The Ordinary

The Ordinary are part of a larger company, Deciem- Focusing on advanced functional beauty. The brand come together to create effective, honest skincare at honourable prices. Their prices start at £3.90 for a primer and go up to around £15 – something for everyone’s budget.

They first become popular with the launch of their Retinoids, mainly because of it’s price £4.20 – £11.90 for 30ml . They quickly sold out and left many beauty addicts desperate to get their hands on some. But the brand took it in their stride, completed the ever increasing pre-orders and continued to increase their brand.

They don’t waste their time and money on fancy  sounding additives to make it smell nice or useless ingredients to maker it sound more innovative. They continue to believe in CLINICAL FORMULATIONS WITH INTEGRITY meaning, they  produce affordable, proven skincare with honest chemistry proven to work.

On each page on their site they clearly display whats not in it ie no Parabens no Silicone etc complete transparency with their ingredients and cost’s. They also do not test on animals. Which, is why they do not sell in china as sadly in order to qualify for selling they insist on their own testing which involves testing on animals. – good on you Deciem!

A quick run down of the products I have been using

100% Plant Derived Squalane

£5.90

30ml

Is a non – comedogenic hydrator  suitable for all skin types.

For me this was the first product I had used. I liked everything about it. Since the first time using it my skin was instantly more hydrated. No dry itchy, flakey skin, just healthy, glowing skin. It is easily absorbed into skin so doesn’t feel too greasy. I was a little concerned about my make up slipping but with a primer I found it was no problem at all.

Its also the only thing I really use on my hair. It helps to protect hair from heat and breakage, making it super soft and shiny. I will be honest.. I Don’t really use it on my face as much now, If I do, its more likely to be in the evening but that really is as I am now using the Hyaluronic Acid

Caffeine Solution 5% +EGCG

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30ml

I have not stopped using this since I got it. Both AM and PM I honestly think it reduces under eye puffiness. Its no miracle cure and it doesn’t do much for the darkness under eye but concealer can fix that.

You only need 1 drop under each eye and is quickly absorbed into skin. For 30 ml this will last a long time

 

Argireline Soluition 10%

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£5.50

30ml

Light weight serum to ease fine lines on forehead and around eyes. Apply a couple of drops both AM and PM. So I find this works OK. Its not my fav product from the ordinary but I do still continue to use it.. Maybe I need to be using it longer to see more results. I paid £5.50 and based on my experience of their other products I am more then happy to continue to use it. If this is something you are using let me know what you think.

Hyaluronic Acid 2%+B5

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30ml

I wrote bout this amazing little product in my last blog post What is Hyaluronic Acid?

Lactic Acid 5%+HA

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£5.50

30ml

For very mild exfoliation. But, not to be used on sensitive or peeling skin. The Ordinary suggest you don’t use indirect forms of skin exfoliation while using this product.

You use it daily, ideally at night as it can leave skin UV sensitive due to the Alpha Hydroxy Acid – limit sun exposure for a week after using. Which can make it ideal for winter skincare routine. You can add it to other skin care until skin builds a tolerance.

So if i’m honest, I have only used this once. I really didn’t like the smell of it. Although I don’t think it would put me off from using it , I just haven’t fully committed to it as I still continue to use other exfoliating products. Will keep you updated when I do decide to try it.

 High Adherence Silicone Primer

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£3.90

30ml

This essential uses advanced adaptive silicones to act as a matte, hydrating, blurring primer for makeup that looks higher in definition and adheres for longer.

I have not used another primer since. It feels lovely to put on and instantly smooths and blurs. £3.90 is so cheap, you can afford to try it without it making a dent in your bank balance. I don’t really have anything else to say except YOU NEED TO TRY THIS… did I mention the price!

 

Niacinamide 10%+Zinc 1%

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£5

30ml

High strength vitamin and mineral blemish formula. This is not going to magically make your acne disappear but what it will do is maintain skin to help with congestion and help to balance skins sebum. As soon as you use it skin instantly becomes matte.

