Esmi Skincare 101: Here’s How To Build a Routine and the Correct Order To Apply Your Products

Purchasing new skincare products to add to your routine can be exciting. That is, until you find yourself standing in the bathroom wondering if it’s serums before oils or the other way round? And where does moisturiser fit into the equation? 

The good news? We’re here to help. Learn how to build an esmi routine, along with what order to apply your skincare products with this step-by-step breakdown. Let’s get into it, shall we? 

Morning skincare routine

1. Cleanse your complexion 

In the morning, splash your face with water and do a quick cleanse with one of our cream cleansers to help start the day right.

Cleansers: 

• The Uncomplicated Cleanser

• Probiotic Skin Mylck Cleanser

How to cleanse:

 

1. Splash your skin with lukewarm water and massage a pearl-sized amount of cream cleanser into damp skin with clean fingers.
2. Rinse with lukewarm water. You may like to use the esmi Microfibre Face Cleansing Mitt to remove all traces of product residue.
3. Pat dry with a clean, soft face towel.

2. Apply serums

Now that your complexion is clear of all dirt, grime and residue, we’ve got a clear base for your serum(s) to absorb into your skin and work their magic. 

Eye serums: 

• Brightening Eye Serum

• Hydrating Eye Serum

• Anti-Ageing Eye Serum

Serums:

• Brightening 15% Vitamin C Serum

• Hyaluronic Hydrating Serum

• Ageless Hyaluronic Serum

• Anti-Redness Minty Green Smoothie

• Afterglow Rejuvenating Bakuchiol

How to apply eye serums:

1. Apply a grain of rice-sized amount (per eye)

2. Massage to below the eye area and above on to the brow bone in an outwards motion.

How to apply Skin Treats and face serums: 

1. Dispense a pearl size amount of product onto your fingertips.

2. Gently massage into your face using an upwards motion. Apply to your neck and decolletage as required.

3. Moisturise

Time to seal in your serum with a lotion, moisturiser or oil. 

Long story short: serums have smaller molecules, which allows them to penetrate deeper into the layers of the skin. Whereas moisturisers and oils are thicker and help to lock in the serum’s benefits, while also delivering an extra hit of moisture and active ingredients. 

Promise you won’t skip this step?

Probiotic Skin Mylck lotion (for hypersensitive skin):

• Probiotic Skin Mylck

• Probiotic Skin Mylck plus Hydration

• Probiotic Skin Mylck plus Anti-Redness

• Probiotic Skin Mylck plus Brightening

Moisturisers: 

• Firming Moisturiser

• Hydrating Hydra-Fluid Moisturiser

• Calming Hydra-Fluid Moisturiser

• Sensitive Moisturiser

• Nourishing Moisturiser

• Brightening Moisturiser

• Detox Hydra-Fluid Moisturiser

Face Oils:

• 24k Gold Nourishing Oil

• Peppermint Green Oil

• Acai Skin Balancing Face Oil

How to apply face oil, moisturiser or lotion:

1. Apply either a few drops of oil or a pea-sized amount of lotion or moisturiser to the face, neck and decolletage.

4. Apply SPF

Regardless of what you have planned for the day, sunscreen is always essential. Apply it in the morning and reapply throughout the day when necessary. Not only will this protect against sun damage, it also helps prevent premature ageing.

Products:

• Sun Skills For HER

• Sun Skills For SENSITIVE

• Sun Skills For ALL

How to apply sunscreen: 

1. Apply evenly and liberally over exposed areas 20 minutes before exposure to sun.

2. Re-apply every 1-2 hours, especially after swimming, excessive perspiration, exercise and towelling. Reducing the recommended application above severely reduces your level or sun protection.

Bonus: Eye mask and face mist

Eye masks: Didn’t get a wink of sleep last night? Or maybe you’re getting ready for a big event? If you look or feel tired, our HydraDew Patches will rejuvenate your skin and eye area. Hot tip: apply them under your eyes or anywhere you want to target, such as crow’s feel or smile lines.

