Skincare and make-up order: the right sequence
5 min read Skincare Updated 1 November 2026 By Anna Sophie Schulenburg
Skincare and make-up go on in a fixed order: first cleanse, then serum, eye cream, moisturiser and, in the morning, sunscreen, then make-up from liquid through cream to powder, and the lips last. Give each skincare layer a minute before the next one goes on, and wait two minutes after sunscreen before you start on make-up. If the order is right, nothing crumbles as you spread it, and your make-up is still where you put it at midday.
The order decides whether a product reaches your skin at all. A serum that sits on top of a dense cream partly stays stuck in the cream layer. Powder on a cream that is still damp leaves patches. With the right sequence, you need less of everything.
The order at a glance
| No. | What | Amount | Wait afterwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleanser, in the morning often just water | pea-sized | pat dry |
| 2 | Toner, if you use one | a few drops into your palms | until the skin is only slightly damp |
| 3 | Serum | two to three drops | one minute |
| 4 | Eye cream | a rice-grain-sized amount per eye | one minute |
| 5 | Moisturiser | pea- to hazelnut-sized | two minutes |
| 6 | Sunscreen, mornings only | about two finger-lengths for face and neck | two minutes |
| 7 | Concealer or complexion | a rice-grain-sized amount per spot | move straight on |
| 8 | Cream blush, liquid highlighter | one drop or one pea per side | one minute |
| 9 | Powder, powder shades from a palette | a light dusting with a brush | move straight on |
| 10 | Eyes: eyeshadow, then mascara | as needed | move straight on |
| 11 | Lips: liner, colour, gloss | thinly | done |
Toner and serum are optional, and so is the eye cream. If you only cleanse, moisturise and apply sunscreen, leave out rows 2 to 4. The basic routine, with all the amounts, is in the simple skincare routine for morning and evening.
The rule behind it
For skincare the rule is: watery before creamy, creamy before oily. Something thin spreads evenly over freshly cleansed skin. Something rich settles on top and holds the water in underneath.
Sunscreen is the exception. In the morning it always goes over your skincare, even when it is more fluid than your cream, because it is meant to protect as an even film on the surface. Everything that comes after it is make-up.
With make-up the same logic applies one step further: liquid before cream, cream before powder. Liquid and creamy textures blend into each other for as long as they are fresh. Powder soaks up moisture and oil, which is why it goes on top. If a creamy product lands on powder, it pushes the powder together and leaves patches.
Step by step in the morning
Step 1 — Cleanse. Lukewarm water, or a pea-sized amount of mild cleanser massaged in with your fingertips for 30 seconds, then pat dry. If your skin is dry, water is enough in the morning.
Step 2 — Serum and eye cream. Press two to three drops of serum onto the skin with your palms and wait a minute. Then tap a rice-grain-sized amount of eye cream per eye along the bone with your ring finger, as in the guide to caring for the eye area.
Step 3 — Cream and sunscreen. Place a pea-sized amount of moisturiser in five dots on your forehead, nose, chin and cheeks, and smooth it outwards. Wait two minutes, then spread the sunscreen using the same technique. Don't skimp on the amount, because the stated protection only applies when enough is on your skin.
Step 4 — Make-up. Once the sunscreen has stopped shining, add concealer and creamy shades, then powder, then eyes and lips. Work with your fingertips or a slightly damp sponge, and tap products in rather than spreading them. That way you don't push the layers underneath out of place.
Waiting times that make the difference
The two minutes after cream and sunscreen are the most important of the whole morning. During that time some of the water evaporates and the layer firms up. If you put make-up on a cream that still shines, the two mix, and over the day the make-up slides into your pores and around your nostrils.
Use the waiting time for something else: brush your teeth, brush your hair, get a coffee. Then it costs you no time at all. On dry skin the preparation looks a little different; how to go about it is in the guide to make-up on dry skin.
When make-up crumbles or slips
| What you see | Where it comes from | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Small crumbs form as you spread it | too many layers or too little waiting time | less product, and one more minute between steps |
| The make-up slides on your nose by midday | the cream had not sunk in yet, or it is too rich for the T-zone | less cream on the T-zone, and wait two minutes |
| Powder goes patchy | it went on a layer that was still damp | apply powder only once nothing shines any more |
| The highlighter disappears under the powder | wrong order | liquid highlighter before the powder, and only a very thin layer of powder on top |
| The concealer settles into lines | too thick a layer, or dry skin underneath | less concealer, and let the eye cream sink in first |
| Lip colour runs into small lines | no border | Lip Liner as an outline before the colour |
In the evening: everything comes off in reverse order
In the evening you take off first whatever holds on most firmly: lip colour and liner with a cotton pad that you press on for ten seconds, then waterproof eye make-up, then the rest. After that, cleanse your whole face once with a mild cleanser. The amount, temperature and time are set out in the guide to cleansing your face without irritating your skin.
After that comes the same skincare order as in the morning, just without sunscreen: serum or active, eye cream, cream. A facial oil goes on last in the evening: two to three drops pressed onto the cream.
If you use MONAT products
This is how three MONAT products fit into the table. The Barrier Booster™ Niacinamide Glow Serum sits in row 3, between cleansing and cream; it does not replace a cream. The Eye Smooth™ Nourishing Eye Cream is in row 4. The Liquid Highlighter™ belongs in row 8, after sunscreen and before any powder; it does not spread well over powder. How to dose it and where it goes is set out in the guide to how to apply highlighter. Which other MONAT make-up products are sold in Germany is shown in the overview of MONAT make-up; which products you can buy depends on your country, so check your country's MONAT shop for the final word.
Quick questions
Does sunscreen go before or after the moisturiser?
After. Sunscreen is the last skincare layer, and make-up only goes on over it once it has stopped shining.
Does make-up with SPF replace sunscreen?
No. You hardly ever apply as much make-up as the stated protection would need. It complements sunscreen; it does not replace it.
Do I have to wait between every step?
No. The pauses after cream and sunscreen are the ones that matter. Between make-up steps you carry straight on.
Eye make-up before or after the complexion?
Either works. If your eyeshadow often leaves powder on your cheeks, do your eyes first and wipe away the crumbs before the concealer and blush go on.
The free skin analysis asks which skincare and make-up steps suit your morning and sorts your order out from the answers.