Avoiding overuse

• The first step is to become familiar with the product itself and be alert to your skin's daily needs and changes. Do you have dry skin? Are you oily? Is the cream rich and nurturing, or is it a lighter fluid? All of these factors will affect how much product you need to use.
• No matter your skin type, always evenly distribute the product between both hands before application.

Eye cream

• The delicate skin around the eye area is thin and fragile. It thrives on moisture, protection and TLC. When applying cream around the eyes, a small portion no larger than the size of a pea will easily protect and treat both eyes. After distributing the product between your ring fingers, gently pat the cream along the orbital bone and eyelid.
• Consider investing in a lighter eye cream for daytime with SPF like Murad Essential-C Eye Cream SPF 15 and a more intensive cream for night, such as Obagi ELASTIderm Night Eye Cream. Although using two eye creams might seem indulgent, you’ll be exposing your skin to twice as many beneficial ingredients.
• Be careful with eye creams that are dispensed by pump. One full pump of eye cream is often too much, so use a half-pump or less depending on the particular cream. Using less won’t negatively affect your skin, and you'll cut your expenses in half.

Facial serum

• Serums are lighter in texture and weight than a regular moisturizer; some have a consistency similar to water, so it’s too easy to apply too much. Try using between one and one and a half pumps on your fingertips, spreading evenly between both hands and gently patting the serum onto your forehead, cheeks and chin before smoothing over the rest of your face and neck.
• With serums that come in a dropper bottle, such as Cellex-C Advanced C Serum, you might need even less product. Try using just four drops, one on each fingertip, to avoid using too much.

Cleanser

• It’s tough to resist dispensing too much cleanser, especially since we want to remove every last trace of makeup. But, over-washing your face can irritate it and even exacerbate acne. So, for all skin types, the best way to reduce the amount of cleanser you're using is to thoroughly splash the face with warm water — by prepping your skin with warm water, you’ll end up needing less cleanser. Next, squeeze out a dime-size amount of cleanser and rub your wet hands together briskly to create a lather before massaging into the skin.

Moisturizer

• Moisturizers are available in many formulations: lotions, creams, gels, soufflès and salves — just to name a few. Some are stored in bottles and jars, while others come in open tubs and need to be used with a spatula or cotton ball. For all of these types, start with a dime-size amount and use more if needed, especially if you have drier skin. As with cleansers and serums, warm your moisturizer between both hands before applying to the face to ensure even application.
• After you’ve applied moisturizer, your skin should feel hydrated, not heavy or sticky. If you find yourself blotting off extra moisturizer with a tissue, you're using too much.

Quality skin care is an investment, and just like other assets, it needs to be monitored in order to achieve the best results. Let skin care products work for you by taking control of how much you use. Your reward? Great skin and more money for your next beauty product.

See also:

Beauty on a Budget: Where to Spend Your Money

Coming Clean: 5 Skincare Myths