Deciem’s The Ordinary has taken the skincare world by storm! It has refined budget skincare and lit the torch on pricing with luxury brands! No matter your stance on their social media page, one thing you can’t deny is the fact that their products are effective period!
The single formulations make it easy to find exactly what you are looking for, without the additional fillers etc. you can also combine a lot of serums due to the low price and they work together pretty well! With my ever expanding collection of the Ordinary, I have come to try a lot of their products, most of them I love! In this brand review, I will be talking about everything I have tried and how to easily add them to a routine!
It’s worth saying, Deciem have a lot of serums and information on their website! It’s really worth having a quick read of their Regime guide and product information to know how best to combine serums for max effectiveness. Some products work well before or after some serums and some are more suited for night time use!
Serums
If you have oily/congested and blemish prone skin, your best serums are Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and Salicylic Acid 2%. Niacinamide helps to strengthen your skin and reduce the appearance of blemishes. Salicylic acid is a BHA and cleanses deep inside pores. It also reduces texture! I have stayed away from BHA after trying the Paula’s Choice 2% BHA which I hated! I decided to try BHA again this year because I really wanted to improve my skin so I decided to try the Ordinary’s version for less of the price.
This summer, these two serums were a saviour! I normally have oily/blemish prone skin in the summer and with the heat, we experienced I was sure it would be worst! However, my skin remained its usual normal-oily skin because of these! I used Niacinamide in the mornings and the Salicylic Acid as and when I needed it. I would reach for the BHA when I saw texture or enlarged pores or if a pimple was forming. It clears texture overnight!
Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion this was my 1st ever retinol product and I had no issues with it! Retinol is notorious for irritation. I found it creamy and hydrating plus it brightened my skin overall. Alpha Arbutin– I really wanted to like this and gave 2 chances to work. Both times didn’t show any benefits in my skin. Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG– I was really excited to try this as I have bad dark circles and sometimes bags but it did nothing. Full review here
Routine step- after cleansing and toning. Both these serums can be used both AM and PM but I used Niacinamide in the AM and Salicylic in the PM when the need arose.
Retinol and Alpha Arbutin as treatment serums in PM for hyperpigmentation
Caffeine solution- eye serum
More Acids
In addition to the BHA, they have a good range of acids. I have used the Lactic Acid 5% which I didn’t enjoy much. The scent for me was off-putting but I also can’t remember if it did anything. Read my full review here. (I’m actually thinking of trying the 10% because I have recently used Good Genes from Sunday Riley and I really like it. it’s a lactic acid treatment so I thought maybe the 10% could be a dupe?). The Glycolic Acid 7% AHA is one of my fav products from them! I LOVE Glycolic acid so immediately when this was released I bought two bottles of it! It’s 7% more than most drugstore brands at a fraction of the cost PLUS it’s a huge 240ml bottle!
I also have the AHA30% BHA2% mask which is serious business! It is a high strength formula designed to be used only 2-3 times a week and left on for 10 mins! It stings as expected so don’t try to leave it on longer or use more frequently. This stuff will make your skin more sensitive to the sun so use SPF no excuse! Finally the Azelaic acid suspension 10%– I didn’t like this! The texture is like a weird cream to powder formula and it dried out my skin and left it itchy
Routine step
Lactic acid- after cleansing and toning. Glycolic Acid 7%- after cleansing and in the evenings. Azelaic Acid 10%- after water solutions and PM. After toning & cleansing.
AHA 30% BHA2- as a mask for 10 mins no more than 3 times a week
Vitamin C
I have been loving Vitamin C this year and I have tried 3 Vitamin C products from the Ordinary. The 1st two are vitamin c derivatives: Ascorbyl glucoside 12% and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%. I love both of them but of the two MAP wins my heart. It’s easier to use and hydrating plus when combined with their Ferulic acid and resveratrol they literally clear texture overnight (use the BHA 1st then these two combined). The 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder is a recent purchase. Its 100% high strength finely milled powder designed to be mixed with other products. So far I have been using it 2 to 3 times a week mixed with my hydrating face masks. 1 scoop is enough, 2 scoops stings! More information in a full review soon.
Routine step- MAP and Ascorbyl glucoside use after water formulations.
Vitamin C powder- mix with other treatments 2 to 3 times a week
Antioxidants & Hydrators
Another ingredient I have been obsessed with is antioxidant! The Resveratrol 3% and Ferulic Acid 3% has been a blessing to my skin. Now on my second bottle, it adds a beautiful glow to the skin and also helps with texture. I mixed with MAP or my morning moisturiser to give me luminous skin in the morning! A must-have! A very recent addition to my routine is the Amino Acid + B5. It’s very new to the brand, in fact, the product information isn’t even up yet lol. But Amino Acids have antioxidant and hydrating properties so I will come back with more info for you
Finally Natural Moisturising Factors (NMF) the best non-oily hydrating cream I have used. It’s thick but not heavy. A full review will be up soon
Routine step- Resveratrol 3% and Ferulic Acid 3% mix with creams or apply ‘neat’ after toning both PM and AM. Amino acids- after cleansing and toning PM and AM
NMF- moisturiser after serums
Makeup
My full thoughts and review on the High Coverage foundation is here. I have the High Adherence silicone primer but I am yet to use it
Routine step- Primer- last step before makeup application. Foundation- after primer
Ok folks! The powerhouse brand that is the Ordinary and everything I have used from them. This is a long post (17 products mentioned! Many repurchases and I will be expanding my portfolio of their products) but it’s worth it! They have a lot of products and I understand it can be quite confusing to choose which ones to use. I hope you found this useful!
I have more brand reviews scheduled so stay tuned!
Catch you later!
sarah fynn 