With their incredibly affordable prices & innovative formulas, I can't stop buying new stuff from The Ordinary! I'm still completely obsessed with their skincare products & joining the DECIEM Enthusiasts group on Facebook has only added fuel to the fire. Come join us if you love The Ordinary too! In my previous reviews of their products I've predominantly focused on actives & acids as those were the main things that drew me to the brand. But this time I wanted to check out some of their more basic offerings as these are the products that will appeal to the majority of people & will be suitable for most skin types. I decided to buy their moisturiser, a couple of oils & both of their foundation primers.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA (£4.90 / 30ml)
Natural Moisturising Factors is a very basic moisturiser. Normally you might think that would be bad thing but I actually really like this product. It's a no-frills lightweight cream comprised of compounds that are naturally found in the skin. It's the perfect finishing step for a skincare routine using The Ordinary's other products. It provides a protective barrier against surface hydration loss & helps to seal in all the goodness from any serums, acids or oils you've used beforehand. Used alone I don't find it to be very hydrating. It sinks in very quickly & doesn't make a huge difference to the condition of my skin. However when you combine it with one of their oils it transforms into something far more luxurious than you would expect. I love to use it mixed with the Squalane or Rose Hip Seed Oil to give my skin a boost of moisture all day & all night.
The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil (£9 / 30ml)
The Rose Hip Seed Oil is definitely my favourite product out of these five. I used to be massively into Trilogy's Rosehip Oil but it's now double the price of this one & when two products are exactly the same, I will always go for the cheaper option. Although the Rose Hip Seed Oil is fairly lightweight, it feels a bit richer & heavier on the skin than Squalane so I only use it at night. The oil has a light golden colour & a natural earthy scent. Rose Hip Seed Oil is rich in linoleic acid, linolenic acid & provitamin A which enables it to target signs of photo-ageing. You could even call it a natural alternative to retinol. It can be used to treat many different skin ailments including scarring, stretch marks, wrinkles, fine lines & blemishes. It's especially good for those with acne-prone or oily skin types as it doesn't clog pores. In fact it can even help to unclog them! The main reason I like to use Rose Hip Seed Oil is to brighten & even out my complexion. I've found it to be one of the best things to use for post-blemish scarring. I'm a picker & always end up with red marks on my skin. Using this oil really helps to lighten this type of scarring & get my skin looking clearer again. It reduces any redness in my skin & instantly plumps it up. I always make sure to use it after applying The Ordinary's AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution to get some much needed hydration back into my skin. It's incredibly moisturising & makes my face feel baby soft. I absolutely love how my skin looks when I wake up the next morning. It's brighter, clearer & generally much healthier.
The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane (£5.50 / 30ml)
While I tend to use the Rose Hip Seed Oil at night, I've found that the Squalane works better as a day oil. It makes my skin feel really soft & well moisturised whilst giving it a fresh looking glow. It is colourless, odourless, very lightweight & sinks in quickly so it won't make your skin look greasy throughout the day. It sits nicely under makeup & helps my foundation to look smoother too. Squalane also works amazingly as a lip moisturiser. You might've seen some of those Instagram videos where people start dripping Farsali or some other overpriced oil all over their lips. You can do the same with just a drop of squalane to instantly smooth & hydrate your lips before applying your lipstick. If you're a fan of matte liquid lipsticks it can go a long way towards combating the inevitable dryness. Squalane really is a brilliant surface hydrator but it may not be the best choice if you're wanting something packed full of actives or antioxidants. In that case you'd probably be better off going for the Rose Hip Seed Oil or just get both like me!
The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer (£5.50 / 30ml)
I was really excited to try out The Ordinary's primers as I've heard loads of good things about them. They currently have two in their lineup & the first one I tried was the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer. This product greatly reminds me of the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. It feels lightweight & silky on the skin, smoothing over texture, fine lines & filling in pores. Your skin is left feeling super smooth & velvety. It does have that distinct silicone slip to it but it doesn't feel heavy or clog my skin unlike other silicone primers I've tried. It kinda dries down on the skin so it doesn't pill or ball up when you start applying your base. Makeup glides beautifully over it but I've found the best way to use it is to mix it in with your foundation. This gives any foundation a much more natural, skin-like appearance with a wonderfully smooth finish. As the name suggests, this primer helps your foundation to spread further so it won't cling to any dry patches. It also helps my makeup to last longer & still look fresh at the end of the day.
Unfortunately I've had a few issues with the packaging of this product. I don't know if I got a dodgy bottle or something but when it arrived it was only half full. The texture is also quite thick & gloopy so the pipette struggles to pick up the product from the bottle. The only way I can actually apply the primer is by smearing it onto my face using the dropper as a makeshift spatula. This means that I also tend to use more of the product than I need to & as a result I've gotten through my half bottle rather quickly. If you can get hold of a regular bottle of this stuff I'd definitely recommend giving it a go. I'd advise against ordering it from ASOS as they might well be the source of the problem.
