Achieving healthy, glowing skin isn’t about relying on just one miracle product, it’s about mastering the art of skincare layering! By carefully layering the right products in the correct order in your daily routine, you will not only maximise each products efficacy, you’ll achieve your best skin yet too!
But how do you get it right you might be asking? With so many lotions and potions and treatments, we know mastering your skincare routine can be somewhat overwhelming, but that’s why we are here to help you build a routine that works for your skin.
From cleansing to SPF, keep reading as we count down the essential steps of skincare layering and how each step plays a vital role in maintaining a truly flawless complexion.
Why skincare laying is important
Skincare layering isn't just another beauty trend! It's a science-backed approach to maximizing the benefits of your products. When you layer the essentials in the correct order, the lighter, thinner ones (like serums) can penetrate deeper into your skin, allowing the heavier products (like moisturisers) to seal in the benefits for maximum results. Layering also allows you to target multiple skin concerns at once, plus, it ensures you get the most out of those high-performance ingredients!
Step 1: Cleanse your skin
I’m sure we all know that the first step to any skincare routine is to cleanse your skin. You want to make sure you start your day (and night!) with a clean canvas!
Cleansing helps remove excess oil, dirt and impurities preparing your skin for the subsequent steps. If you don’t cleanse, the products to follow will simply not work their magic as they won’t be able to penetrate your skin effectively for optimal results.
You need to be savvy with which cleanser you choose though. For more information on cleansing and the best cleanser for your skin click here.
Additional tips: Make sure you use warm water when cleansing, hot water can strip your skin of its natural oils causing havoc. Gently pat dry when finished, you don’t want to rub your skin! And double cleansing at night can help remove stubborn sunscreen and makeup, ensuring your skin is perfectly prepped for your nighttime ritual!
Step 2: Exfoliate
This isn’t a step you should be doing daily as you can over exfoliate skin and cause damage. Once or twice weekly is usually sufficient. And make sure you choose a product that suits your skins specific needs. If you have sensitive skin you are best to opt for a gentle exfoliant or enzyme exfoliant which doesn’t use abrasive granules. As the name would suggest, they exfoliate using enzymes which help to break down the keratin in the skin's upper layers, which helps lift off dead skin cells. The enzymes literally digest the dead skin on your face!!
No matter what your skin type, you are going to fall in love with Pevonia’s Enzymo Spherides Peeling Cream, one of our favourites at BC! This little beauty (a mini facial in a jar as I call it!) does wonders for the skin. And no don’t let the word ‘peel’ put you off! It combines natural fruit pineapple and papaya enzymes to gently and effectively eliminate impurities, blackheads, dead cells and toxins and it’s so easy to use! Simply apply a thin layer to cleansed skin, wet your fingertips with warm water (this will help to ‘wake up’ the enzymes) and work the peeling cream with gentle massage movements into skin, leave on for 5 minutes and then thoroughly rinse away. Nothing makes skin feel cleaner, softer, smoother and brighter than this jar of goodness!! Trust me.
Remember like cleansing, exfoliating will help remove oil, dirt and impurities from your skin but by penetrating deeper into the pores. Exfoliating will slough away dead cells revealing the newer cells underneath for a smoother and brighter complexion.
Step 3. Don’t forget to tone!
A toner is often a step that many of us miss from our routine, but it really is a key step as it helps balance your skin's pH after cleansing. A good toner will remove any lingering impurities or makeup, and prep your skin for the next steps. Toners can also provide hydration, minimize the appearance of pores, and improve the absorption of serums and moisturisers!
Additional tips: If you have sensitive skin exfoliating after toner may be gentler and less likely to cause irritation. The same goes for dry skin, exfoliating after toner can help remove dead skin cells without over-drying your skin. Also when searching for the right toner, look for ones with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid or soothing agents like rosewater.
Hands down one of our favourites when it comes to skin toning is Phytomer's Rosee Visage Toning Cleansing Lotion. It’s perfect for all skin types and ensures any leftover signs of residual makeup or oil is completely removed to reveal what I would describe as perfectly clean, glowing skin! Oh and its formulated with rosewater!
We also highly recommend Pevonia’s best-selling Hydrating Toner. Formulated with Hyaluronic Acid, Licorice, and Vitamin E, it works to hydrate, revive and fully refresh the skin. Great for anyone with worried about ageing, dehydration or devitalised skin.
Step 4: Apply a serum
Ask any skincare expert and they’ll tell you that a really, really good serum is an imperative step in your daily skincare routine. In fact, these treatment powerhouses packed with active ingredients address specific skin issues more effectively than both moisturisers and lotions because they are made up of smaller molecules that can penetrate deeper into the skin and effectively deliver maximum results. Their job is to literally repair the skin at a cellular level and act on a wide range of skin concerns like fine lines, dark spots, dullness, rosacea and more! in fact there is a serum for every skin type and condition!
