What I love and hate about The Ordinary!
If your anyway into skincare then you’ve heard of The Ordinary products and the hype around them. They have been making huge waves in the beauty industry since they launched a year ago. When I first read about The Ordinary and saw the prices I thought there had to be a typo and the number was missing a zero. I’ve come from a beauty background that has a firm belief that you pay for what you get. I’ve always defended the high prices of skincare (and still do for some products) with the excuse of “how much do you spend on a good bag or shoes? You wear your face every day! You need to invest in it!” But the more I researched the brand and its products, the more I saw they were the real deal.
The Ordinary is created by Deciem the abnormal beauty company, which have been on my radar for a while, In particular for the Niod product range. Over the past year, the hype about The Ordinary has reached a fever pitch! You can barely open a magazine or read a beauty blog without hearing about the brand. Leading to them being sold out on every website! I think I waited over a month for some of my products to arrive.
The brand describes themselves as
So basically it strips away all the fancy packaging and marketing campaigns to give you no frills simple products that work.
You must wonder how they can sell such quality products at such low prices. One of the reasons they can do this is the majority of the products are singular ingredients. Most serums have been specially formulated to get the ingredients to “be nice to each other” and not cause reactions. This process can be very costly. They are also created in high volume batches which brings down the price.
Why I love The Ordinary!
It works.
When I started it using the products I was sceptical that it could really deliver the results for those prices. The Ordinary proved me wrong. First, with their Retinol products, I have used the granactive Retinoid 2% emulsion and the Retinol 0.2% in squalane and found them to work just as well as retinol products that are 3x as expensive! I’ve also been really impressed with their products for pigmentation.
The range of products.
There is a product for every skin concern unless you are suffering from really bad acne. I also love all the different formulations and figuring out the best ones to use. They offer a huge range of products that really work.
It’s inexpensive.
The Ordinary has also shone a light on how some products are way overpriced. The founder and creator Brandan Truaxe noticed the drastic cost difference between the raw ingredients and the finished products and how much of a markup was being added by the big cosmetics companies. He realised that if he created the chemicals himself, in a lab, and sold them in their purest forms, he could wipe out the middleman and offer hugely competitive prices. So, luckily for us, he did just that.
It’s shaking up the beauty industry.
In an industry that’s often called out for dubious behaviours, like indecipherable ingredient lists, misleading ads and questionable claims. Deciem is refreshingly transparent about their pricing and ingredients. We’ll be seeing a lot more skincare brands follow this low cost but high-quality trend.
The facial oils.
I love love love their facial oils. Rosehip oil has long been a favourite of mine for its super hydrating and antioxidant benefits. So it was one of the first things to go in the basket. They have a few other oils which I want to try including Moroccan Argan oil and Marula oil, which are usually a lot more expensive.
It’s easy to treat different areas of your skin.
The fact most of the products are separate ingredients means you can mix and match, treating specific areas of your skin. Eg I use niacinamide on my nose and chin, Alpha Arbutin on my cheeks for pigmentation, Argireline Solution on my forehead and around my eyes to help delay dynamic wrinkles.
The packaging
The Ordinary’s products look like they come straight from the lab. Housed in a tinted glass bottle (very important so the ingredients don’t degrade!) with a dropper to ensure you don’t overuse or waste any of the product. It makes you feel a bit like a mad scientist, a drop of this, a squirt of that, creating your own personalised skincare potions!
Related: Want to know how to use The Ordinarys famous “blood” peel without irritation?
What I hate about The Ordinary
Ok, hate is probably too strong a word but the brand isn’t without its downsides. A lot of the reasons I love it are also some of the reasons it annoys me.
The Ordinary is confusing.
The number of products and scientific language can be overwhelming for those who don’t know their alpha-hydroxy to their Zinc. Even though they offer guides, it can be confusing figuring out all the chemicals, acids, powders and oils on offer. What do they all do? When should you use them? How should you use them? I’ve ended up doing personalised recommendations for a lot of friends as they find it so confusing knowing which products to get.
