In a world where bigger is better and nearly everything has an option to super-size it’s only natural that our all-American instincts tell us to slap on an overly healthy dose of everything from toothpaste to face cleanser. After all… if you’re not foaming at the mouth like a rabid beast or sudsing beyond all facial recognition during your morning/evening ritual then you’re not really getting yourself clean, right?

Wrong.

Like that pint of gelato you devoured last night, cosmetics also have proper serving sizes. And in the spirit of making your products last as long and work as well as they possibly can (and having enough gelato left for tonight’s binge) we here at Project Beauty would like to school you on the appropriate serving sizes for everything from creams, to scrubs, to serums.

Our regular readers can commence with the eye rolling now, ‘cause we’re going to start with the appropriate amount of moisturizer with our good friend SPF. In order to properly douse your entire facial zone, including your lovely swan-like neck and delicate ears, dermatologists suggest that your use a quarter-size dollop of lotion with at least an SPF 30. Instead of coating your palms, go directly from fingers to face—this way you’ll avoid applying a too-thin and under-protected layer.

Our next stop is at exfoliation station, where a simple quarter-size dollop will do. If you want to slough off the old, tired top-layer of your entire face, don’t skimp on this one, even if it seems like overkill. Smooth the product over your entire facial zone in a circular motion and then rinse. Easy-peasy.

And speaking of peas, let’s discuss the proper serving size of those ultra-concentrated anti-aging, lightening and beautifying serums. Since they are so powerful, generally a pea-size dot is sufficient. Simply tap onto any problem areas—smile lines, frown lines, dark spots—and let the potion do it’s magic. Tapping the area with the product will help your skin absorb the product, so just pretend your fingers are doing a Fred-and-Ginger routine and tap away.


Are there other pea-size serving sizes? Why, yes. Yes there are.

Under-eye cream generally requires a pea-size application—as in ½ pea for each ocular area. Simply unsheathe your ring finger like the implement of battlefield victory that it is (and yes, please do it with as much drama as you can muster), dab sparingly, working from the outer corner in, and be sure not to overdo it. Cream can migrate into your lovely eyeballs, causing irritation, puffiness and the redness associated with vampire eyes—so be gentle and also avoid your lids (unless the jar says to apply it there.)

Another pea-size apply goes to any and all spot-treatment cosmetics for blemishing or lightening. You don’t want to irritate the surrounding area… so it’s best to keep it simple and sparing.


For night cream’s we go back to the change purse for a more generous quarter size application. Since skin is most receptive to active ingredients like retinol and salicylic acid at night, a more generous amount will amp up its beautifying powers.

The same goes for any oil-absorbing masks—but let’s not get crazy. A simple nickel size can help clear up pimples and diminish the appearance of pores without sapping the skin’s moisture. Stick with targeting the oily areas, like you’re T-zone, and try to do this only once a week. Less is more, ladies.

Unless we’re talking cleanser. When you mix your cleanser with water, it naturally dilutes it, so load up your palm with a golf-ball size serving and suds away. Oily skin usually fares best with a foaming formula, while dry skin does better with an emollient cream or milk (with these you can reduce the amount back to your change-purse worthy quarter.) Apply, massage into your skin for at least 30 seconds to draw the impurities out of the skin and then rinse away with warm water.

Stick with these little rules-of-thumb and you’re product will work better and last longer, and hey, isn’t that all we really ask for? (Oh, and also a time machine to knock-off the last ten years. But I digress.) It’s time to go of the theory that many-much-more is better. Seriously. Just stop yourself.