Review: The Ordinary

I hope you're all well, can't believe we are now days away from July!

By now you should have already heard about The Ordinary because it's so highly raved about despite being a fairly new brand. When I first heard of them, I didn't think too much about it until a friend of mine asked me about it recently. We started reading more about their products to see which would suit our needs better and that was when I realise how inexpensive their products are. Obviously the first thoughts that came to my mind was, "seems too good to be true" and "will the products be of any good?".

I was looking forward to trying the Niacinamide serum, so I decided to get that first. Subsequently, I got the Salicylic Acid solution as it's also supposedly good for oily, acne prone skin like mine. I've been using them almost daily for about 2 weeks and decided to drop in to give you guys a quick review. Note: I don't claim to be an expert in skin care products, I'm just a regular consumer sharing my experience. I may continue to update this post whenever I purchase a new product.

Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

What is it and what does it do?

As describe on their site, the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% as a high strength vitamin and mineral blemish formula. With such high concentration (10%) of Niacinamide in this serum, it is supposed to reduce the appearance of blemishes and help with skin congestion. While Zinc helps balance visible sebum activity.

My experience

I used this serum day and night right after my toner, but if I'm going I will not use it under makeup. During the 2 week period that I was using it, I did notice only slight improvements on my blemishes, with the redness fading away gradually. As for immediate effects, I felt that my face was less oily around the T-zone and cheeks which were my main area of concern.

I'm not sure if I my skin started purging at one point or not, but there a few tiny bumps on areas that didn't use to have anything so that was not fun!

Will I be repurchasing?

Maybe. Since it does help with the sebum activity, however, I didn't notice any drastic difference in the redness (which I had high hopes for). To be fair, it's only been 2 weeks and this review is kinda like a first impressions. I may see some improvement by week 4, who knows?

⇢ Get it here: theordinary.com | asos.com | beautylish.com

Salicylic Acid 2% Solution

What is it and what does it do?

Salicylic Acid solution is designed to exfoliate the skin and walls of the pores, fights appearance of blemishes and blackheads, and achieve visible skin clarity. If the word Salicylic acid doesn't ring a bell for you, beta hydroxyl acid might.

My experience

As instructed, I apply a small amount of this solution directly at night to my spots 15-20 minutes after applying my serum. Sometimes, I also apply it all over my face and immediately feel my skin getting tighter. Using this product together with the Niacinamide greatly improves sebum production, as my skin feels matte (not dry) the next day. It's definitely feels good waking up without feeling like an oily mess.

Will I be repurchasing?

Likewise, I've yet to see any visible results within these 2 weeks that would convince me to repurchase. I will definitely come back to update this category when I'm on my 4th week or so.

⇢ Get it here: cultbeauty.co.uk | asos.com | beautylish.com

Here's my take on skincare: whether it's a toner, or serum, they aren't miracle workers. Good skin definitely takes time and a lot of effort in being consistent. Choosing the right products and having a balanced diet are also important, but with that said, I'm not disappointed that these products didn't work as quickly as 2 weeks. I think it's important to also note that results may vary for different people, so what works for me, may not work the best for you and vice versa.

Other things you may be interested in knowing, the products come in thick glass bottles which feels luxurious for their price point. I believe they are unscented, or at least I'm not affected by the scent if any.

I hope this short review helped you in some way. Have you used anything from the The Ordinary range, or are you planning to try out certain products? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

Stay gold, xx

26 June 2017