It can damage your skin.
I don’t want to scare you but because the products use such active ingredients if they are used incorrectly or used with the wrong product it could cause a bad reaction and potentially damage your skin. The online support on the website is great for answer questions if you are not too sure about using some products.
It can be time-consuming to use.
Because most of the products are just single ingredients you are using a lot more products than if you were using a single product that contained all the ingredients. So while you’re saving money buying The Ordinary skincare you’re not saving any time! Most of the time I love having a long skincare routine but for the days and nights, I just want to slap something on and forget about it. This doesn’t really work with The Ordinary.
The Packaging
Another thing I love and hate about The Ordinary products is that they all look the same. I love the simplicity of the bottles but when you’re trying to find the one you want, it can be very annoying having to pick each one up and see what it is. It can also be hard to remember which order to use them in. When I first started using the products I kept them in their boxes and wrote on the order it was to be used, which helped.
The Texture.
One thing a lot of people complain about is the texture. This doesn’t bother me too much but I do notice a difference between some of the products eg the Hyaluronic acid and the Medik 8 version. The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid has more of a tacky feeling. This is because the time and money haven’t been spent on refining the textures as some brands do. It doesn’t make a difference to how well the products work.
My biggest issue… I now feel a little more than resentful paying more for other skincare brands!
For the results and the price, The Ordinary really is worth the hype. Before you purchase any of the ordinary, do your research! If you’ve any questions on what are the best The Ordinary products for your skin, or what skincare routine you should follow you should be using, know in the comments below and I’ll be happy give you a personalised recommendation. honestly, it gives me so much joy recommending products! These are The Ordinary products I can’t live without and here’s a picture of my stuffed drawer.
The Ordinary products are available online at theordinary.com | lookfantastic.com | feelunique.com |
Please note this post may contain affiliate links but is not affiliated driven
ps when your finished the bottles make pretty cute vases
139 responses
I agree that skincare really comes at a price but when you get to know which chemicals suit your skin, you can start branching out and find a cheaper alternative. Hope your skin is absorbing the best of Ordinary!
It sure is! I love it!
Sarah,
I love the Ordinary products as well, and I’d love your advise. I am 48 and have combination skin – oily in the t zone! I have large pores and an uneven skin tone- not to mention a few wrinkles! Currently this is what I’m doing…
AM
Wash w/Dove soap
Buffet
Nianicide plus zinc
Moisturizer w/SPF
Make-up
PM
Miscellar water
Nutrigena foaming face wash
Buffet
Nianicide plus zinc
Rotate- retinol in granactive & Lactic Acid 10%
Rose hip oil
I do the peel one night a week with nothing else but rose hip oil after.
I’d like to add one if the Vit C products. I’ve also thought about the Azelaic acid, but I don’t usually do well with silicones.
I would love to hear what you think I should add or subtract from what I’m doing.
Many thanks!!
D
Hi Dee!
Thanks so much for your comment. You have a good routine going here already, the only thing I would suggest is replacing the dove soap and the foaming face wash. These can be very drying on the skin which can cause the skin to make more oil. You could try the squalane cleanser for The Ordinary as this is really gentle.
For the pores the Niacinamide will be helping but you could add in a toner/essence. I’ve heard amazing things about COSRX Two in One Poreless Power Liquid. You would use it twice a day after cleansing and before the Buffet.
For Vit C The Ordinary has many many options! If you don’t get on well with Silicones then it does narrow down the options. The Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% is a good choice as it should be irritating and it soaks into the skin quickly. Plus you can still use Niacinamide and Buffet after it, some strong Vit C products cancel the benefits of them.
I love the Azelaic Acid for treating redness caused by congestion and it’s not too expensive to try out.
Let me know if you have questions and how you get on!!
