If you've been here awhile then you will know that I'm quite the fan of The Ordinary skin care, which I prefer to call 'The (Extra) Ordinary'... because there's nothing ordinary about them! They sit within the DECIEM umbrella of brands, which includes my all time favourite skincare brand; NIOD. For me, The Ordinary is very much the little sister brand of NIOD and includes so many effective yet ultra affordable skincare products.
Other than products I know won't suit my dehydrated/oily skin type I'm pretty sure I've now tried most of what The Ordinary have to offer! So I decided it would be fun and handy for some if I put together a skincare routine that you could follow or loosely use dependent on your skin type i.e changing out the light moisturiser for something like The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 if you have a drier skin type for example. Or of course using in conjunction with from pre-existing skin care.
From morning to night plus an extra treatment meet an ultra affordable skin care routine that will have your skin glowing in no time!
The De-Puffing Eye Serum
Caffeine Solution 5% EGCG (30ml) £5.80
Enter the AM eye-awaking de-puffing serum! If you are looking for a light yet hydrating eye product for morning use then you may want to look at this one. With a high concentrate of caffeine this light, none sticky serum topically reduces puffiness with instant effects. Perfect for lack of sleep eyes or if you suffer from puffy eyes on waking in general *puts hand up*. Along with caffeine the serum also benefits from hyaluronic acid and glycerin which takes dry under eyes to something more hydrated and smoother. As a little extra, I like to keep this in the fridge along with other lotions and potions I feel benefit from being applied chilled. This adds to the serums de-puffing qualities and feels extra soothing. As for the caffeine solution reducing the appearance of dark circles I can't say I've noticed any change but personally feel it's good enough for its instant results on morning eyes.
The Simple Yet Effective Moisturiser
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA (30ml) £4.90
Meet the moisturiser for all skin types! Yep, it's possible with the right ingredients. This light weight moisturiser has one important aim; to create a barrier against surface hydration loss. Which may sound a tad confusing but it makes sense really, better to protect moisture naturally found in the skin rather than add it back in later. Okay, so I'm dumbing-down this product, due to it being fairly scientific, like most of The Ordinary, but it truly works... which is the important part, right? On my oily skin this feels like a medium moisturiser which I initially thought would be too heavy (I prefer gel based moisturiser) but due to the nature of it, it hasn't broken me out or increased how oily my skin feels. Yet my skin feels happier and without a doubt more hydrated. I've also heard it works well on dry skin. Simply a good all rounder here that's worth picking up if you want to add hydration without risking breakouts or greasiness!
The Overnight Exfoliating Treatment
Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% (30ml) £6.00
The Ordinary offers quite a few chemical exfoliating product, which is so good for anyone on a budget! There's the topical toner with Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution (I should warn you.. it's always sold out), the blood-red 10-minute mask with AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution and the overnight peeling formulation with Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% which also comes in a milder 5% solution if your skin is more sensitive or you're new to chemical exfoliants. I've tried all three products and although I love the other two products, especially the toning solution, I keep coming back to this solution to thoroughly exfoliate my skin. Before bed I like to apply a few drops of this not so great smelling serum over my face, leaving it to become tacky (around 5-10 minutes) before applying my evening moisturiser of choice. Then in the morning I simply wash off the by then shiny feeling solution and voila! Perfectly smooth, de-flaked and brighter looking skin. It's as simple as that. If you want baby soft skin with improved clarify then this magic potion is a must buy!
The Spot Fighter
Salicylic Acid 2% Solution (15ml) £4.00
Lastly for my oily, often blemish-prone skin (always around the time of the month, argh) I couldn't leave out a targeted spot treatment. Classed as an exfoliant this salicylic acid solution actually helps exfoliate the inside walls of the pores to fight the appearance of blemishes and stop them in their tracks. Which explains why after 2-3 days of using this slightly foamy feeling solution my blemishes seem to disappear without any dryness in those areas. Due to its decongesting properties I have also been using it on larger areas of my chin to clear pores and reduce the chances of future breakouts in those areas and again I can't fault it. Also as so little is needed per blemish this 15ml bottle will last a surprisingly long time... unless like me you tip it over, oops!
So there you have it, the basis of an ultra affordable effective skin care routine!
If you're a fan of The Ordinary let me know your star products from the brand that has sold over 3 million units in 10 months?!
Fee xo.
