The Ordinary - A Personal Review

[ChicagoEngineer]

Hello, Beauties! As many of you may know, I’ve been experimenting with several of The Ordinary’s products over the past twelve days and I’m here to fill you in on my findings and the deets! Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F Given the potency, purity, and results associated with the line, I was super bummed to find that this product didn’t deliver. I didn’t see the brightening of my skin tone (especially superficial acne marks) that I was hoping for, but Ihave tried many concentrated vitamin C formulations for the same purpose and my skin just doesn’t respond. Regarding all things skincare, I know that many products take time to yield intended results. Given my demanding, fast-paced, and sleep deprived life, I simply cannot justify this product as another useful or necessary step in my regimen. The price tag is so low that I’ll probably hang onto the product and use it up on my neck/decollete, which is not acne prone but does have slightfine lines and dullness, especially during the dry Chicago winters. I’ll use it consistently and hopefully see results. Granactive Retinoid* 2% Emulsion I’ve been holding out on using a retinoid simply because of theincreased photosensitivity they cause, but I finally gave The Ordinary’s a try because the price is unbeatable and my breakouts have persisted despite hormone therapy as prescribed by my dermatologist. Let me just say that the tradeoff of SPF-manageable photosensitivity for better, glowing skin is totally worth it! Despite all the evidence that skin “purging” is a very real phenomenon, I didn’t believe it was real – until this product. I honestly thought that “purging” was an excuse skincare companies use for excusing the breakouts their products cause. After using this product just three nights in a row, man was my skin purging for real – but in a healthy, slightly gross, yet completely manageable way. All of the underlying congestion within my skin wasmaking its way to the surface in the form of juicy whiteheads where mostof my regular breakouts occur. However, continuing my nightly usage, thewhiteheads healed far quicker than any I’ve ever previously experienced. My acne dots by Peace Out were my go-to to help accelerate the healing. They literally soaked up all of the whitehead juice. In a weird way, it was very satisfying lol. The rest of my skin, that is not acne-prone, was exceptionally healthy looking and I finally saw that special glowskincare junkies like me dream about. After using the product nightly, I can see why retinoids are toted to be exceptional. I highly recommendthis product to anyone with frustrating combo skin, so long as you swearby the Sephora gods that you will wear SPF. Matrixyl* 10% +HA At first, I was offput by the stickiness of this product after application, but nowI’m willing to look past this quirk for the benefits I’ve seen with this product. I use it as an eye serum beneath my eye cream, on any persistent dry patches, and on my forehead to prevent premature aging. It definitely does the job of plumping and preventing aging but I still wonder how necessary it is in conjunction with all of my otherpreventative measures such as always moisturizing and drinking plenty of H2O. Perhaps on more mature skin the results would be significant. I’m only 24. Niacinamide 10% +Zinc 10% Great for daytime use to keep blemishes at bay. This also has a tacky consistency upon application but it dries quickly and never peels off during the day. I usually use salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide for the same purpose of blemish prevention, but this seems to be just as effective while being far gentler than salicylic acid and not photo-sensitizing like benzoyl peroxide. Also, my daytime use of salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxidesometimes peels and causes my face to over-produce oils and become shiny – ick! I will most definitely be continuing using this product as it serves as a great alternative to other daytime treatments. Azelaic AcidSuspension 10% My new favorite chemical! This product is the most similar I’ve found to Sunday Riley’s Good Genes and that is saying quite a lot given that it is a product I cannot live without at a staggering $150 per ounce (or slightly better $93 per ounce if you’re willing to save$158 for the value size). And this product is only $7.90 per ounce, holycow! Anyway, I love that I can use this day or night and it moisturizes, brightens, and prevents acne simultaneously. It doesn’t have as smooth of an application as Good Genes but it seems to be a lot gentler (Good Genes always stings a bit). It does, however, have an odd tendency to feel almost watery to the touch after application and it always should be the last layer in your routine otherwise it will result inmilky-looking streaks. This isn’t surprising as azelaic acid is found in starches like wheat and barley. Another fascinating tidbit is that this chemical signals to the body the production of salicylic acid, which might be why I’ve seen it successfully treat deeper acne. Have a wonderful Martin Luther King Jr Day, beauties, and let’s all be good to each other! @LouisianaLauren@nuskiechu@Forever34@kikirouge