XOXO
Sarah
Thanks so much! I bought the vit C 23%+ HA sphere and the glycolic toner before I got your answer. Do you think it is okay for me to switch my cleanser to something more gentle, try the Vit C in the am and add in the glycolic toner at night? Is that too much?
Thanks so much for your help!!
Dee
Thanks so much for sharing this. I have been wanting to try this brand out..super helpful!
Your welcome. Hope you get to try the products they’re great but only start off with a few so you don’t overwhelm your skin.
Hello! How do I use these The Ordinary products in the right order? The products I have are:
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%
100% Plant Derived Squalane
Plus I use Vitamin C but from a different brand which is
Dear, Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C
I have combination skin type and I have skin pigmentations and white heads and black heads around the nose area I only get one or two pimples when it’s that time of the month.
Please help, thank you very much!
Please
Hi Christina,
Thanks so much for your comment.
I don’t know the Klairs Vit C but i’m going to presume it’s a strong vit c which has contraindications for the Niacinamide. So the best routine in my opinion is
AM.
After cleansing
Alpha Arbutin on pigmentation areas.
Klair Vit C if it is a serum
Azlaic Acid
Squalane oil. You could add a few drops of this to your moisturiser instead if you wanted.
SPF
PM.
Alpha Arbutin
Niacinamide
Squalne Oil
Magnesium Ascobyl
The Niacinamide will help with the congestion as will the Azelaic acid but you could try introducing the Glycolic Toner
in the pm routine after cleansing. This help disolve the dead skin cells and helps prevent congestion in the pores. It’s best to start off using it once every second or third evening till your skin gets used to it and you must use spf the next day!
If the blackheads and whiteheads are still continuing you could try spot treating the areas with Salicylic Acid a few times a week. I generally don’t recommend using it every day as it can dry out the skin. It’s also great to use on areas the week before you get your period that you usually get spots as it helps to clear out the pore. The niacinamide will well also help a lot with this as it reduces sebum reduction which ramps up just before our period (yay!)
Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Really appreciate you taking the time to comment.
XOXO
Sarah
Interesting… Never tried this product before.
They’re great! You should try them!
I want to try this but have no idea where to even start. Please help
Awesome. I would try these products. They seem to keep costs down in not having the extras.
And they really work! I hope you try them out!
Very honest review I appreciate that a lot especially if you are investing a lot of money into a product.
I just purchased my first foundation from them and I am amazed on how well it works for sooo cheap! Great read!
I love their foundations. I’ve got the serum and the coverage ones.
Hi Sara! So, I have combination skin but it is also really sensitive. My concerns are a brighter complexion, dark under eye, and smaller pores. Since I have sensitive skin, is there any products that would work for me? By the way i love your post! Thank you for being in depth and honest with your review!
Hi Lisa! I hear ya my skin is super sensitive as well as a combination.
Some products that would be great for you are Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%.
It’s a vitamin c product (which is great for brightening the skin and evening tone) This has a smaller concentration so it shouldn’t cause any sensitivity like some of the other vitamin C products. It’s also a great hydrator without being too heavy and you can use it in place of your daytime moisteriser.
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
This is an amazing serum! It helps balance oil production, reduces blemishes and evens skintone.
If you want to start on retinol i’d recommend the Retinoid 2% in Emulsion
This is a great introduction to retinol products, particularly if you have sensitive skin. (see my post on retinol for the full list of the benefits of this holy grail product)
If you want to add an oil, the Borage Seed Oil is great for soothing irritated skin.
The Caffeine Solution 5% is super for dark circles and puffiness – and lasts for ages!
To use these products use
AM
1.Niacinamide – in areas of congestion
2.Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10% all over face
3.Caffeine Solution
4.Your regular SPF
PM
1.Niacinamide – in areas of congestion
2. Retinoid 2% in Emulsion
3.Caffeine Solution
4.Borage Seed Oi
5. Regular night moisturiser
The trick is to introduce new products slowly.
Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!
