What Order Should I Apply Sunscreen and Moisturiser?

We're feckin' obsessed since the weather turned nice. Obsessed, that is, with sunscreen.

We've tackled the whys and the wherefores, we've had a gander at what's good. But one question remained, and that was, "er ... in what order should I apply?", to which I reckon, moisturiser > sunscreen > makeup. If you use serum, add that as the first step, as you normally would. Gingerrama had another point of view, and cited her Dermalogica sunscreen, which recommends application before moisturiser. Confused? Yup, most of us were!

My rationale for putting it on afterwards is that I'm concerned that moisturiser application will smear sunscreen and possibly leave parts of my face unprotected. So, I let serum and moisturiser sink in, then do sunscreen. Then I slap on the foundation.

But this is a lot of steps, and a lot of chemicals. If that's a big concern, an alternative would be a mineral product like Eminence's Organic Sun Defense with SPF30. Buff it on after moisturiser, and you've got a natural physical block against harmful rays.

The other alternative to using so many products is to use one with SPF built in. In the winter, I tend to use a hydrating product with an included SPF. And often I'll do that in summer too - as long as it's factor 30 or above - unless I'm going to be out in very hot sun, in which case I do my very best to use a separate factor 50.

Want to know what's good? Some of my recommendations are in my original post on sunscreens.