Face mist: Want to supercharge your serums? 

Refreshing and Hydrating Skin Snack Face Mist is one of our most versatile products. Use it as much as you like, whenever your skin needs a little boost. Might we suggest: a quick spritz before you apply your water-based Skin Treats, throughout the day for a quick hit of hydration or even over the top of makeup as a setting spray.

Evening skincare routine

1. Cleanse once (or even twice)

Cleansing is all the more important at night, so you can wash the day away and start your evening routine afresh. 

On days where you haven’t had much on your skin, a single cleanse will suffice. But if you’ve been wearing SPF (which is every day, right?) or a full face of makeup, your complexion could benefit from a double cleanse.

A two-step cleanse usually involves starting with a balm or oil-based cleanser (like Cleansing Butter Balm) and following with your normal cream cleanser (see: The Uncomplicated Cleanser or Probiotic Skin Mylck Cleanser).

Cleansers: 

• Cleansing Butter Balm

• The Uncomplicated Cleanser

• Probiotic Skin Mylck Cleanser

• The Uncomplicated Cleanser Plus Anti-Redness

• The Uncomplicated Cleanser Plus Anti-Ageing

• The Uncomplicated Cleanser Plus Brightening

• The Uncomplicated Cleanser Plus Charcoal

How to double cleanse:

1. Dispense a small amount of Cleansing Butter Balm and massage onto dry skin.

2. Add water to emulsify, then wipe away with water or your esmi mitt.

3. Take a pearl-sized amount of cream cleanser and massage onto damp skin.

4. Rinse with lukewarm water.

5. Pat dry with a clean, soft face towel.

2. Time to tone

Using a gentle exfoliating toner can assist with removing any last traces of dirt, grime and impurities, without damaging or stripping the skin barrier while prepping the skin for your next step. It also allows for better product absorption, as well as smoothing and softening skin!

Product: 

• Gentle Refine Cleansing Toner

How to use a toner: 

• After cleansing your face, apply 3-4 pumps of toner onto a cotton pad and gently swipe it over your entire face and neck.

• We recommend introducing this product slowly to your routine. Start off by using every second or third night, before slowly building up to daily use if required.

3. Apply serums

Just as you would in the morning, now is the time to apply water-based serums. These guys do a lot of the heavy lifting in your skincare routine, helping to rejuvenate your skin overnight.

Eye serums: 

• Brightening Eye Serum

• Hydrating Eye Serum

• Anti-Ageing Eye Serum

Serums:

• Brightening 15% Vitamin C Serum

• Hyaluronic Hydrating Serum

• Ageless Hyaluronic Serum

• Anti-Redness Minty Green Smoothie

• Afterglow Rejuvenating Bakuchiol

How to apply eye serums:

1. Apply a grain of rice-sized amount (per eye)

2. Massage to below the eye area and above on to the brow bone in an outwards motion.

How to apply Skin Treats and face serums: 

1. Dispense a pearl size amount of product onto your fingertips.

2. Gently massage into your face using an upwards motion. Apply to your neck and decolletage as required.

4. Moisturise

Time to seal in your serum with a moisturiser. 

Long story short: serums have smaller molecules, which allows them to penetrate deeper into the layers of the skin. Whereas moisturisers are thicker and help to lock in the serum’s benefits, while also delivering an extra hit of moisture and active ingredients. 

Please don’t skip this step!

Probiotic Skin Mylck lotion (for hypersensitive skin):

• Probiotic Skin Mylck

• Probiotic Skin Mylck plus Hydration

• Probiotic Skin Mylck plus Anti-Redness

• Probiotic Skin Mylck plus Brightening

Moisturisers: 

• Firming Moisturiser

• Hydrating Hydra-Fluid Moisturiser

• Calming Hydra-Fluid Moisturiser

• Sensitive Moisturiser

• Nourishing Moisturiser

• Brightening Moisturiser

• Detox Hydra-Fluid Moisturiser

How to apply Probiotic Skin Mylck or moisturiser:

1. Apply a pea-sized amount of lotion or moisturiser to the face, neck and decolletage.

5. Seal it all in with an oil

Is your skin a bit on the dry side? Or maybe your complexion needs a bit more nourishment after going through perimenopause? If you answered yes, you might want to consider using a face oil either in place of your moisturiser (for normal skin types) or over the top (for very dry skin).

