Which Skincare Product Should I Apply First?

Question: "Which skincare product should I apply first?"

Answer: Start with the lightest consistency and end with the heaviest (e.g., gels before serums; serums before lotions; lotions before creams). "Thick products can prevent thinner ones from penetrating," says dermatologist Jeffrey Dover, MD, author of The Youth Equation. Rub in each layer until it disappears, then slather on the next. And apply products to clean skin -- the more makeup or dirt a formula has to pass through, the less effective it will be.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, September 2009.