So now that you know how to apply your skincare products (what order, rubbing versus patting, etc.), do you know how much of each product you should be using?
For night (daytime instructions will come soon!), the following will help put to rest any questions you may have.
Please note: everyone’s skin needs a different combination of products to thrive. Everything listed here may not be appropriate for you, so please feel to just skip over any products that don’t apply to you.
- Dime
The dime is included simply to give a reference of size. (^Although we try to be open-minded about all new science and ingredients, there is no proven benefit [to date] about putting dimes on your skin.) - Face Wash
You likely will only need about a 50-cent-size amount (we’ll keep coins as our basis for size-reference) of facewash to adequately cleanse your entire face.You accidentally poured out too much? Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to you because (as the name implies) this product is ultimately washed off the skin and no serious damage will occur if you have too much facewash on your face. - Serum / Growth-Factor
The first product you put on your face after washing should be either the thinnest product (like a serum) or something with super-fancy ingredients (like growth-factors) that you want to make sure gets direct contact with your skin. Usually about a dime-size amount of product will cover the entire face. (When dealing with a product like Sente or TNS Essential Serum, it’s one full pump of product.)
Once this product has dried to the touch (it may take 1 to 2 minutes) you are ready for the next product… - Eye Cream
Gently dab a tiny bit of eye-cream underneath your eyes (and if needed, onto your eye-lids). - Moisturizer
A quarter-size amount of moisturizer should be enough to adequately cover your face, however similar to your facewash — if you accidentally go overboard, there aren’t any major repercussions (beyond using up your product faster than necessary). As long as you are using a noncomedogenic moisturizer that will not clog your pores or make you break-out, you should be fine to use as much product as you deem necessary.If you are using a Retinol, you may find the process to be more comfortable for you if you apply a moisturizer immediately before applying your Retinol. The moisturizer will help act as a buffer between your skin and the Retinol, and ideally hope prevent some irritation while your skin acclimates to the Retinol. - Retinol
It is more difficult to recommend the amount of Retinol to use, because there are so many different formulations of it (some thicker and harder to spread than others) and different application methods. To treat your entire face, you likely will need the amount shown — approximately a dime size. (* If you’re like me and only apply Retinol on your cheeks, you’ll obviously need less.) - Acne / Masque / Night Treatment
The more powerful or aggressive a product is, the less you should need of it. Try to apply the thinnest layer possible until you have the best feel for how your skin responds to the product, and how much is needed to achieve the best results for you.
Your face is just like you, completely unique and wholly onto to yourself.
Some tweaking and experimenting may be needed in order to find out the magic combination for you, but hang in there — every failed product gets you closer to discovering exactly what will work for you. (For example, with my skin I apply the Porification Treatment to my t-zone every night because that is where I get congestion, while only applying a retinol only to my cheeks because that is where the majority of my sun-damage occurs.)
If you are using all of these products, this list also follows the order in which the various products should be applied.
Lastly: because of the varying ingredients in the products you use at night (and the response they may illicit from your skin), it is imperative to wash your face every morning. Your skin needs a clean canvas before you begin your daytime skincare process.