Love seeing all your recommendations. I am lost trying to figure out which products to buy. I have been using Arbonne RE9 and am tired of paying the big bucks for that system and started replacing with various products but have been loving the price and results of some of The Ordinary Products. 46 years old; Botox treatments on forehead and light treatment around eyes I have combination skin but during winter months a little more dry. Current program is
AM
CeraVe Hydrating Facial cleanser
Ordinary Caffeine under eyes
Ordinary Hyaluronic on lips and forehead
RE9daytime moisturizer with SPF with Vit c suspension 30% in Silicone
PM
Clinique makeup remover
CeraVe Hydrating Face Cleanser
Glycolic cleansing pads
Ordinary Caffeine under eyes
Ordinary Hyaluronic on lips and forehead
Palmers therapy oil face(under eyes, crease between eyes, lips)
RE9 Night Moisturizer
*Some menstrual breakouts
*blackheads especially around nose
*some pigmentation under eyes
*would like overall improvement to texture and tone of skin and reduce overall effects of aging.
Thank you for any recommendations!!
Hi Kate,
Thanks so much for your comment! It looks like you have a pretty good routine already. I would recommend introducing The Ordinary Retinoid and building up to higher concentrations. You can read all about retinol here
You could add in Argireline Solution 10%, which is a peptide that mimics the effects of botox by slightly freezing the muscles. You would use the Argireline and retinoid in your pm routine, as Argireline counteracts with the Vit C and retinol / retinoid must always be used in the pm. Due to it’s light consistency you should use it after cleansing and toning but before the HA. Use the Argireline only areas where you would have dynamic lines, so across the forehead, around the eyes and around the lips. The retinoid you use all over the face.
I would also recommend The Ordinary Peeling Solution as a once a week treatment. This will really help with uneven skin tone and fine lines.
Let me know your thoughts!
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sara! My primary skin concerns are early signs of aging (I’m 30 yo and want to prevent any major wrinkles etc) and uneven skin texture. I purchased buffet + copper peptides, peeling solution, and their HA cream last week and really like them so far. However, I really want to take it to the next level and have a more throurough regimen for day and night. I should mention that I am breastfeeding, so unfortunately retinols and retinoids are ourlt of the question for the time being. What do you recommend? Also, do you have any favorites for every day SPF (either within the ordinary or another band?). Thanks so much for this post! So helpful :).
Thank you so much for the comment Kelly! I love putting together recommendations! I’ve been using the Buffet and Copper peptides for awhile now and I love it! So a couple of things I would recommend are
AM
An antioxidant would help support and protect your skin. I currently use a few drops of The Ordinary’s EUK 134% mixed in with SPF. As it’s very strong it means you can’t use the Buffet with Copper peptides with it or Vitamin C which is annoying. But they have just released a new antioxidant called Pynogenol 5% which I’m going to switch to when I’m finished the EUK. I explain why antioxidants are so important in this post.
Argireline Solution is a serum which you use on your forehead and around your eyes to help prevent dynamic wrinkles forming. I love it!
If you are going to use a strong vitamin c product its best to alternate use.
SPF Shh don’t tell the Ordinary but I am currently loving Uriage Age Protect Multi Action SPF 30. It helps to protect against skin aging from blue light from our computers and phones (yup another thing to worry about!). If you use a few drops of the Pycnogenol mixed in with this nothing will get through to damage your skin!
PM
Rosehip oil. Great for anti aging and one my all time favourites!
Vitamin C. As you can’t introduce a retinol yet I’d recommend using a vitamin c product most nights. The problem is trying to figure out which one is best for your skin. The vitamin 30% in silicone is the one I use at the moment but some skin types not react well with silicones. The Vitamin C 23% dosen’t have any silicone but some people (me) don’t like how it feels sort of gritty. The there is the L-Asorbic Acid Powder which you can mix in to a night cream.
