“Layering” isn’t just a term that you hear when you need to dress for cold weather. This is also an important term that’s rarely talked about for beauty rituals. And what’s most interesting is that “layering” isn’t just a useful practice for skincare, it is also for makeup and fragrances. We hope you’re, by now, feeling a little confused but very curious. Read on for the full story.
How to layer skincare products
You probably already know that the cleanser, toner, and moisturiser form a basic skincare regime. But if you’ve been reading us, you might also know that serums are important because they can help you achieve skin improvements more visibly. If you’d like to address more than one skin concern, chances are that you’d have invested in a few serums; perhaps one for brightening, another for anti-ageing, and maybe a third one for hydration. Contrary to what many people think, you can actually use all of them within one regime. The perplexing part is how to layer them effectively. Here’s the trick:
- Your serums should always go in between the toner and moisturiser. Your toner helps set your skin’s pH to the right condition so the benefits of the serum can be better absorbed, while the moisturiser acts as a barrier between your skin and the surrounding, so that it can lock in moisturise, as well as the goodness of the products you’ve applied.
- Apply lighter products first. This means that the more “watery” the product texture is, the earlier you should apply it.
- Allow the product to sink in. Instead of following up one product with another within seconds, give it a minute or two to be absorbed. Reply a text, read some tweets, or work on your hair while giving your product time. Just make sure you apply the next product with clean hands.
How to layer makeup
Want to make your makeup last longer and not worry about constant touch-ups? The hack: layering. Layer cream and powder products (cream, followed by powder) is the way to set your makeup effortlessly. Another benefit of layering cream and powder makeup is that your look will turn out more three-dimensional because of the difference in textures. This cream-powder-layering trick applies to almost any makeup you can think of. These are some great layering combinations:
- Powder blusher or highlighting powder can be applied on top of cream blusher
- Line your eyes with a cream eyeliner, and then dab on black eyeshadow on top of it using a small brush
- After patting on cream eyeshadow, finish off by dusting powder eyeshadow all over your eyelids
- You can also apply just a touch of shimmer powder eyeshadow at the centre of the eyelids after applying cream eyeshadow
How to layer fragrances
When we think about fragrance layering, what most people probably already know is to apply some body cream onto your pulse points (inner wrists, behind ears, behind knees) where you’ll apply your perfume, before you spray perfume on the same spots. Layering body cream with perfume will ensure that your perfume will smell more intense and the scent last longer because of the fragrances last longer when the scent molecules can cling onto oils.
However, another way of fragrance layering that is lesser discussed is about applying a few fragrances to concoct a unique scent. London perfume brand Jo Malone is one of the biggest advocates for fragrance layering. Consider these tips the next time you want to experiment with fragrance layering:
- Use your favourite fragrance as the base. Decide if you want it to smell warmer or fresher. If it’s a musky scent and you’d want it to seem more invigorating, pair it with a citrus scent.
- You don’t have to apply the two fragrances at the same pulse points. One of the perfumes can be applied behind your ears, and the other at the back of your neck, for instances.
- There’s no “right or wrong” to fragrance layering. The most important thing is that you and those you care about like the scent.
