A simple five-minute morning routine that actually holds up all day

You don’t need eleven steps before 7am. Here’s the version that holds up through a full working day in Kampala heat, in the order it actually matters.

1. Cleanse. A gentle balm or gel cleanser — skip anything that leaves skin feeling tight, that’s a sign it’s stripping rather than cleaning.

2. Hydrate. A light serum or toner while skin is still damp, so the next step has something to lock in.

3. Moisturize. Go lighter than you think you need to — humidity does some of the work for you here.

4. SPF. Non-negotiable, every single day, rain or shine. This is the step that actually prevents the aging everyone’s trying to fix with serums later.

5. Reapply by early afternoon. A powder or spray SPF over makeup is the easiest way to actually do this instead of skipping it.