A morning skincare routine, in four steps
Seven in the morning, and your face has opinions. Warm water, a little quiet before the day starts asking for things. This is the good bit, and it is shorter than you think.
A morning skincare routine does not have to be complicated. If you are standing there with four products wondering which one goes first, here is the order.
The short answer
Cleanse first. Then go lightest to richest: toner, emulsion, cream.
On Wakey's shelf that is the Cleansing Balm + Mask 2-in-1, the Hydrating Toner, the Protective Emulsion and the Locking Cream. Four steps, in that order.
That is the answer. The rest is what each one is for, which is the part that makes the order make sense.
Step 1. Cleanse, with the balm
The balm goes on as a balm. Add water and it loosens into a light cleansing milk, then you rinse it away. Thirty seconds, and your skin feels clean without that tight squeaky feeling.
The same jar doubles as a mask, but that is a twenty minute job and a different kind of morning. Not one to squeeze in before the school run.
Step 2. Reset, with the toner
Mist the toner on, press it in with your palms. Five types of hyaluronic acid and orchid root, and that faint sweetness is the orchid itself rather than added fragrance.
It lands cool. That is most of the appeal at seven in the morning.
Step 3. The lighter layer, the emulsion
The emulsion is the lighter of the two layers that follow. Seven marine algae, with astaxanthin and jojoba oil. It sinks in quickly and feels light on your skin.
One thing worth being clear about: this is not a sunscreen, and the set does not include one. For sun protection, the World Health Organization recommends broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30 on skin that clothing cannot cover, alongside shade and protective clothing. Follow your sunscreen's application directions.
Step 4. The richer finish, the cream
The cream is the richer finishing layer. Hyaluronic acid, algae-derived ingredients, shea butter and squalane, so it feels rich without sitting heavy.
Makeup on top, or nothing on top. It works either way.
So why both the emulsion and the cream?
They are doing different jobs. The emulsion is the light layer that disappears into skin. The cream is the finish that seals it. One sinks, one seals.
Do you need all four? Not necessarily. This is our sequence, not a rule for everyone, and plenty of people get on perfectly well with less. If you are using all four though, this is the order that makes sense of them.
About four minutes
Start to finish, the four steps take about four minutes. That is the quick version, not the twenty minute mask.
Which is the point, really. Not speed for its own sake. Just that there is a small part of the morning where nothing is being asked of you, and four minutes is enough to enjoy it.
Start where you are
You do not need the whole shelf on day one. Pick the step your morning is missing and go from there.
Or take the lot: THE MORNING SKIN SET has all four, in order.
Your face at seven has opinions. This is how you talk it round.
