Should I put the serum before or after the moisturizer? When should the toner be used? Dermatologist Marie Estelle Roux gives us the procedure to follow to apply her care in the right order.

When it comes to skincare routine, the less product you apply, the better! Marie Estelle Roux explains that we don't need a 10-step routine. According to her ' a cleanser, a serum and a cream are enough to take care of your skin '. But nothing prevents us from having a complete routine. Anyway, the golden rule is to apply lightest first and especially ' the one with the most active ingredients first so that it penetrates the skin better “explains the dermatologist.

Because having beautiful skin is not just about choosing products, you also have to apply them at the right time. By respecting a very precise order of application, we thus optimizes the effectiveness of the ingredients . Here are all the steps to follow for a beauty routine in the rules of the art.

Step 1: Cleaning

Cleansing is the first step to beautiful skin. Micellar water, milk, gel, foam… All textures are welcome. Use in the morning for ' remove the sebum that we produced during the night 'and in the evening for' remove makeup, pollution, dust, etc.', says the dermatologist. Once the skin is clean, it is better able to receive care.

Step 2: Toning Lotion

To complete the cleansing of the skin, it is advisable to follow with a tonic lotion. It is applied by light rubbing using a cotton pad. Choose with gentle and moisturizing ingredients for dry skin or with chemical exfoliants to treat acne and oily skin. It is also a good way to remove the limestone present on the skin.

Step 3: the eye contour treatment

Make sure to apply the eye cream before the serum and the moisturizer . ' It is a targeted treatment to put on morning and evening, because the area under the eyes is extremely fragile and sensitive. ' warns Marie Estelle Roux. Here again, we choose the formulation according to what we want, that is to say either to eliminate dark circles, to promote radiance or to smooth out fine lines. Good gestures: massage the underside of the eye from the inside out , then gently pat the area to stimulate circulation.

Step 4: Serum

The serum step is the one you can't miss for flawless skin! Ultra Concentrated, The acts in a complementary way with the moisturizer . We choose it' with vitamin C or antioxidant in the morning ' And ' with regenerating active ingredients such as retinol or repairing active ingredients such as vitamin E and hyaluronic acid ' in the evening, as the dermatologist explains. Its application is carried out on slightly damp skin. To do it well, Marie Estelle Roux advises to ' warm a few drops in the palm of your hands ' before the apply with light pressure all over the face. Then wait a few moments for the product to penetrate before proceeding to the next step.

Step 5: moisturizer

For healthy skin, there's no secret: you have to give the epidermis the hydration it deserves. In addition to protecting the skin from external aggressions, this step locks in the ingredients already applied and thus maximizes the effects. It's important to stretch the material from the inside out of the face and from the bottom up, not forgetting the neck! During the day, we can replace this step with sunscreen to protect the skin against UVA and UVB but ' we do not apply an SPF on a day cream 'says the expert. And don't forget to let it penetrate 5 to 10 minutes before applying makeup.

Source journaldesfemmes.fr