Face oils:

• 24k Gold Nourishing Oil

• Peppermint Green Oil

• Acai Skin Balancing Face Oil

How to apply face oil: 

1. Use the dropper to apply 2-3 drops of oil directly to your palm.

2. Gently massage into the skin.

3. Can be used around the eye area.

Bonus: Face mist exfoliants and masks

Every now and again, your skin might need a little bit… more. Think: more moisture, more exfoliation, more nourishment, more targeted treatments.

In this bonus section, we cover the products that will help improve your skin, but don’t need to be used on a daily basis. 

Face mist: Refreshing and Hydrating Skin Snack Face Mist is one of our most versatile products. Use it as much as you like, whenever your skin needs a little boost. Might we suggest: a quick spritz before you apply your water-based Skin Treats, throughout the day for a quick hit of hydration or even over the top of makeup as a setting spray.

Products: 

• Refreshing and Hydrating Skin Snack Face Mist

How often: Use every day, when your skin needs extra hydration.

Masks: Our masks are supercharged with skin-boosting ingredients that do a lot for your complexion in a small amount of time. Choose a clay, cream or gel mask, depending on your primary skin concerns. Need hydration, stat? Thirsty Skin Plumping Sheet Mask will plump skin like no other.

Products: 

• Thirsty Skin Plumping Sheet Mask

• Skin Refining Charcoal Clay Mask

• Hyaluronic Hydrating Lightweight Cream Mask

• Calming Mint Gel Mask

• Ultra Nourishing Cream Mask

• Bouncy Brightening Cream Mask

• Peptide Firming Cream Mask

How often: Use one to three times per week.

Eye masks: If you look or feel tired, particularly around the eye area, our HydraDew Patches will rejuvenate your skin, quick smart. 

Products: 

• Brightening HydraDew Patches

• Reset & Rewind HydraDew Patches

• Calming & De-puff HydraDew Patches

How often: Use whenever you need a pick-me-up – morning, evening or throughout the day.

Exfoliants:

You can exfoliate your skin with a physical method, chemical method or combination of both. 

Our pick? A product that combines both. Hydrating and Ageless Volcanic Sand Gentle-Foliant contains icelandic volcanic sand to gently renew the outer layer of the skin and buff away dead skin cells. The addition of antioxidant powered cranberry enzymes also helps to refine pores and reduces blemishes. Trust us, try it – your skin will thank you for it. 

Product:

• Hydrating and Ageless Volcanic Sand Gentle-Foliant 

How often: Use one to three times per week.

FAQs

Do I have to do all of these steps to have a great skin care routine?

We recommend a cleanser, serum, face oil and/or moisturising lotion and SPF for a great basic routine. From there you can add products to suit your skin’s needs.

What goes first, serum or oil?
Apply serum first and then your face oil. Think of your skincare routine in order of applying products from most lightweight, to most nourishing. 

Can you use serum and face oil together?

Yes. They are designed to complement each other. You should always follow a serum with a face oil or moisturising lotion as serums aren’t a replacement for a moisturising product. Our Hydrating and Nourishing Acai Duo is a combination of both an oil and a serum so you get the best of both worlds.

Does face oil go before or after moisturiser?

Face oil goes after a moisturiser and before sunscreen. You can even add a couple of drops of your facial oil to your chosen moisturising lotion or cream, for an extra boost of nourishment.

What goes first cleanser or exfoliant?

Cleanser. Always wash your face first before exfoliating.

What goes on first sunscreen or serum?

Serum should be applied before sunscreen. Sunscreen is the final (and most important!) step in your morning skincare order.