The Ordinary A Mini Guide.

I am absolutely loving the ordinary skincare range, but when I first took a look at the whole range I was so confused and I really didn't know where to start! 

So I did a little research into the ingredients and what they are and do, so I could then make an informed decision as to which products would work best in my skincare regime.

I mentioned in my previous post, I purchased the vitamin c 23%+HA, Retinol 1%, and the Natural Moisturising Factors. My skin is absolutely loving these products. But after a little research I made the decision to switch the Retinol out in favour of the Azelaic acid. Simply because I wanted to focus more on my redness and breakouts and Azelaic acid is much gentler to use on sensitive skin. 

Looking at The Ordinary's whole range, it can be more than a little confusing and very tempting to try all their products as they are so affordably priced!

However that's not recommended as several of the products are actually very similar ingredients or derivatives. So will either cancel each other out or essentially do the same job! 

It may seem like you need a degree in science to understand which product is for which skin concern but once you realise that they are just their science names and you translate into their 'normal names' its fairly simple. For example Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate is a derivative of vitamin C 

So, if you wanted to add some Vitamin C to your regime, then you actually have several choices:

The obvious and highly concentrated one is the Vitamin C 23% + HA

Then the derivatives are:

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F

There's really no point to using all these products at same time as they are all very similar derivatives of Vitamin C. Perhaps try one form, see how that works out and if you don't like it try another form.

Another tip, don't use Niacinamide at the same time as Vitamin C. This is because the niacinamide which is vitamin B3 affects the integrity and effectiveness of the vitamin C. Use one in the morning and one at night or even alternate days.

The Vitamin C 23% has the vitamin c suspended in hyularonic acid spheres to ensure it remains stable and actually reaches your skin. As you apply it can feel grainy, these are the vitamin c's which break-up and get to work on your skin. If you don't like the grainy feel, switch to another form of vitamin c or try adding a few drops of their hyaluronic acid + B5 serum. This helps to dilute the grains of vitamin c. 

Don't use a Retinol with an acid eg Glycolic or salicylic or Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) at the same time. This is because they do similar jobs but also in order to work effectively Retinol needs to be at a higher PH level, whereas the acid needs a lower PH level. Adding them at the same time means that neither will work as effectively as they would on their own, they kind of cancel each other out as neither are at their optimum PH. For example: Use Glycolic acid in the AM then use the Retinol in the PM. 

Save the 'light sensitive' ingredients for the night-time. This means that it will work much more efficiently. Light can degrade the ingredients but also makes your skin more sensitive to the sun. So you will find you burn much quicker. So best to use at night and remember to use sunscreen in the day time. Examples of these types of products are Retinol, AHA's, Lactic acid and Glycolic acid, Salicylic acid too.

Don't use AHA's with Glycolic Acid or Lactic Acid because they essentially do the same thing. They break down the dead skin cells and chemically exfoliate. Using two types of acid will harm and possibly irritate your skin by over exfoliating.

Facial oils go on last. This is because they have a heavier molecule and products find it difficult to penetrate. Putting the lighter ingredients first allows them to penetrate and enter the skins layers. As the oils take longer to soak in they are more effective applied at night where they have longer to get to work. 

Hope this mini guide to The Ordinary helps you when building your own personal regime. I think The Ordinary really is a skincare game-changer. It offers high quality ingredients at affordable prices, which makes it possible to build your own skincare routines based on your own personal skin issues. And great results to boot!!

Have fun and take care xoxo

Out of The Ordinary ... Skincare

Have you heard of a brand called The Ordinary? 

Up until a month ago I hadn't, however in the beauty world it's hard to miss a brand which has a massive 25,000 person waiting list for their new foundation, yet to be released here in the UK.

Of course I immediately signed up to the said waiting-list! I need to find out what all the fuss is about!!

In the mean-time I thought I'd give some of their skincare offerings a go. I have to say I am impressed. The names for their products are simple, packaging plain but sleek. But what I love is you know exactly what you are getting in terms of ingredients. 

According to their website the idea is to layer the products depending on the skin issues you wish to tackle and best of all the price is amazing. So for 3 or 4 products it's actually affordable to layer them probably for less than a high end skincare product. Only you've chosen the specialised ingredients to match your skincare concerns. Win-Win I say!

So based on my current skincare routine I was lacking in a retinol. I am acutely aware that as I age over 30 I'm going to need to reinforce my age defence on the skincare front. 

So here is what I chose... 

As you can see packaging is very simple, but I think it is appealing and I enjoy the openess of their products. No fuss, no frills.

Retinol 1%

As I said I'm a lady over the age of 30 looking to start using more anti-ageing targeted products so I thought I'd start with the lower 1% retinol they offer and see how I get on with that. So far so good. I've been using this gel like treatment twice a week for the past 3 weeks. I haven't experienced any ill effects so far and it seems to be a fairly gentle retinol.

High Adherence Silicone Primer

A thick, creamy smoothing primer. I apply this before my foundation and it really helps to make my foundation last throughout the day. I feel it helps the foundation not to settle in my pores or creases, which previously I felt it did, highlighting issues I wanted to cover up. Best of all is the price, at only £3.90 you really can't go wrong!

Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%

A slippy oil / cream suspension, as you can see from the swatches photo, it starts off a white creamy consistency  then as you rub it in goes an oily see through shade. Has a slight grainy feel to it as you put it on your face. These are the vitamin c spheres. As a rule vitamin c tends to be unstable however the ordinary have developed a unique delivering system. Which is really working for me. I noticed the effects from this the first night I used it. The next morning my skin felt super soft. It's really helping me tackle stubborn dry areas and since using my makeup has been applying with ease. An absolute steal at £4.90!!

