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How to apply skin care in the right order

by Aaron|May 17, 2023
The importance of order

When faced with a counter full of skin care products, it can be daunting to know where to start. Should face serums come before spot treatments, and what about skin peels and eye creams? The order in which you apply your skin care does matter when it comes to getting the maximum benefits out of each and every formula. We’ll break down the best overall steps to apply skin care, plus share how-to regimens for how to apply skin care products from three popular brands:

5 steps to apply skin care in the right order

When it comes to how to apply skin care products, there are some general strategies that can help you navigate the process and maximize the absorption of all the formulas you’re using. “Cleansing always comes first,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “After that, start with the thinnest products and work your way toward the thickest. There may be exceptions depending on the specific instructions of the brand you’re using, but this is a good general rule of thumb.”

Here is a quick breakdown of the five basic steps to apply skin care:

1) Cleanser and toner

An effective skin care regimen starts with a good cleanser and toner. The cleanser removes makeup, dirt and oil from the surface of the skin. Next, the toner reaches deep down into pores to remove any leftover debris and prepare the skin for your other products.

2) Exfoliator, mask or peel

Exfoliators and masks, as well as any other treatment products, can be used once or twice a week along with your regular routine. Masks should be applied to clean skin to allow for proper absorption. Exfoliators help lift away dead skin cells, so you should use them after you cleanse and tone to encourage cell renewal. Masks are generally used at night, while exfoliators can be used at other times in the day, but this can vary.

3) Spot treatment

If you have a prescription or spot treatment product, you should apply it to problem areas at this point in your regimen. This will allow the most concentrated products to properly absorb into the skin.

4) Serum and eye cream

Lightweight formulas such as serums and gels should come after you’ve cleansed, toned and spot treated. After you apply any serums, now’s the time to gently apply an eye cream or gel to the delicate orbital area.

5) Lotion and cream

The last step in your routine should be to apply your moisturizer. These thicker formulas help lock in moisture and balance the complexion. In the morning, you should apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen after your moisturizer to protect skin against UV damage.

How to apply skin care products from LovelySkin LUXE

LovelySkin LUXE is Dr. Schlessinger’s own skin care line designed to help you achieve the appearance of more youthful-looking skin thanks to afaLUXE™, a proprietary blend of amino-based filaggrin antioxidants, Dead Sea minerals and vitamin C that work together to encourage natural exfoliation with minimal irritation. “When I designed the LovelySkin LUXE regimen, I put a great deal of thought into what ingredients to use and how they all would interact and complement each other,” Dr. Schlessinger says. This five-step nighttime routine is great for all skin types, especially those prone to acne or concerned with improving the appearance of skin texture and tone.

LovelySkin LUXE

1) Start off by washing your face with LovelySkin LUXE Clarifying Gel Cleanser, an all-around staff favorite that helps keep skin clear and blemish-free with salicylic acid, glycolic acid and afaLUXE™.

2) Next, spritz on LovelySkin LUXE Toner Mist to help boost your skin’s hydration levels and maintain a natural moisture balance.

3) Your next step is LovelySkin LUXE Exfoliating Gel Mild 11%, a gel-like serum that helps boost collagen production, minimize the appearance of large pores, smooth rough texture and improve acne with afaLUXE™.

4) Pamper your skin with an extra boost of hydration from LovelySkin LUXE HA Peptide Serum, which contains hyaluronic acid to help firm and plump skin, Persian silk tree extract to combat the signs of skin fatigue and apple stem cells to help repair cellular damage from aging and daily environmental factors.

5) The last step is LovelySkin LUXE Ultra-Rich Peptide Moisturizer, a nourishing face cream that helps minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles to protect against damage caused by free radicals with argan oil, peptides and afaLUXE™.

How to apply skin care products from SkinCeuticals

If you’re looking for a gentle yet effective skin care regimen for skin that’s sensitive or easily irritated, you’ll find it with this lineup. Check out these six steps to apply skin care from SkinCeuticals as part of your nighttime routine.

SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E Antioxidant Night Concentrate Treatment

1) Start by cleansing your face with SkinCeuticals Soothing Cleanser Foam. This hydrating formula lathers up to remove dirt and impurities from your skin while also relieving puffiness and calming irritation.

2) Ready for your toner step? SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Essence Mist is a hydrating toner that also helps strengthen your skin’s moisture barrier and improve visible redness. Hyaluronic acid and glycerin help draw moisture into your skin while a botanical blend of olive leaf, rosemary, cucumber and thyme extract help soothe irritation.

3) For your serum step, try SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E Antioxidant Night Concentrate Treatment. This lightweight gel-serum helps your skin recover overnight with resveratrol to support your skin’s natural repair processes, vitamin E to replenish skin lipids and baicalin to protect skin from environmental aggressors.

4) In this SkinCeuticals nighttime routine, retinol comes next. SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 Refining & Anti-Aging Night Cream is a lightweight cream with 0.5% retinol to help increase cellular turnover and, as a result, improve the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and discoloration.

5) Next up, it’s time to give your eyes some TLC. SkinCeuticals A.G.E Eye Cream Complex is a potent anti-aging eye treatment that helps diminish the appearance of dark circles and puffiness and increase firmness with Proxylane and blueberry extract.

6) Last but not least is SkinCeuticals all-star moisturizing cream, Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 Anti-Aging Cream. Formulated with a unique ratio of lipids—2% ceramides, 4% natural cholesterol and 2% fatty acids—this face treatment helps correct signs of aging while helping to restore your skin’s moisture levels. When used overnight, you’ll wake up to more radiant, healthy-looking skin.

How to apply skin care products from Revision Skincare

If reducing visible signs of aging is the top priority for your mature skin, this six-step evening routine from Revision Skincare could be a good match. You’ll start with a brightening face wash and end with a series of face treatments to target fine lines, wrinkles and loss of elasticity for firmer, smoother-looking skin.

Revision Skincare DEJ Eye Cream

1) Start with Revision Skincare Brightening Facial Wash, which will remove all traces of dirt, oil and makeup as well as help exfoliate your skin with salicylic and glycolic acids to leave it looking smoother and brighter.

2) Next, further exfoliate your skin with Revision Skincare Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, a scrub-in mask that uses micro-exfoliants and pumpkin enzymes to help sweep away dead skin cells and reveal brighter, more even-looking skin.

3) For an anti-aging spot treatment, Revision Skincare Revox Line Relaxer is a holy grail pick. Revision’s patent-pending LineRelax technology helps improve the appearance of facial lines in several areas, including crow’s feet, nasolabial folds and forehead and glabellar lines.

4) For your serum step, Revision Skincare DEJ Daily Boosting Serum can be used both in the morning and evening. This antioxidant serum supports your skin’s natural production of collagen and protects against free radical damage with vitamin C, resveratrol, red seaweed and Revision’s patented Sunflower Sprout Extract Technology.

5) Eye cream comes next! Revision Skincare DEJ Eye Cream is formulated to target crow’s feet, puffiness and under-eye crepiness with a cooling metal applicator that makes the formula easy to apply.

6) The last step in your Revision Skincare evening routine is the DEJ Night Face Cream, which has time-released retinol and bakuchiol to help reduce the prominence of fine lines and wrinkles while you sleep. It also contains vitamin C to help improve uneven skin tone and hyaluronic acid to provide instant skin hydration.

Whether you’re a skin care novice or pro, skin safety is important for all ages and skin types. Visit the LovelySkin Blog today to learn some important facts about melanoma and how to keep your skin safe.

Author photo

About the Author

Aaron serves as Editor at LovelySkin. Since graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2016 with degrees in Creative Writing and English, he has immersed himself in the beauty industry. When he’s not writing about the latest beauty trends, he spends time cuddling his dogs, scouring antique stores, playing tennis and hiking.

Other Posts by Aaron

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