It’s hard to know which Vit C is the best one, you’ve just got to try them out. Nearly all of them will feel very tingly for a minute or two and you also can’t use the Buffet with Copper peptides with a Vitamin C
Routine wise I’d recommend
AM
Buffet with copper peptides all over face
Agrireline Solution around eyes and forehead
Your eye cream
HA all over the face
SPF with a few drops of Pycnogenol
PM
Agrireline
Eye Cream
On alternate nights Buffet with Copper Peptides
HA
Rosehip oil
Vitamin C product on alternate nights.
Just a note on the peeling solution. If you haven’t used it yet start off for 5 minutes, it dose sting like hell but it goes away after a minute or two. Then do it for 10 minutes the next time. It is one of the strongest acids you can get so I recommend only using it once a week especially during the winter as you don’t want to damage the skins protective barrier.
After using it, the rosehip oil and / or your regular cream is enough. Anything else could cause irritation. Also if you have a jade roller it feels amazing on your skin after using the peeling solution.
I think that’s it (I told you I love doing recommendations!)
Let me know if you have any questions!
Also sorry for any weird links to iherb, I have a plugin which keeps creating random links and I can’t seem to change it)
Hi Sara! Thanks for the interesting article. I just discovered The Ordinary but feel a little bit overwhelmed with all the information. Nevertheless, your article convinced me to try out some of their products 🙂 Would love to see what you recommend for my combination skin with an oily t-zone prone to break outs and somewhat enlarged pores on my nose. The rest of my face is sometimes dry in wintertimes. I can’t wait to try The Ordinary products in my skincare regimen. Again thank you for the article and review, it was really helpful!
Hi Eva,
Thanks for your comment, I’m delighted you enjoyed the post. So with combination skin, the most important thing is to keep the skin balanced. As I say in the post, one thing I love about The Ordinary is how easy it is to treat different areas of your skin, which is why it’s great for combination skin.
I’d recommend the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, it helps to reduce sebum production, so it helps prevent congestion from excess oil. It also helps with evening out skintone and protecting the skins barrier. You can use it 2x days if you want – it won’t dry out your skin but if you use a strong vit c product in your routine, i’d alternate use as it can make the vit c ineffective. The Glycolic Acid 7% toning solution is another great one for combination skin. It helps to exfoliate the skin by dissolving dead skin cells, which helps keep the pores clear.
It’s best to use in the pm as it can make the skin more sensitive to sun and start off using it every second or third day as it can take time for your skin to get used to it.
Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% is a great all rounder which you can use as your daily moisturiser. It helps to brighten the skin and reduces blemishes. It also helps with any redness and inflammation. For hydration, it would be good to add in some oils. The 100% Plant-Derived Squalane is great for combination skin is similar to what is found in our own skin so by using it on oily parts your telling the skin it doesn’t to make so much oil and on the dryer parts it provides the hydration that the skin can’t produce in the area. You can also try the 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane which is even lighter. This can be used every day in the am and pm.
Then for the occasional breakout, Salicylic Acid 2% Solution is brilliant! I still can’t get over the price for that amount. You would usually be paying double for half the amount even for “drug store” brands!
Let me know if you have any questions on these and let me know how you get on!!
Sarah,
XOXO
Hi Sarah,
I have been using the products that you suggested for more than a month and my skin has never looked so good! I don’t have that many blemishes, my skin is already more even toned and it even looks more glowy and healthy. The routine became a calming ritual and it really gave me a confidence boost. I’m still amazed with the quality of the product for that kind of price! Thank you so much for your recommendations! I’m hooked on the Ordinary
I’m delighted to hear this Eva! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how your getting on x x x x
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for the info! My current PM routine is: Cleanser -> Niacinamide 10% -> Azelaic Acid 10% -> 100% Plant-Derived Squalane. I just incorporated Azelaic Acid yesterday and targeted it in areas with high concentrations of acne and blemishes. However, when I was done with Azelaic Acid and moved on to Squalane, white balls started to appear around the areas where I’d applied Azelaic earlier. Do you know how to avoid pilling?
