Every beauty blogger has tried and reviewed The Ordinary, haven’t they? I finally caught up with the trend and gave this science based skincare brand a go.
How is it already August? And how have I turned 26? If you haven’t visited before, then you should know that I’m quite into skincare these days, especially as I’m moving into my late 20s. That being said, I don’t go crazy and use sheet masks everyday. I certainly don’t invest hundreds of pounds in products. I just like to think that I have a handle on things. When I peruse beauty and wellbeing articles, one brand that I always, always see in these lists are The Ordinary Skincare company.
It seems only natural that after reading so much, I had to give it a go. After all, this is a blog that investigates trends!
What is The Ordinary?
If you haven’t heard of this brand before, I’ll forgive you. The Ordinary is marketed as a series of ‘clinical formulations with integrity’ and say this about themselves:
“The Ordinary is an evolving collection of treatments offering familiar, effective clinical technologies positioned to raise pricing and communication integrity in skincare. The brand was created to celebrate integrity in its most humble and true form. Its offering is pioneering, not in the familiar technologies it uses, but in its honesty and integrity. The Ordinary is born to disallow commodity to be disguised as ingenuity.”
The whole idea is to be upfront about what you’re getting when you buy any and every product. It doesn’t use fancy names and its branding is stylishly clinical, as opposed to more ‘luxurious’ brands who use colours and textures in their designs. They’re really going for an old school pharmaceutical vibe. As a scientist…I like that.
What’s more, they don’t test on animals!
What products did I try?
At the moment, I only have 2 products from The Ordinary. So please, count this as an introductory review! I’ve done this because I wanted to get to grips with just couple of their products before going crazy.
So let’s find out if I’m ready to invest in more.
Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squaline
I went for this retinol preparation as I’m new to the molecule. Retinol can be fairly irritating when you first use it, and The Ordinary promised that this was a great starter product.
Retinols are derived from vitamin A and have anti-ageing properties. They work by increasing cellular turnover and stimulating collagen production. Sounds promising, doesn’t it? This product is recommended as part of a nighttime routine, and I’ve slotted it in between toning with my Pixi Glow Tonic and my night creams.
There’s one thing you need to be aware of though. Because retinols can irritate your skin, you need to use SPF the day after you apply. Now, SPF is easy to add to your routine (if you haven’t already!), and I use a simple Olay day cream with SPF 20. I’ve also heard that The Ordinary are coming out with their own facial suncreams, so I may have to give those a try!
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is another molecule that has taken over the beauty market. It’s what facial fillers are actually made of, but I haven’t gone that far just yet! I’m happy to apply just on the surface.
Now, HA is already found in the body (we actually carry 15g of it within us) and helps with tissue repair – as well as other complicated biological functions – let’s just stick to the beauty side of things for now though!
With this formulation, The Ordinary promises that it’s blend of 3 HA weights will hydrate and plump the skin without drawing water out the skin and dehydrating it. Again, this sounds promising.
This is a product that I’ve slotted into my daytime routine, and basically in the same place as the retinoid i.e. in between the toner and creams.
Have I seen a difference?
I’ll be honest, I haven’t been as religious as I could/should be with these products. This is partly due to my own laziness, time keeping and also my overall health (don’t get me started on the state of my tonsils). But, I really do like these products!
As promised, I haven’t suffered any irritation from the retinoid. What’s more, when it’s combined with my favourite Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask, my skin is super soft and supple in the morning. However, I can’t say that I’ve seen any ‘plumping’ with the hyaluronic acid! Also, at this fairly early stage, I can’t see any changes in wrinkles – this is something I’ll have to keep a beady eye on.
One other thing I would comment on would be the quality of the packaging. I love the dropper style of applicator, but I think they need to take a second look at the design. I only say this because the product leaks out very easily when you’re not paying attention, which has lead to a couple of spills!
Overall, I’d happily invest in more products from The Ordinary. Now I just need to decide what I want to get next! What’s more, I’m hoping that they will start selling in more stores, as there was quite the wait for my online order (it was worth it, but still). If you ever find yourself in the lovely Covent Garden, they have a shop in the market. I’ll warn you though, it’s very small and incredibly popular, so be prepared for a tight fit!
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