
This wonderful nugget of beauty wisdom comes courtesy of Mamamia’s shiny new beauty podcast, You Beauty. To ensure you never miss an episode, subscribe to You Beauty here. It’s a blast.
For a relatively small patch of skin, our faces seem to need a lot of skincare products, right?
Cleansers. Exfoliators. Chemical exfoliators. Peels. Serums, Oils. Sunscreen. Masks. Day cream. Night cream. Eye cream. SO MUCH CREAM.
Once you’ve (somehow) figured out which products you enjoy putting on your face, then comes the question of which order you’re meant to slap them on in.
Beauty guru and Mamamia’s executive editor Leigh Campbell is known for having really lovely skin. So naturally, we asked her what order we should be doing our skincare routine in to look like her.
“It’s so hard to give advice to everyone… but there’s a general rule of thumb that applies to everyone no matter what you’re using,” the beauty editor of 15 years told co-host Kelly McCarren on the You Beauty podcast. (Get it in your ears below…)
“It’s regarding the texture. So go from the thinnest texture to thickest texture.”
In other words, as Leigh went on the explain, apply your thinnest, wateriest products first and the thicker creams and oils last.
“For example, starting after you’ve cleansed your skin when you’ve got a clear, bare face, you would then use the thinnest textured product in your routine. This might be a hydrating mist, or a toner, or an essence. Those products are all really watery and have the finest texture,” she said.
“I use a spritzy mist because it’s best to apply your skincare to damp skin (*brain explodes*) because it helps the products in your routine to absorb better. That’s why I use a mist to dampen my skin before my next step, which is a serum. The serum is generally the next step up in texture from a toner or mist.
“After your serum, or if you’re like me, two serums, you’ll move onto your day cream or moisturiser, and then generally, sunscreen after.”
Now, this is where things get tricky.
Sadly, Leigh said there’s no definitive answer to one of the most common facial sunscreen questions: do I apply my sunscreen before or after my moisturiser?
“There’s a huge debate about where sunscreen goes in your routine and dermatologists can’t agree. That said, if it’s a physical sunscreen, it goes after your moisturiser, and if it’s a chemical sunscreen, experts are divided as to whether it should go before or after.”
If you thought that was a touch confusing, but manageable, hold on because guys… that was just for the daytime. I guess we just trust this lady with glowy skin, yeah?
Top Comments
I just use unscented soap and water - I'm a rebel like that.
I’m assuming water first, then soap? You wouldn’t want to be rubbing a dry bar of soap all over your face, right? (Or maybe you would, you do you, dude.)
Well, now that you mention it, I do use dry oatmeal safe to exfoliate - much cheaper than a facial scrub