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Your first morning step should be a skin-building serum or cream to prevent water from exiting your skin and leaving it dry. Hydrated skin is healthy skin.

Your final morning step — and one of the most important steps in skin care — should be SPF 40, rain or shine, summer and winter. 90% of skin ageing is caused by daily sun exposure, and sunscreen is your secret weapon.

The cleansing phase is an important first step, but skip the soap — the pH of soap can dry your skin. A good cleanser has a pH close to that of the skin and is non-drying. Avoid water-free, leave-on cleansers, which can clog your pores. Follow cleansing with a toner to remove any debris the cleanser missed.

Judge a cleanser by the condition of your skin after you have washed, rinsed and dried: your face should feel fresh, clean and comfortable, not dry or pulled. The same criteria apply to a toner — a gentle astringency that leaves your face soft and refreshed.

The exfoliating phase is critical if you want flawless skin. Exfoliation stimulates cellular turnover and may improve skin thickness. It also removes dead cells on top of your skin, allowing skin care products to transport key ingredients to their destination — and it is one final opportunity to open up clogged pores before the rest of your routine.

The skin-stimulating phase encourages the skin's own collagen-building machinery and repair mechanism to soften the look of lines and wrinkles. This is ideally done with a thin, water-consistency serum rich in ingredients that easily permeate the skin. This step does not feel particularly moisturising and may leave your skin feeling dry and tingly.

The skin-building phase helps restore skin barrier function by delivering essential nutrients. This is ideally done with lipid-based serums that contain high concentrations of lipid-soluble vitamins, ceramides, antioxidants, retinol and essential fatty acids.

The skin-sealing phase moisturises and prevents water loss by sealing the skin. This is done with a cream that has the right balance of lipids and humectants to maintain the moisture level in the skin.

A cream should feel good. It should not leave your skin feeling dry, and your skin should not stay shiny for hours after you have applied it. Ceramides, essential fatty acids, retinol, vitamins C and E and hyaluronic acid are all excellent ingredients for this last step.