Your Skincare Plan, Explained: How to Read Your Card and Build Your Routine
The card you take home is short on purpose. This guide explains what each part of it means, the order to use your products in, and how to start them without upsetting your skin.
By Dr Amber Halliday, MRCGP MBBS BSc (Hons) | Blue Bird Aesthetics, Worthing | Last reviewed October 2026
After most skin treatments at Blue Bird Aesthetics you leave with two things: an aftercare card for the treatment you had, and a skincare plan on the back. The plan lists the AlumierMD and CellDerma products I stock. Only the ones I tick are meant for you. Everything else is there so you can see where your routine sits within the range, not as a shopping list.
Your skincare plan, section by section
- Reading your card and putting it in order (you are here)
- Cleansers and exfoliants
- Serums
- Retinoids
- Eyes and lips
- Moisturisers
- Sun protection
- Kits, and skincare around your treatment
How to read your card
A white box
Two columns, AM and PM. A tick means use that product at that time of day. Ticks in both columns mean morning and evening.
A grey box
That product is not used at that time of day. Retinoids and the night cream are greyed out in the morning, sunscreen in the evening, and EverActive vitamin C in the evening.
A blue dot
A CellDerma product. Everything without a dot is AlumierMD. You order the two brands through separate accounts.
Restart actives from
The date you can go back to retinoids, acids, exfoliants and vitamin C after a treatment. Until then, use only the gentle products ticked.
Your routine and notes
Anything specific to you, such as how many nights a week to start a retinoid, plus any trial sizes you took home.
The QR code
Opens your skincare plan page, where you can order the ticked products through accounts linked to our clinic. You can also buy them in clinic.
If your card and anything you read online disagree, including this article, follow the card. It was written for your skin on the day I saw you.
The order matters more than the brand
When a routine “stops working”, the order is often the problem. The rule of thumb is thinnest to thickest: cleanser, then watery serums, then creams. In the morning, sunscreen always goes on last, because anything you layer over it thins the protection. In the evening, retinoids go on clean, dry skin before your moisturiser. Skip any step that is not ticked on your card.
Morning
- Cleanser. Massage onto damp skin for about a minute, rinse and pat dry.
- Exfoliant, only if ticked for the morning. Bright & Clear Solution is the one I most often tick here.
- Vitamin C serum. An antioxidant layer works well under your sunscreen.
- Other serums, thinnest first. Give each a minute to settle.
- Eye product. Pat lightly along the bone with your ring finger.
- Moisturiser.
- Sunscreen, always last. Every morning, all year.
Evening
- Cleanser. Cleanse twice if you wore sunscreen or make-up.
- Exfoliant, on exfoliation nights only. One to three times a week. Not on the same night as a new retinoid.
- Serums, thinnest first.
- Retinoid, on dry skin. A pea-sized amount covers the whole face.
- Eye product. Retinol Eye Gel is an evening product.
- Moisturiser or night cream.
- Lip product. A good last step before bed.
Tap a question to open it
Why are the retinoids greyed out in the morning?
Every retinoid on the card, including Retin-ACE from CellDerma, is for the evening only. Retinoid-treated skin is more sensitive to the sun, so retinoids go on at night and sunscreen goes on every morning.
Do I really have to wait between layers?
A minute or so is plenty. The point is to let each layer settle so the next does not slide off. You do not need to wait long for anything to “absorb”.
I have two serums ticked for the same time. Which goes first?
Go by texture, thinnest first. If both feel similar, put the one aimed at your main concern first. The serums guide covers which ones sit well together.
Can I use an exfoliant and a retinoid on the same night?
While you are getting used to a retinoid, keep them on different nights. Once your skin is settled, some people can combine them, but only if I have said so on your card.
Introduce one product at a time
This is the instruction on the card that people skip most often. If you start five products on the same evening and your skin reacts, there is no way to tell which one caused it. Start with the gentlest products, leave a few days to a week before adding the next, and bring in active ingredients such as retinoids, acids and exfoliants last and slowly.
A typical pace. Your card may set a different one.
- Mild tingling for a minute with some actives can be normal. Stinging, burning or redness that lingers is not. Stop that product and let me know.
- Dryness and light flaking in the first few weeks of a retinoid is common and usually settles as your skin adjusts. My retinoids guide explains how to pace it.
- Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing after using any product is an emergency. Call 999.
If your skin has already become sore and reactive from too many products, go back to basics first. My guide to repairing the skin barrier explains how.
Why your plan changes around treatments
Skincare and treatments work together, but not on the same day. After NeoGen, microneedling, a peel or a skin booster, some of your usual products pause for a while and a gentler set takes over. That is what the “Restart actives from” date is for. Each treatment has its own timings, and I have set them out in skincare around your treatment.
When skincare is not the answer
Skincare can make a real difference to how skin looks and feels, but it is not medication. If you have a rash that will not settle, spots that are painful or scarring, or any new or changing mark on your skin, please see your GP. If you are not sure where to start, a skin health assessment is a good first step, and the skin concerns hub explains what helps with each common concern.
Commercial disclosure: Blue Bird Aesthetics sells AlumierMD and CellDerma products and may earn commission on purchases made in clinic or through our links. You are free to buy elsewhere, or not at all. Our clinical advice does not change either way.
Lost your card, or not sure what was ticked?
Message me and I will send your plan again, or book a review and we will go through it together.
Common questions
Do I have to buy everything ticked on my plan?
No. If budget matters, start with a cleanser that suits you and a sunscreen you will wear every day, and add the rest over time. You are also free to buy elsewhere, or not at all.
How do I order the products?
Scan the QR code on your card or open your skincare plan page. AlumierMD and CellDerma each have their own account, linked to our clinic, so I can see what you are using at your review. You can also buy in clinic.
Can I keep using products I already own?
Often, yes. Bring them to your next appointment and we will work out what stays, what pauses and what might be causing a problem.
I am pregnant or breastfeeding. Does my plan change?
Yes. Retinoids are not for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and I review every other product on your plan too. Please tell me as soon as you know.
How long before I notice a difference?
Skin often feels more comfortable within a couple of weeks. Changes in tone and texture usually take eight to twelve weeks of consistent use.
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