a real pest. Pilling happens when a product you’ve applied can’t sink into your skin properly, which results in the bundling of a product that’s similar to flaky skin. It’s enormously frustrating, but, in most cases, it’s also very fixable if you just slow down your routine. Giving each product at least 60 seconds (more if you can) allows them to better absorb, and that will stop pilling. Rejoice!
Don’t Touch Your Hands Or Face With Droppers Think about it like this: 99% of the time, that dropper sits in the product. So touching it to your fingers or your face or your anything can contaminate the dropper AND the rest of your product. In turn, that can impact product efficacy, plus cause things like breakouts, congestion, or irritation. In short? Don’t do it. Instead, hold the dropper above your palm and squeeze out as many drops as you like, then pop it straight back in the bottle and secure the lid tight.
There you have it! If you have any application questions or tips of your own, drop them below! I’ll leave you with two final quick-fire tips because I just can’t help myself: Always wash your hands before you touch your face (to prevent congestion) and never say no to dessert (to prevent regret).