Thank you so much!
xoxo
Hi Kris,
Unfortunately, the Azelaic acid can pill. Have you tried using the squalane before the Azelaic acid?
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sarah! This is an amazing article! I have verrrry dry skin, am 40 and the wrinkles are coming on full force lol. What do I use???? I’ve been using the hylauronic acid, buffet and vitamin c bit really not sure when and how and which should go first and second and which shouldn’t be combine. It did feel tingly with vitamin c application. Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Robin,
Thank you so much for your comment! I would recommend adding in an oil – The Rose Hip oil would be perfect as it’s really hydrating and anti aging. The Hyaluronic Acid is also great for dry skin, you can use this twice a day as your first serum on clean skin. If you are using one of the stronger Vitamin C products (the 23%, 30% or 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder) it’s best to alternate the of The Buffet ie use the Vitamin C Product in the morning and the Buffet in the evening. Vitmain C can cause the peptides in the Buffet to become ineffective. In general, it’s best to use the Vitamin C once a day. Don’t be afraid to add in a retinol or retinoid (See my retinol post for why you should be using them) To start off with the Retinoid 2% in emulsion is fantastic. I prefer the emulsion to the Retinoid 2% in squalane (They are just different textures – the emulsion is more of a watery serum and the squalane is oily).
So your routine should be
AM – cleansing
Hyaluronic Acid
Rose Hip oil if you feel you need it and have time for it to soak in.
Vitamin C
SPF
PM – after cleansing
Hyaluronic Acid – If you want the Buffet does contain HA but in a smaller %
Buffet
Retinoid 2% in Emulsion
Rose Hip Oil
A hydrating cream
Just a note on dry skin, your cleanser is really important. Make sure you are using an oil or balm type, so you don’t strip any essential oils. Cerave Hydrating Cleanser has been my life saver! Also make sure you have enough omega oils in your diet (ie fatty oils from fish and nuts) a deficiency can be a cause of really dry skin.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Sarah xoxo
I have been using deciem products for a while
I just received a order with products I haven’t used
Here are what I have
Buffet copper
Ha b5
Niod photo %8
Vc
Euk
Alpha lipoic
Pychology
Te
rtinol 5%
Nmf
B oil
I am thinking adding rose hip and if you would recommend a vitamin c product . Can you tell what routine you would suggest
Thank you
You’ve just reminded me that I have a bottle of photography fluid in my drawer – cant remember what % it is, think i tried it on my skin and thought thats too dark, saving that for summer – which is silly as I’m away in the sun at the moment…. anyhoo always start off with the buffet and copper peptides, do you mean the voicemail mask for Vc? And Te? i’m not sure what that is. The EUK and Pycnogenol 5% are pretty much the same, the EUK gives a slightly higher antioxidant protection but you can’t use it with vitamin c.
So routine I would recommend
AM – if not using a vitamin c
Buffet with Copper peptides
HA everywhere
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (I presume this is what you meant by Nmf) where you need it, usually the t zone.
Alpha Lipoic on areas on pigmentation
a couple of drop of EUK or Pycnogenol mixed in with the B oil or your moisteriser or your spf
PM
Buffet with Copper peptides
HA everywhere
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Alpha Lipoic on areas on pigmentation
Retinol 5% – because this is already in a squalene oil you prob wont need to use the b oil but if you skin is very dry and the squalene absorbs quickly you can add it on
Night time moisturiser if you use one.
I always recommend rosehip oil – it’s just great at everything. You could use it in the evening after the retinol a couple of times a week as an added boost.
