The Ordinary is a brand that has completely taken over the beauty world. Their affordable skincare and makeup have become strong favourites in many consumer and influencers regime; and seeing it all over blogs and Insta, I knew I had to give it a whirl.
The Ordinary is owned by Deciem, (who brought us Niod and Hylamide to name a few) and can be purchased directly from them, as well as Beauty Bay and Cult Beauty.
The products I most wanted to try were the famous foundations. I’d seen them everywhere, they were always sold out and they are cheap as hell. I needed to know what all the fuss was about so I signed up for the waiting list and as soon as my shades came in stock, I didn’t even blink before making an order.
I got the Serum Foundation in 1.0N (Very Fair Neutral), £5.70 and Coverage Foundation in the same shade, £5.90. I didn’t bother checking whether they would match me because I always go for the lightest colour as I’m pale af. There’s an impressive 21 shades available which I was quite shocked at for such an affordable brand. And they’re categorised by numbers to indicate fair to deep, and letters, Red, Neutral, Yellow, depending on undertone.
If you’re struggling to find your colour, I always suggest googling a foundation matrix. With this you enter foundations you currently own and their shade number/name and can search for a particular brand you want a matching shade in. I particularly like Findation.
When the foundations arrived they came in small black boxes with all the ingredients and product details on. The packaging is simple, sleek and comes with my beloved pump – so that’s a bonus. I did notice the bottles seemed a lot smaller than some of my other foundations but they contain the same amount of product, 30ml. Both the Serum and Coverage foundations are vegan, cruelty-free and contain no oils or alcohol.
Serum Foundation
Before I even start, I’m just going to put this out there: this is my favourite out of the two. I’ve reached for it the most and all my other foundations haven’t had any love in a while. And here’s why.
Although the consistency of the product is very watery (it will slide all over the place so be careful), it gives a really lovely, natural finish to the face. It has a medium coverage that is very lightweight and melts into the skin. I apply it with whatever beauty sponge I grab on the day and it blends out effortlessly. I’ve worn it when my skin has been very dry and it didn’t cling to any patches or accentuate texture. It makes my face glow but not in an overly dewy, ‘shiny’ way. It just looks fresh and healthy. And for £5.70 it’s absolutely bloody marvellous.
I found the wear really good, it lasted about six hours before I noticed any fading and it didn’t break up when my oils started to make an appearance. I did end up blotting and powdering but it is easily a foundation I could wear for a long time (if I actually did things) without worrying about it.
Also, my other makeup went on over it easily and it didn’t interfere with the foundation at all. Serum Foundation is a great product for everyday wear and I highly recommend it.
Coverage Foundation
The formula of this is more what you’d expect of a foundation; it’s thicker and the texture feels like it’s definitely going to add that coverage; and it certainly does that. This can be built up to full coverage but it doesn’t look thick or feel heavy on the skin. I use a beauty sponge with this too just because I find them quicker and I have more control. It blends out easily and looks flawless on the skin. However if you have any dryness make sure you use a hydrating primer as it can grab onto any patches and give that scaly-looking skin that ain’t nobody got time for. It has a semi-matte finish which would be perfect if you have oily or combination skin, which is why I sometimes enjoy it.
I find the wear of this okay but after five hours I found myself blotting, powdering and complaining over my smile lines and wrinkly bits being more visible. It was nothing terrible but it is something worth mentioning.
Again, all my other products went on top effortlessly and the foundation didn’t budge. If you’re on the hunt for an affordable full coverage product, have oily skin and don’t mind twiddling your thumbs for one hundred years whilst on the waiting list, then give this a go.
I definitely think The Ordinary Serum and Coverage foundations are worth the hype. The Serum one more so as it just ticks a lot of my boxes and works great for my skin type. I am also not much of a ‘full coverage’ gal (unless it’s for an event but who am I kidding, I live in my pyjamas) so don’t tend to pick them up…but this was all in the name of research, of course.
Both foundations are currently (right now, as I write this) available to buy from Deciem so go nab them before they sell out again.
love this review! I'm also a huge fan of the Serum foundation cause my skin is currently very dry due to some acne medication I've just finished a course of. I think I will purchase the coverage foundation as I do like semi matte finishes (as my skin tends to get oily in the summer). Lots of love
Izzy | ADoseOfChatter.com
It sounds like if you get both of these you'll be sorted for all types of occasions. The serum sounds like face and body by mac so I'm very intrigued. I'd love to try these on my next order… which I reckon will be soon!!
http://www.thebeautytype.com
I love the brand so will 100% try out them both! x
OMG I want these so bad as I've been a lover of the primer and photography foundation for ages but they always seems to be out of stock when I go to buy
Mel ★ http://www.meleaglestone.co.uk
Im going to have to look into further of getting my hands on these, I'm really interested in trying out new foundations and these have been appealing to me more and more! Loved the read and really helpful <3
Taylor Jane oox | http://www.taylorjane.co.uk
Thanks for the great review. I now want both of these foundations!
Have you tried mixing them together? This is something I would do to see how it effects performance so would be interested to hear how other people get on with it too!
Ooooohhh I've never heard of this brand before! I'm definitely going to have to do more research on these because they sound great – thanks for the review!
whatevawears.co.uk
I'll have to have a look! I've been wearing Kat Von D recently 'cause I'm super pale but 21 shades sounds promising.
I keep seeing hype about this brand EVERYWHERE! I'm really tempted because they are so affordable, but they're constantly sold out in the shade I'm looking for.
Nice to see a comparison between the two because I really wasn't sure what would work best for me. So thank you for sharing!
Laura ¦ http://www.laurahasablog.co.uk
PS: I LOVE your photography
I totally need to try the Serum foundation, it sounds perfect and this shade looks like my shade too! xx
Thank youuu x
Hope you love them x
Can't wait to hear your thoughts x
Hope you managed to get your hands on them x
Thank you x
Thanks. I haven't I must do that x
Thank you x
Hope you like it x
Thank you x
You need to, it's really good x