Tone the layer people skip.

What this step does

Toning has changed meaning entirely. The alcohol-heavy astringents that stripped and tightened have largely gone; what sits here now are hydrating toners and essences whose job is to put water back onto the skin while it is still damp, so the serum and moisturiser that follow have something to hold. It is the most skippable step on paper and one of the most noticeable in practice, particularly on dehydrated skin.