Layers are important. In your hair, in your clothing, in your relationships… Layers help you optimize. With winter right around the corner, layering your clothing can keep you warm as the morning lows keep dropping. Just like how it is important to bundle up before you go outside, it is also necessary to layer skincare products.

You may be thinking: “Why do I need to layer skincare products?” Because if you don’t properly layer your products, you’re just wasting money! Why would you spend a ton of money on a bunch of products if you’re not going to use them to their best ability? Putting your skincare products on in the wrong order would be like sending in your closing pitcher to start a baseball game. You may still play a ball game, but you’re not going to get the best results.

Like I mentioned in my post about what makeup brushes I use, beauty products are tools. Each one is specifically designed to do its part. Put the right players together, and you can build a great fantasy beauty team.

The best way to layer skincare products is by texture – from lightest to heaviest.

Step 1 – Cleanser – First of all, start with a clean face. My favorite cleanser is Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash, but I use the Clarisonic cleanser when I use my Clarisonic brush.

Step 2 – Retinol – After your skin is nice and clean, you’ll want to apply any treatment products like retinol or acne spot treatments. You want to make sure these products get directly onto your skin without having to fight through a lot of extra layers of good stuff to do their job. I don’t use retinol products every night. Dr Brandt 2% Retinol Complex Serum is my favorite. You can read more about my thoughts on retinol here.

Step 3 – Serum – Serums are my new best friend. They make me feel fancy and grown up. Note that I didn’t say old. I don’t want to feel old. But it can’t hurt to feel a little more like a “put together” grown up every once in a while. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate is lightweight and helps restore your skin overnight. It has a lovely, calming lavender scent that I really love before going to bed. I also love this Dr. Brandt Beauty Sleep Serum. Using a product called “beauty sleep serum” that is filled with black pearls instantly makes me feel like a model or movie star or something. So fancy!

Since damp skin absorbs serums better than dry skin, if my skin is feeling really dry, or if it has been a few minutes between cleansing and my serum, I will spritz my face with Herbivore Botanicals Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Face Mist. That way my skin gets a little more moisture, and I get another chance to feel fancy and pampered.

Step 4 – Eye Cream – Next, apply eye cream. I switch between this Dr. Brandt 24/7 Retinol Eye Cream and this Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Cream. Eye creams should be applied around your orbital bone. This is the big circle of bone around your eye that you see on skeletons. (Weirdly enough, thinking about the bone structure of skeletons helps me a lot with makeup – especially with placement of products and contouring.) The skin around your eyes is really thin and sensitive. It will actually draw the moisture from your orbital bone area toward your eye, so there is no need to rub it all the way down to your lash line. Doing so will just cause you to get eye cream in your eye.

Step 5 – Moisturizer – Last but not least, my favorite step. Not only because it means I’m almost ready for bed now, but also because I love my night time moisturizer so much. Glamglow DreamDuo is so good. It is very hydrating, smells like an orange dreamsicle, and never leaves my skin feeling dry or greasy in the morning. If you are feeling extra dry, don’t double up on your moisturizer. You could end up clogging your pores and causing breakouts. Instead, try switching to a thicker, more intense moisturizer for winter, or add a serum at step 3 (if you aren’t already using one).

Not only should you layer skincare products at night, but you should also layer skincare products during your morning routine. The same rules apply! Just make sure you add your sunscreen as Step 6.

Pro tips:
*Allow each skincare product to set on the skin for at least a minute before adding the next layer.
*Relax and enjoy the pamper time of your nightly skincare routine! Less stress = better skin.

XOXO,
Tiffany