@Twinsandsome my method (which might not be universal) is to cleanse and then apply products from thinnest to most dense.
I rarely wear makeup so I don't bother with double cleansing.
I use a hot cleanse method, and I use the system with the massage from Eve Lom balm cleanser. I either use a cleansing balm or an oil (any oil, especially treatment oils coming to an end) or a lotion cleanser.
In an ideal world I'd apply a toner or essence just to get through the bottles I have. In reality I often skip this step.
Once or twice a week I follow with an acid toner which I let sit on the skin for about 20-30minutes. I might rinse it off if it feels sticky, otherwise I don't bother.
At this point I apply a serum. I used to use about 3 different ones, but I gave up on hyaluronic acids because they didn't seem to do much for me. At present is this Medik8 one.
I then apply a very small amount of nighttime moisturiser (I usually use a light version but for dry skin you'd want something more substantial).
I then follow with an oil, probably overkill but I do love oils. This would usually be an anti ageing or antiredness or even a plain light almond oil or jojoba oil.
On the nights I use the acid toner, I swap the moisturiser for a hydrating or anti-aging mask which I apply like a moisturiser and leave it on overnight and skip the oil.
I also use tretinoin three or four times a week, not on the nights when I use acid toner though. This goes on after cleansing and before serum, but I wait about 20 minutes or so after I apply tretinoin.
For mornings I only wash my face with plain water, follow with a toner because it makes me feel fresher, then No7 Laboratoires Line Correcting Serum, then Medik8 peptide serum again (if I was using a watery serum, I would apply that first, so from thinest to thickest product, an oil based serum has a higher density and I would use that at the end), then eye cream, then suncream. Sometimes I apply a light moisturiser before suncream if my skin feels a bit dry.
It sounds like a lot of faff but this is something I built over the years, gradually, and I chop and change every now and then. I also skip everything on some evenings when I don't have the patience or time. I also pare everything down when I travel.
I should probably only bother with tretinoin and 1 good serum and suncream and occasional moisturiser. Everything else is really not essential but I enjoy the process.
Hand on heart, my skin looks at its absolute best when I do nothing to it. Just wash and go. But this miracle lasts 5 days at most.