Help with a facial cleansing routine. Re sunblock.

[Shitwithsugar]

Over the last few months with advice from Mumsnet I've started to get my facial routine in place.
Elmis cleansing balm.
Cetaphil hydration serum
Cetaphil moisturiser. (Can't use the one with sunblock in as it makes me itchy)
Elmis primer

I'm still trying to find a good light foundation.
Now I don't know when or what to use as a sunblock.

I'm 66 face is now normal.I did have dry patches but following the above routine they are no more.
I'm lucky enough not to have too many lines only ones are around my eyes and above my lip.

Im 64 and I use The Beauty of Joesen spf 50 and MAC Face and Body foundation. Its very light but buildable

Second Beauty of Joseon. It’s ace

I use La Roche Possay or when it starts warming up use a tinted sunscreen so I don’t use foundation.

I also use La Roche Posay Anthelios 50 which works pretty well for me. Soaks in easily and isn’t sticky and no white cast.

Hi OP. Great that you've got your routine sorted and those dry patches cleared up! Sunscreen should go on after your moisturizer and before your primer, it's your last skincare step before makeup. So the order is: cleansing balm to remove makeup/SPF at night, then in the morning it's serum, moisturizer, sunscreen, primer, then foundation. Since the SPF moisturizer made you itchy, you probably reacted to either the chemical UV filters. I'd suggest trying a mineral sunscreen with just zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the active ingredients since these tend to be gentler and less irritating. Look for something labeled "fragrance-free" and check that it doesn't have alcohol denat or SD alcohol high on the ingredient list. The downside with mineral sunscreens is they can leave a white cast, but there are tinted versions or ones with smaller particles that blend better on mature skin. You want at least SPF 30-50 with broad-spectrum protection. Some facial sunscreens also have added skincare ingredients like niacinamide or hyaluronic acid which work nicely under makeup. Give the sunscreen a few minutes to set before applying your primer. Hope this helps!

SPF goes on as the last step of your skincare routine and before any makeup, so after your moisturizer has had a minute or two to settle you apply your sunscreen, let that sit for a few minutes, then go straight into your primer and foundation on top, and since the cetaphil moisturizer with SPF irritates you it's worth looking for a standalone mineral SPF since zinc oxide based ones tend to be much gentler for reactive skin than chemical filter alternatives.