FAN MAIL FRIDAYS: The right order of applying skin care products

Happy Friday y'all! I'm fresh from Hong Kong and I've had a wonderful experience there with Mary Kay, and I'll be sharing it with you soon. (plus more shopping tips and discoveries) I left last Monday and it was raining real hard in Manila, and I'm happy that I came home to a sunny and jovial day. ('Cuz the storm went to Hong Kong! :D) Now where to get a cocktail tonight!? LOL! :)

Here's one interesting Fan Mail Fridays from Angel, one of my dearest readers:

Hi Ms. Martha!  

I know from your blog that you're entertaining skincare/makeup related questions, so I decided to ask for your advice regarding my concern. With the plethora of skincare products out in the market today - serums, essences, toners, moisturizers, night/day creams, acne treatments, masks - how do I know if I'm using these products in the proper order? Like, must I apply treatments before applying creams? Or, is it necessary to skip using one while I'm using another? Thank you so much, Martha. I hope you could shed light on this, I happen to be a little confused. And besides, I like to be safe than sorry :)  

Cheers, 

Angel

Hi Angel!

It's always tempting to expand your skin care regimen because there are so many interesting skin care products available already, not to mention times have changed and the regular 3 step skin care regimen-which is cleanse, tone, and moisturize-had to become 4 or 5 step already--I even heard that Koreans use a minimum of 7 skin care products in one go!

The best advice I could give is to take only what you need and use only what you prefer on a particular moment. Like me, I only use a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer for daytime because I'm always on the move, and for night time, I add serums and targeted treatments, and use masks twice a week.

After cleansing, toning, and moisturizing, I think the order of application for the rest of the products such as serums, night creams, masks, and treatments is not really strict, but if you want to optimize your products better, you should consider it. Please bear in mind that this is my technique-other people definitely have their own. You can refer to this as a guide so you can build your own routine. Click READ MORE and see the step-by-step.

Ok, so you now know the basic 3- step which is Cleanse, Tone, and Moisturize-this order is standard, especially for daytime. If you want to use serums and treatments at this time of day, apply them first before moisturizer- I do the same thing during night time as well.

STEP 3: Targeted Treatments

- Targeted treatments are the ones that address your brightening, acne, and redness concerns. I apply them first before the overall serums and moisturizers so I could maximize their effects better, without the latter diluting the former's effects.

STEP 4: Serums

- When the targeted treatments are absorbed already, I finally apply serum to fix the general well- being of my skin.

STEP 5: Moisturizer

- Why does moisturizer go last? Because it's meant to coat your treatments and prevent them from evaporating even before they enter your skin. It's also your epidermal water supply for the rest of the day.

STEP 6: Sunblock

- For daytime, it's advisable that sunblock goes last so it may protect your skin from the sun better. Sunblocks, in general, don't get absorbed easily so I always opt for an SPF- Infused foundation to get the same benefits but sans the waiting time.

MASKS

- You only use them twice to thrice a week. I apply them right after cleansing and scrubbing.

As for the essences, emulsions, and day/night creams, I'd like to think of them as alternatives. Cream- based products are suggested for dry skin because they're richer, emulsions are just watery and gentler types of moisturizer that can be used by any skin type, especially dry and oily skin, while essences are serums or watery toners in general. In Japan and Korea, essences are used with face mask sheets or you can use them in huge amounts and let them sit on your skin until they get absorbed (like a mask-less facial mask)-it's like a serum/mask/toner in one product. Do you really need them? That depends on your skin type and needs, and preferred consistency. If you want something aqueous all the way, replace moisturizer with emulsion. If you want a more moisturizing toner, go for essences. If you have dry skin and you need a richer moisturizer, go for day creams/night creams. If your skin tends to dry out in air-conditioning as you sleep, opt for night creams.

Hope you find this helpful! :)

**Got a burning question about makeups, skin care products, beauty, dieting, and health tips, relationships, and whatever? Just send them to martha.stabarbara@yahoo.com or shoot 'em up at The Beauty Junkee's FB Fan Page via the MESSAGE button and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. (Please, do not send me Math- related queries. :D)