The Ordinary is a brand surrounded but a lot of emotion and sorrow but also some serious streak of geniality. Their products are nothing but ordinary and brands that have attempted to “get inspired” by The Ordinary have not yet achieved what this brand has. Despite the ownership of The Ordinary (and DECIEM) now being firmly held by the Estée Lauder Group, I’m not planning on abandoning the their ship just yet. Their products are truly unique. Many of which contain pretty strong single ingredient rather than a concoction with a drop of this and a pinch of that as it usually is the case with skincare products.
Which products to try from The Ordinary?
AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
Perhaps one of the key signature products of The Ordinary. The AHA 30% + BHA 2% is an at home chemical peel. It’s super strong – I tend to do a little bow of respect whenever I’m opening the bottle. But it works absolute magic. You leave it on your face for 10-15 minutes max, then wash it off. Your skin is immediately super supple and blemishes have visibly subsided. Again I need to emphasise how strong this acid is so do not mess with it. Avoid eyes, the under eye area and lips as well as any other sensitive areas. Only use it on your skin for short amounts of time. Only use once or twice a week at most, I use it about 4 times a month perhaps. Always in the evening so my skin can recover from the peel overnight.
Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
Much less aggravating yet still super powerful acid. This glycolic acid is a fantastic toner. I much prefer it to the likes of Pixi and The Inkey List. It exfoliates your skin and adds a boost of radiance. When you use it regularly (I’m currently out of this one and have a replacement because this one’s always out of stock but when I do have it I use it every PM religiously), you will see a vast improvement in your skin’s texture. If you’re sensitive to the AHA BHA peel but want to see an improvement in the texture of your skin then I’d recommend this one.
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
This ultra pure vegan hyaluronic acid is an excellent moisturiser. I use it mainly in summer. And only in the evening when I’m feeling my skin needs a boost of hydration. The hyaluronic acid works in a way that it draws moisture from the air and essentially locks it in your skin. That’s the main reason why I only use this in the evening after shower when there’s a good deal of moisture in the bathroom. I avoid using it in the morning because I feel it doesn’t reap the benefits as I might be out and about in the scorching sun or in a very dry A/C air.
Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
Everyone’s been talking about the importance of Vitamin C lately and I have to agree on this one. Although it’s important not to go overboard because your body can only use so much of it, it’s a good idea to use it both internally and externally. I’ve already tried 3 different Vitamin C products from the Ordinary. This one is sort of a middle ground for me. It’s definitely not my favourite because it piles and literally rolls off your skin even if you don’t put anything atop. Yet it’s brilliant when used overnight. It gives your skin such a boost of suppleness you can actually see the difference in the morning! Oh and it tastes vile. I didn’t mean to taste it but I urge you to wash your hands 3 times at least after applying this, the bitterness just doesn’t go away.
Lactic Acid 10% + HA
Yet another brilliant acid from The Ordinary. I find this one to be much milder than the ones I’ve mentioned above. And if you’re finding this one too strong too, then you can choose an even milder 5% variation. You can consider this another at home chemical peel. It removes dead skin cells, lightens blemishes and improves the skin’s condition and texture visibly.
100% Plant-Derived Squalane
As I’ve already mentioned in this post on beauty products I own only one of, I don’t have more than one moisturiser on hand at the time. Nonetheless I do believe that this squalene moisturiser is a bomb. It’s 100% pure, 100% colourless, 100% odourless, 100% non-greasy and comes from 100% sustainable plant sources. I fell in love with it last summer. It’s absolutely perfect to add a heap of moisture into your skin after sunbathing and sometimes I even used it on my arms when they looked like they were getting a little flaky. It’s not sticky but it does give you a glow if you use it under a tinted moisturiser or a BB cream. I wouldn’t necessarily advise to use it under full coverage foundation as I feel it might make it slide around a little.
100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder
My new favourite from The Ordinary. This is a fine 325 mesh topical powder which you mix with other skincare products to apply. I tried using this with my rose oil but it didn’t seem to work very well. Then I tried a simple Vitamin E moisturiser and it works wonders! I feel like this really heals my skin and brightens it. Because of the coronavirus stress I’ve been getting a fair amount of spots and this is dealing with it tremendously. It even healed a scratch from my cat within a couple day without any blemishes left behind. I’m so impressed with this and don’t mind the hassle of mixing the powder with other products, which understandably some might find a pain. This is also the most potent form of Vitamin C you can possibly get so it might be a little too much for sensitive skin.
Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%
Should the previous Vitamin C products be too strong for you, then you might want to try this milder solution. It’s a serum with stabilised Vitamin C and whilst it’s still potent, it’s less likely to irritate your skin. I find that using the 100% Vit C powder every single night might be overdoing it. That’s why I sometimes switch to this solution which still brightens my skin quite visibly and gives it a nice glow. It’s also much easier to use in the AM as it’s not sticky or greasy and just sinks right into your skin.
Mineral UV Filters SPF 30 with Antioxidants
I totally understand the importance of a good sunscreen, I absolutely hate the way they feel on my skin. This is the lesser evil of them all but I still don’t love it. The Ordinary are coming out with a product called Invisible UV Filters SPF 35 with Antioxidants, which I’m very much looking forward to as I feel it might be less thick on the skin. Which is my main issue with the mineral UVA and UVB sunscreen from this brand. It’s a great sunscreen, don’t get me wrong, but you can make a mineral white cast and thick texture as great as it allows you to. And there’s just not much room for it here. So this sunscreen definitely yes – it doesn’t clog your pores and it’s a great broad spectrum protectant, but I am looking forward to the new addition to their range.
“Buffet”
I’ve picked this multi-peptide serum recently as it’s meant to be a great every day serum to target signs of ageing (hello 30+). It’s a concoction of multiple ingredients so you don’t have to faff about with a powder or think about what to layer with what. It contains the following peptides:
- Matrixyl 3000 peptide complex
- Matrixyl synthe’6 peptide complex
- SYN-AKE peptide complex
- Relistase peptide complex
- ARGIRELOX peptide complex
- Probiotic complex
All these are mixed in a base of 11 skin-friendly amino acids and multiple hyaluronic acid complexes. I usually read EVERYTHING on each of the products I use but I have not got the courage to go through each of these complexes. I just trust The Ordinary – and all the glowing reviews – on this one. And so far it’s paid off. My skin loves it and it’s SO BEAUTIFUL under my It Cosmetics CC Cream. Your skin glows heavenly when these two are paired!
Why I love The Ordinary so much?
What I absolutely love about The Ordinary is that you’re getting a high quality product for great value. They’re not messing with fancy packaging, rainbow colours and unicorn farts. The Ordinary is giving you exactly what your skin needs right at this time. The prices range from about £5-10 for most products, some go as high as £20 depending on the ingredients. I buy mine from Cult Beauty right here.
I recommend you read the product information on their website carefully. Certain products can be aggressive on certain skin types. Certain products can’t be mixed. And certain products might not even do anything for you because they’re just not right for your skin type and needs. They do have an excessive library of information on all their products, so go ahead and have a read.
Note: I have not tried ALL of their products, there is still a lot to explore! Which means this list is definitely not definite and you might find other, perhaps even more impressive products in their range.