I think generally my skin has been looking clearer and brighter since using The Ordinary products. If you find you have oily skin this is going to be the product for you. I don’t use it every day now, probably every other day as my skin is more dehydrated then congested.

 

As I mentioned earlier. My skin has been looking better since using these products. They are a little hard to understand initially but the site does have a Regime guide so its worth spending a few moments looking at it to see what your skin would benefit from. I also have seen great customer service on their social media accounts. Any questions posted quickly come with a educational  response from the company. Any question, head to their Instagram page and comment.

Have you used any of the products and what do you think?

Low -Shampoo, worth the hype?

Its not gone un-noticed that l’oreal are killing it in drugstore hair/skincare and make up products. And Its no surprise as L’Oreal is the largest company and owns more then 20 brands. Some of them brands include NYX, URBAN DECAY and YSL. So when L’Oreal launch a new product, its usually worth a try.
And one of last years launch was LOW SHAMPOO.
So what is LOW SHAMPOO and is it really worth the hype?
Most shampoos contain Sodium Lauryl Sulphate. The purpose of this chemical is to remove oils and help the product to foam. Its not only in shampoos, it is also found in skincare products like face or body washes. Although Sulphate is commonly used, over time it can cause more damage then good. It can cause your hair colour to fade and over time can strip your hair of natural oils causing breakage.
So L’Oreal introduced 3 products in their low shampoo range
– Colour Protect
– Extraordinary Oil
– Extraordinary oil curl

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£6.99 – 400 ml
Beacause there is no foaming, your not rubbing at your hair which, can cause breakage. Anyone who has over processed their hair with excessive colouring knows shampooing your hair in this state is a nerve wrecking experience. It causes so much breakage and combing your hair after is a mine field. You feel like there is more hair wrapped around the combs teeth then there is on your head.
My hair is long with natural roots and mid lengths. The ends are bleached and damaged. I also have a sensitive scalp and course textured hair. So my ideal shampoo needs to nourish my lengths while being kind enough to not irritate my scalp. I usually wash my hair about  3-4 times a week.
I choose the Extraordinary oil as it promises gentle cleansing, easy detangling anti breakage and nourishment.
L’oreal recommend you:
evenly apply 10-15 pumps on wet hair, and massage in.
leave on 3mins
rinse thouroughly, combing through with your fingers.
Its not intended to completly replace your normal shampoo and conditoning routine but to use a few times a week to help improve your hair instead of your usual shampoo/cond routine
I just have to say 10-15 pumps!!!!!! how much? I know we all like to slap on the conditioner but 10-15 pumps?
ok .. we shall see.
so here’s how it went.

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I thoroughly wet my hair in the shower and start dispensing a few pumps into my hand. Its looks and feels like a conditioner. I evenly coat my hair and I used maybe 8-10 pumps? I gently massaged it in and left it on for 3 mins.

It is a much quicker hair washing routine. I didn’t use any conditioner just to see how it felt.

Rinsing it off felt lovely. I have to say it already feels mush softer, so I am secretly expecting to be amazed.

Drying my hair was just so easy. No tangles,  my brush just glided through my hair as I was drying it. It feels so lovely. My hair is actually shinny and I hadn’t been able to stop touching it. My hair feels clean and my scalp doesn’t feel tight and itchy like it can do after washing. So far I love it!

Even the next day I am surprised how nice it feels. In fact I’ve been using it ever since.

I love it. I love how quick it is to wash as im only applying 1 product(rather then a shampoo and a conditioner) My hair is now shiny and manageable. I have also noticed how much better my scalp is. Its not as tight, itchy and flakey like it usually is. I have not stopped recommending it to people.

I still use ‘normal’ shampoo once a week with a protein or moisture mask but it is my go to shampoo now.

If you have coloured hair I would recommend the colour protect low shampoo.

Well done L’Oreal, another amazing product.

Have you used this low shampoo and what did you think?

XxX