Thin to thick, water before oil, sunscreen last. That is the whole rule, and most people still get it wrong in two or three places — which is why expensive serums end up doing nothing.
Morning, in order
- Cleanser — or just water if your skin is dry or reactive. You washed your face eight hours ago; the pillowcase did not make it dirty.
- Antioxidant serum (vitamin C, if you use one). On clean, slightly damp skin.
- Hydrating layer — essence, hyaluronic serum, or nothing if your moisturiser is enough.
- Eye cream, if you use one. Before the face cream, not after.
- Moisturiser.
- Sunscreen. Always last. Always.
Evening, in order
- Oil or balm to dissolve sunscreen and makeup. If you wore either, skipping this step means your second cleanser is cleaning the first layer, not your skin.
- Gentle cleanser.
- Active — retinol, or an acid, or neither. Never both on the same night.
- Hydrating layer.
- Moisturiser, richer than the morning one.
The five mistakes I see most
- Sunscreen under moisturiser. It needs an unbroken film on top of everything. Anything applied over it breaks that film.
- Hyaluronic acid on bone-dry skin. It pulls water from wherever it can — including from your face, in dry air. Always on damp skin, always sealed afterwards.
- Waiting for each layer to “absorb”. Beyond about a minute you are just letting the skin dry out. Apply the next step while the previous one is still slightly tacky.
- Retinol and acid the same night. Both speed up turnover. Together they do not work twice as well, they just take the barrier apart.
- Too much product. A pea for the face, two fingers’ length of sunscreen. More serum does not go deeper, it goes on your collar.
What about vitamin C and retinol together?
You can use both — just not at the same time. Vitamin C in the morning, retinol at night is the simplest split and suits almost everyone. The old warning that they “cancel each other out” is overstated, but the irritation from stacking them is real.
If you only fix one thing
Move the sunscreen to the end and apply enough of it. Of everything on this page, that single change does the most for how your skin looks in five years — more than any serum you are currently deciding between.