@Mimie What you use is going to be individual to your skin's needs, but generally you want to:
1. Cleanse your face.
2. Exfoliate to reduce rough or flaky patches - this can be as simple as your toner step depending on the formulation (includes AHA, BHA, PHA, etc.) or introducing a physical exfoliant like peeling gels. You can spot treat trouble areas too rather than exfoliate all over. (The area around my nostrils and upper lip are notorious for clinging to dead skin cells.)
3. Reintroduce hydration. This can also be a hydrating toner or a serum plus your moisturizer depending on your level of need. Check the formulations. If your serum, for example, is very hyaluronic acid based and therefore gel-like, it might cause pilling or rolling of your skin tint or foundation. That's why I prefer to use milky toners under a moisturizer rather than serums before makeup.
4. SPF! Don't rely on SPF in your base makeup for coverage. All skin shades benefit from wearing SPF. Again, check the formulation and make sure that it will play nicely with the formulation of your skin tints or foundations.
Let the skincare marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes to 60 minutes. Personally, I think 20 minutes is the sweet spot for me. After an hour I feel like I need to tone again.
Primer is optional if you're well-hydrated and have a solid moisturizer unless you need extra sebum control or pore/texture blurring. I apply primer around my nose where the pores are larger and also around my eyes to create slip where I have more fine lines. I also prime my eyelids, because they're oily.
If you have puffiness, you may also want to include a treatment for that, whether a cool compress or hydrogel patches. But again, optional.
@hazelmoss I used to cleanse. Tone. Hydrate, I have very oily skin so sometimes I skip hydration. Primer because I need the make up to stick on my oily skin but after that I don't wait I will just put on make up.
Comments (2)
@Mimie What you use is going to be individual to your skin's needs, but generally you want to: 1. Cleanse your face. 2. Exfoliate to reduce rough or flaky patches - this can be as simple as your toner step depending on the formulation (includes AHA, BHA, PHA, etc.) or introducing a physical exfoliant like peeling gels. You can spot treat trouble areas too rather than exfoliate all over. (The area around my nostrils and upper lip are notorious for clinging to dead skin cells.) 3. Reintroduce hydration. This can also be a hydrating toner or a serum plus your moisturizer depending on your level of need. Check the formulations. If your serum, for example, is very hyaluronic acid based and therefore gel-like, it might cause pilling or rolling of your skin tint or foundation. That's why I prefer to use milky toners under a moisturizer rather than serums before makeup. 4. SPF! Don't rely on SPF in your base makeup for coverage. All skin shades benefit from wearing SPF. Again, check the formulation and make sure that it will play nicely with the formulation of your skin tints or foundations. Let the skincare marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes to 60 minutes. Personally, I think 20 minutes is the sweet spot for me. After an hour I feel like I need to tone again. Primer is optional if you're well-hydrated and have a solid moisturizer unless you need extra sebum control or pore/texture blurring. I apply primer around my nose where the pores are larger and also around my eyes to create slip where I have more fine lines. I also prime my eyelids, because they're oily. If you have puffiness, you may also want to include a treatment for that, whether a cool compress or hydrogel patches. But again, optional.
@hazelmoss I used to cleanse. Tone. Hydrate, I have very oily skin so sometimes I skip hydration. Primer because I need the make up to stick on my oily skin but after that I don't wait I will just put on make up.