The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer (£3.90 / 30ml)
I much prefer the tube packaging of the High-Adherence Silicone Primer but for me that's pretty much the only advantage over the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer. This product has a creamier texture like a gel moisturiser but both primers have that same soft silicone feel once applied to the face. It claims to have a blurring & smoothing effect on the skin which I somewhat agree with but actually I find that the other one makes my skin look far less textured. This primer doesn't stop foundation from sinking into my pores or fine lines. It provides a nice hydrating base for the application of makeup without any pilling & it does make my foundation last a bit longer throughout the day. However I don't think it does anything for oil control whereas the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer gives my skin a more velvety matte appearance. Some parts of my face look downright greasy when I wear this & my skin isn't very oily at all! If DECIEM could just pop the other primer into this packaging then I would be one happy bunny. Although I prefer the pore filling properties of the Fluid Primer, this one still does the job & at £3.90 it's well worth a try.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors + HA (£4.90 / 30ml)
Natural Moisturising Factors is a very basic moisturiser. Normally you might think that would be bad thing but I actually really like this product. It's a no-frills lightweight cream comprised of compounds that are naturally found in the skin. It's the perfect finishing step for a skincare routine using The Ordinary's other products. It provides a protective barrier against surface hydration loss & helps to seal in all the goodness from any serums, acids or oils you've used beforehand. Used alone I don't find it to be very hydrating. It sinks in very quickly & doesn't make a huge difference to the condition of my skin. However when you combine it with one of their oils it transforms into something far more luxurious than you would expect. I love to use it mixed with the Squalane or Rose Hip Seed Oil to give my skin a boost of moisture all day & all night.
The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil (£9 / 30ml)
The Rose Hip Seed Oil is definitely my favourite product out of these five. I used to be massively into Trilogy's Rosehip Oil but it's now double the price of this one & when two products are exactly the same, I will always go for the cheaper option. Although the Rose Hip Seed Oil is fairly lightweight, it feels a bit richer & heavier on the skin than Squalane so I only use it at night. The oil has a light golden colour & a natural earthy scent. Rose Hip Seed Oil is rich in linoleic acid, linolenic acid & provitamin A which enables it to target signs of photo-ageing. You could even call it a natural alternative to retinol. It can be used to treat many different skin ailments including scarring, stretch marks, wrinkles, fine lines & blemishes. It's especially good for those with acne-prone or oily skin types as it doesn't clog pores. In fact it can even help to unclog them! The main reason I like to use Rose Hip Seed Oil is to brighten & even out my complexion. I've found it to be one of the best things to use for post-blemish scarring. I'm a picker & always end up with red marks on my skin. Using this oil really helps to lighten this type of scarring & get my skin looking clearer again. It reduces any redness in my skin & instantly plumps it up. I always make sure to use it after applying The Ordinary's AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution to get some much needed hydration back into my skin. It's incredibly moisturising & makes my face feel baby soft. I absolutely love how my skin looks when I wake up the next morning. It's brighter, clearer & generally much healthier.
The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane (£5.50 / 30ml)
While I tend to use the Rose Hip Seed Oil at night, I've found that the Squalane works better as a day oil. It makes my skin feel really soft & well moisturised whilst giving it a fresh looking glow. It is colourless, odourless, very lightweight & sinks in quickly so it won't make your skin look greasy throughout the day. It sits nicely under makeup & helps my foundation to look smoother too. Squalane also works amazingly as a lip moisturiser. You might've seen some of those Instagram videos where people start dripping Farsali or some other overpriced oil all over their lips. You can do the same with just a drop of squalane to instantly smooth & hydrate your lips before applying your lipstick. If you're a fan of matte liquid lipsticks it can go a long way towards combating the inevitable dryness. Squalane really is a brilliant surface hydrator but it may not be the best choice if you're wanting something packed full of actives or antioxidants. In that case you'd probably be better off going for the Rose Hip Seed Oil or just get both like me!
The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer (£5.50 / 30ml)
I was really excited to try out The Ordinary's primers as I've heard loads of good things about them. They currently have two in their lineup & the first one I tried was the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer. This product greatly reminds me of the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. It feels lightweight & silky on the skin, smoothing over texture, fine lines & filling in pores. Your skin is left feeling super smooth & velvety. It does have that distinct silicone slip to it but it doesn't feel heavy or clog my skin unlike other silicone primers I've tried. It kinda dries down on the skin so it doesn't pill or ball up when you start applying your base. Makeup glides beautifully over it but I've found the best way to use it is to mix it in with your foundation. This gives any foundation a much more natural, skin-like appearance with a wonderfully smooth finish. As the name suggests, this primer helps your foundation to spread further so it won't cling to any dry patches. It also helps my makeup to last longer & still look fresh at the end of the day.
Unfortunately I've had a few issues with the packaging of this product. I don't know if I got a dodgy bottle or something but when it arrived it was only half full. The texture is also quite thick & gloopy so the pipette struggles to pick up the product from the bottle. The only way I can actually apply the primer is by smearing it onto my face using the dropper as a makeshift spatula. This means that I also tend to use more of the product than I need to & as a result I've gotten through my half bottle rather quickly. If you can get hold of a regular bottle of this stuff I'd definitely recommend giving it a go. I'd advise against ordering it from ASOS as they might well be the source of the problem.
The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer (£3.90 / 30ml)
I much prefer the tube packaging of the High-Adherence Silicone Primer but for me that's pretty much the only advantage over the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer. This product has a creamier texture like a gel moisturiser but both primers have that same soft silicone feel once applied to the face. It claims to have a blurring & smoothing effect on the skin which I somewhat agree with but actually I find that the other one makes my skin look far less textured. This primer doesn't stop foundation from sinking into my pores or fine lines. It provides a nice hydrating base for the application of makeup without any pilling & it does make my foundation last a bit longer throughout the day. However I don't think it does anything for oil control whereas the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer gives my skin a more velvety matte appearance. Some parts of my face look downright greasy when I wear this & my skin isn't very oily at all! If DECIEM could just pop the other primer into this packaging then I would be one happy bunny. Although I prefer the pore filling properties of the Fluid Primer, this one still does the job & at £3.90 it's well worth a try.
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