Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Beauty boss: Be a skincare layer player for the healthiest, happiest complexion

© Shutterstock / Lyubov LevitskayaThe ideal skincare regimen is all about layering
The ideal skincare regimen is all about layering

While a regular skincare routine can improve texture, tone and overall complexion, applying serums, treatments and active ingredients in the wrong order can damage your body’s natural armour, leading to the opposite results, instead.

To help you make the most of your products, Aly Rahimtoola, founder of Herbal Essentials, shares a step-by-step guide to layering skincare, explaining in detail why it’s always best to go from thinnest to thickest.

Cleanser

The most important and essential step in your routine, the primary job of cleansing is to get rid of grimy oils, setting up a clean base that allows the skin to absorb other products and nutrients.

When it comes to picking a cleanser, it’s best to use a formula that helps to maintain the skin barrier without stripping it of natural oils. Herbal Essentials’ Purifying Fresh Face Wash (£8, herbal-essentials.com), for example, is formulated with neem and hyssop to balance sebum production, as well as aloe vera to calm and moisturise.

Tone

Next, toner should be applied so it can serve as a back-up to your cleanser, eliminating traces of dirt and bacteria that may have been missed. A good product will also prepare your skin to take in moisturisers, giving an extra hydration boost.

Aly Rahimtoola, founder of Herbal Essentials

Eye care

Due to its thinner texture, eye creams and other caring products should be applied before your moisturiser, allowing it to be absorbed into the skin and nourish the eye area.

Moisturise

A moisturising product hydrates your skin, and locks in all your other treatments, giving your skin the final nourishment it needs to be healthy and happy.

To soothe irritation, our Hydra Active Gel Moisturiser (£11) uses peppermint oil to calm the skin and control excess sebum, providing that extra shine and glow we dream about.

Sun protection

The last must-have is SPF, all day, every day, and even in Winter. SPF protects your skin from the sun’s harsh UV rays, so don’t forget to apply before you walk out the door.

Added extras

If you want to treat yourself, add in a face mask or treatment serum. However, don’t go too crazy with the number of products you use – it’s best to keep things simple!

At the end of a stressful week, use a sheet mask with chamomile extract to soothe, nourish and revive tired skin.


For more skincare ideas, see herbal-essentials.com