Additional tips: We love a good vitamin C serum in the morning as it will not only brighten you skin but it’s the perfect product to protect against free radical damage and using a retinol serum at night will boost cell turnover and fight ageing. Just remember if you’re layering multiple serums (which is ok too), apply the water-based ones first, followed by oil-based serums.
For more information on the multiple benefits of serums and our anti-ageing favourites for every skin type click here
Step 5: Lock it in with moisturiser
We ALL know moisturising is crucial to keeping our skin hydrated, but moisturisers also act as a sealant to lock in the benefits of that serum you just applied!
And remember moisturiser is a must for all skin types, even if you have oily or combination skin! Simply use a lightweight oil free moisturiser or lotion for oily skin, or a rich cream if your skin tends to be dry. Same applies for other skin conditions or concerns, choose the right moisturiser suited to your specific needs.
Additional tips: Moisturisers with hyaluronic acid are especially great at pulling moisture into the skin, giving you that plump, glowing look we all love!
Step 6: Do not forget your eyes!
The delicate skin around your eyes is one of the first areas to show signs of ageing, so be sure to treat this area with love and care as you do the rest of your face! But using your everyday face moisturiser will not suffice. Eye treatments whether it be creams, gels or serums are specifically formulated to target and care for the delicate area around the eyes, the thinnest layer of skin on our entire bodies! In fact, the skin under our eyes is up to 1/10 thinner than other facial skin so it’s crucial to care delicately for this area to avoid any damage.
Like a moisturiser, an eye cream’s main objective is to deliver brightening and anti-ageing ingredients, however in a milder, gentler, safer dose. Moisturisers tend to have a much richer consistency in comparison to their counterpart which if applied under the eyes can prove too much, resulting in irritation, allergic reactions and milia.
Eye creams also tend to be targeted to specific eye concerns such as crow’s feet, under eye bags and dark circles.
Additional tips: Using an eye cream packed with peptides, caffeine, or hyaluronic acid can help reduce puffiness, dark circles, and fine lines.
We highly recommend Pevonia Age Correction Eye Contour. It gives tired, ageing eyes the burst of hydration they need! Deeply nourishing and decongesting thanks to its combination of marine collagen, hyaluronic acid, green tea and marine elastin, it targets signs of fatigue, visibly reducing puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles. What more could you want?
If you prefer the feeling of a cooling eye gel to soothe and depuff your peepers though we also LOVE Pevonia’s C Evolutive Eye Gel. Anti-ageing dynamo Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and Ginkgo Biloba work together to deliver not only decongesting and brightening benefits but they also affectively target dark circles and wrinkles too! The results speak for themselves. Renewed, rejuvenated, refreshed and visibly brighter eye contour with visible reduction in wrinkles.
Step 7: Now it’s time for your SPF! (Morning only)
The last and arguably most important step in your morning routine is SPF. The non-negotiable! Why? Because sun exposure is the number one cause of premature ageing, from fine lines and wrinkles to hyperpigmentation, so protecting your skin from UV rays is crucial. Just be sure to opt for a broad-spectrum sunscreen (to protect against both UVA and UVB rays, with at least SPF 30.
Additional tip: If you’re using a product like retinol at night, SPF is even more important during the day, as retinol can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. And even if you're indoors or it's cloudy, UV rays can still affect your skin.
Step 8: Get masking
Face masks can offer many physical and therapeutic benefits, from hydrating your complexion to improving the appearance of pores, to creating an overall sense of wellbeing and relaxation, but first and foremost masks provide cleansing on a deep deep level benefiting your skin in multiple ways. Don’t get me wrong your daily cleansing is imperative to your skincare routine, but applying a mask once or twice a week takes this process to a whole new level by removing any remaining makeup, excess oil, dead skin cells and other impurities on the skin’s surface as well as beneath the upper layers of the epidermis.
By removing the dirt and bacteria from deep inside your skin, face masks will refine pores, they can also help to stimulate blood circulation causing the blood vessels to expand. The result is softer skin with greater elasticity and a glow that’s instantly noticeable. Yes, please! For the best face masks for every skin concern click here.
Step 9: Use a nighttime treatment
At night, you have the chance to truly pamper your skin with a face oil. These can be added a couple of times a week to give your skin an extra boost of hydration, or repair, depending on your needs. Think of them as a way to supercharge your routine!
Using a face oil at night helps lock in moisture, repair the skin barrier, and nourish your skin while you sleep. Rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids, face oils boost hydration, smooth fine lines, and leave your skin radiant and rejuvenated by morning. For more on the benefits of face oils and the best ones for your skin click here.
Skincare layering might seem like an art, but once you understand the steps and how to combine them, it becomes second nature. The best part? As you refine your routine, you’ll start seeing the results you want! We are talking healthier, more radiant skin that looks and feels its best.
