How To Get The Most From Your Skincare Routine

Slathering on your face cream without a care in the world is all well and good, but a few tweaks to the hows and whens can, and indeed will, make a real difference to the performance of your skincare and your complexion.

So, next time you come to cleansing, toning, treating and moisturising your skin, follow these five simple tricks and say hello to your best skincare routine ever.

1. Understand Your Skin

This might sound like basic stuff, but using products that don’t suit your skin is something everyone (us included!) is guilty of. Ever been sucked in by a magical moisturising/mattifying/age-defying foundation that sounded amazing but made your skin look ‘meh’? Then it clearly wasn’t a good match for you. 

Always bear in mind your skin type (normal, oily, dry or combination) before buying new products. Then and only then should you think about extra treatments to address further concerns like wrinkles and dark spots.

2. Nail The Rules Of Order 

Whether you have three products in your daily regime or eight, the sequence in which they’re applied should not be messed with. Cleansing and exfoliating with Crystal Cleanser or Natural Luminosity Scrub must always come first, followed by Diamond Toner. But what are the other rules of skincare layering?

The simplest way to remember your product sequence is that they should always be applied in order of thickness and consistency, with the thinnest going first and the thickest last ...

This means that Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum should come after toning, then Imperial Eye Gel, your favourite moisturiser and finally Organic Age-Defying Facial Oil.

The one exception to this rule is, no matter what, sunscreen should always be applied last so it can effectively shield and protect your skin. End of discussion.

3. Know How Much Product To Use

With the exception being sunscreen (again!), applying tons of product to your face won’t give you better or faster results. Skincare formulations come with directions for a reason, so read them and stick with them. 

Our rules of thumb? One or two pumps of cleanser; a couple of spritzes of toner; pea-sized amounts of serum and eye gel, and roughly the size of a £1 coin when it comes to your Imperial Moisturiser and Night Elixir. 

4. Remember, Timing Is Everything

Grated, taking time over your skincare regime is great. Massaging your skin for a minute while you cleanse? Excellent. Allowing a minute or so between serum and moisturiser applications? Smart. However, when it comes to the product you apply immediately after cleansing, this should always be done within about a minute of drying your skin. 

When water evaporates from the surface of your skin, it sucks out moisture at the same time, leaving your skin feeling dehydrated. Bad news. However, by swiftly sealing this moisture in, whether it’s with a toner, serum, oil or moisturiser, you help keep your skin hydrated and healthy. It’s a simple trick, yet oh-so-effective. 

Also, double bonus, damp skin allows active ingredients to absorb more effectively, meaning you’ll get the absolute best from your entire skincare routine.

5. Be Consistent

Instant fixes are very rare in skincare, so be patient and, most importantly, be consistent with your products. If you cleanse and tone twice daily, apply serum every day, exfoliate often, and use moisturiser and eye gel day and night we promise you’ll reap the benefits in just a few weeks. Between four and six to be precise.

And when you think about it, that’s not very long at all. After all, it’ll be Valentine’s Day before you know it…