Natural Moisturising Factors + HA

A lovely creamy moisturiser which contains multiple amino acids, fatty acids, triglycerides and more importantly for my dry parched skin,  hyaluronic acid. This last one is what helps to hydrate the skin as it can hold up to 1,000 times its own weight in water. I have been reaching for this moisturiser over  my more expensive ones. It does what it says hydrates the skin without feeling smothered or greasy. Its a really nice moisturiser and a £4.90 price point is amazing.

Swatches

Top to bottom:

Silicone primer, Vitamin C, Retinol 1% and Natural moisturising Factors HA

I really like the simpleness of their products, low key packaging and clear, understandable ingredients list. I like having the option to layer products according to my skin concern. It makes their skincare adaptable and with their price point it's very tempting to add several products to your skincare line-up.

Their foil seal keeps the products fresh inside until you are ready to open them. Easy to use squeezy tube packaging, no need to faff with pipettes etc!

I am seriously impressed with The Ordinary their skincare offerings have fast become my favourite products to use in my routine. I'm excited to try more and with their amazing prices, why not?! Simple affordable and best of all high quality. I'm eagerly and impatiently awaiting their foundation!! Their skincare is far from ordinary.

Have you tried anything from The Ordinary? What would you recommend.

Spring Skincare Resolutions

Happy Easter, hope the 'Easter Bunny' brought you lots of goodies! My favourite egg was the large Ferrero Rocher egg. The outer shell was exactly like the outer of the normal Ferrero Rocher's and it was utterly delicious!

So now we're a hop, skip and a jump closer to the summer weather I definitely feel the need to switch up my skincare routine. My skin has been feeling the after effects of the winter months, incredibly dry and flaky especially on my eyelids. Which makes it difficult to wear eye-shadow as I feel it just looks awful. Liquid foundation just seemed to go on flaky and I ended up with patches.

So I think I need to do more of a morning skincare routine as previously it consisted of a swipe of bioderma micellar water, primer and then onto makeup. The main reason for this was I didn't want my skin to appear too greasy looking, but with my skin being so thirsty I really need to add in a moisturiser before the primer. Hopefully this will help my foundation to last longer and not go so patchy.

I also need to be much stricter with my night time routine. I plan to use the pixi glow tonic most nights. 

As this contains glycolic acid, it provides a gentler way to scrub the dead skin cells, leaving me with refreshed flake free skin. My blog post is here: Pixi Glow Tonic if you wish to know more.

I also need to not be so lazy! I often skip a few steps and in my opinion it's starting to show on my face. Some nights if I'm really tired I'd just swipe a cotton pad with micellar water around my face and go to bed.... I KNOW - BAD BEAUTY BLOGGER!! So my resolution now spring is here is to ensure I take care of my skin EVERY night and hopefully my skin won't be so cross with me ha ha! The key to having your makeup last and go on nicely definitely starts with skincare.

As for my dry flaky eyelids, I was a little stumped at first, as each of my eye creams weren't really helping so I decided to apply a little coconut oil before bed (without washing it off) and "fingers crossed" it really seems to be helping. 

More about Coconut oil here: Coconut oil blog post

So I'm off now to do a face mask, I'm thinking Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel. I just love the way it leaves my skin feeling fresh and it smells sooo good!

Take care xx

The Foundation trials - Who came out top....

Finding the two best foundations you can purchase today...

Have you ever struggled with Oompa Loompa Syndrome? You know, when your foundation just refuses to match your skin tone. It happens to the best of us. 

What do you get with 40 hours, 364 foundations considered, 6 experts interviewed, 7 formulas personally tested and 57 make-up wipes used? An in depth review of course!

The dedicated team at Reviews.com found the top 364 best-selling foundations and put them all through rigorous testing with the aim to discover which are the best so we can all stop looking like we got a bad spray tan!!

Early on, to whittle down the contestants, they removed the foundations that had controversial ingredients and less than 12 shades. Everyone is born with different skin tone, and no one likes having to play chemist to find their perfect shade, mixing shades together is both time consuming, more expensive and not to mention messy!! Most make-up artists say they end up having at least 15 shades of foundation on hand, ranging from light to dark!

Next they removed foundations with less than a four star rating on websites such as Amazon, Nordstrom, Sephora, and Ulta. While this can be tricky since everyone's skin reacts differently, generally it's a good overall indicator of product quality.

Finally, they combed through YouTube reviews, comments and pain painstakingly tested them personally. They made the final contestants really battle it out, at times wearing two at once to see which looked natural, even, and had the most staying power.

So who are their winners? Drum roll please.....

For Sheer to Medium Coverage: MAC Studio Face and Body Foundation

Once you've gotten used to MAC's watery, but refreshing consistency, you'll fall in love with it's "film formers", which is what gives this foundation it's permanence and "second skin" effect. This foundation is best for someone without many blemishes, or who is ready to put some extra work into concealing imperfections later.

For Medium to Full Coverage: Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup

Boasting a whopping 30 shades, this foundation goes on sheer and dries light. A huge benefit of this is the "build-able" aspect. So long as you don't mind taking extra time blending, it shouldn't appear cakey. The promised 15-hour coverage isn't a lie- some reviewers even suggest double washing your face after use. Who is this foundation for? Everyone!!

Head over to see their full review and the runners up: http://www.reviews.com/foundation/

Just had to share this research as I think it is brilliantly done and a very interesting read. If you are a make-up junkie like I am you will know how difficult it is to find the perfect shade of foundation. Often they have as little as 5 or 6 and you end up having to mix. They have taken the time to analyse and find the best all rounder high performing foundation, taking the guess work out of the equation. And saving you time and money!! Bonus!