Vitamin C is a tricky one the Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10% is a good one to start off with as its not too strong and you can use all the above products with it. If you go for any of the other Vitamin C products you can’t use the Buffet with copper peptides or the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
I’m still playing around with their Vitamin C products. I’ve used the 23% and 30% and haven’t been wowed by either, both are a bit irritating on the skin and I don’t like the texture of the 23%. Like using retinol, starting off with a lower vitamin c is better but you really need to play around with them to see what you like. What I don’t like you may love. I would also recommend adding in Argireline Solution 10% it’s amazing! it helps to slightly freeze the muscles, thus reducing and preventing dynamic wrinkles.
let me know how you get on!
Sarah
XOXO
Hi
I’ve been recently diagnosed with Seborrheic Dermatitis on my face.
I’m very interested to try Niod products and more from The Ordinary. Before being diagnosed with SD i got Mandelic acid,Azelaic acid, Squalane oil,Seabuckthorn oil,Alpha arbutin+ha, all from TO. I also have lage patches of hyperpigmentation on my upper cheeks. I’m very confused with the SD, i thinks it s very very mild. I was also diagnosed with psoriasis on my scalp.
Hi Ina,
Thank you for your comment. I have Seborrheic Dermatitis so I feel your pain! Luckily it’s rare that I get flare-ups now, think my last one was about 6 months ago. If you are in the middle of a flare up I wouldn’t use any other products on the area except the ones you have been prescribed by the doctor and a moisturiser that doesn’t irritate and helps calm the itching. I have recently discovered Uriage DS Emuslion https://www.uriage.com/LB/en/products/d-s-emulsion which is amazing for SD!
If you feel that your skin is doing better you can start introducing TO products on the areas that you don’t have the SD, but you should wait till it’s fully cleared up before beginning a full routine. Because of the SD, your skin’s surface is out of whack so it’s really important to make sure the skin’s barrier is completely repaired before you start using stronger products. To help strengthen your skin’s barrier, I’d introduce a ceramide like Cerave Hydrating Cleanser and a probiotic serum or moisturiser Like Auralia or The Inkey List have just launced a new probiotic moisteriser on Cult Beauty
Let me know how your getting on with the SD and if you have any questions. Take lots of omega oils and probiotic supplements – and no sugar, not even fruit for a few days!
XOXO
Sarah
Ho 58 anni e ho cominciato a usare i prodotti the ordinary. Il mio problema principale è il contorno occhi molto secco, con rughe che non riesco a truccare perché dopo 2 minuti il correttore va nelle pieghe creando un effetto bruttissimo. La cosa mi rende vulnerabile perché lavoro e le relazioni diventano difficili. In pratica mi vergogno di farmi vedere. Hai qualcosa da suggerire?
Grazie mille per la risposta che gentilmente vorrai darmi
Hi Sarah, I am 42 and have oily skin. I have always (since teen years) been prone to breakouts, even cystic acne, but I’ve found that if I follow a routine (cleansing and using products) I can keep the breakouts at bay. But right now I’m spending a fortune to do this. 🙂 Have been using Rodan & Fields for about five years, and thought my skincare was better than ever. Then, I tried the Sunday Riley and Cuadalie (below) and BAM – my skin seems so much better!
My current routine is:
AM:
Clarisonic with dove beauty bar
Rodan & Fields lightening toner
Shiseido eye cream
Rodan & Fields Oil Free SPF 50
PM:
Wash with dove or charcoal soap
Tone (same toner as above)
Same eye cream as above
Sunday Riley Retinoid Serum
Cuadalie Vinoperfect night cream
Sunday Riley Food Oil
What I hope to ultimately achieve:
Use up the rest of the R&F and cancel that subscription.
Find the PERFECT eye cream (mainly to address dark circles)
Find the perfect toner
Start the double cleanse method PM
Possibly replace the Rinday Riley with serum(s) from TO
Find a new SPF daily moisturizer
Possibly replace my current night cream
Replace my oil to one from TO
Help! 🙂
THANKS, and XXOO
Hi Christy,
So a couple of The Ordinary products that would work well for you would be the
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% – this is an amazing product that seems to do everything! It
Helps to regulate and reduce the production sebum (ie oil on the skin), increases protein synthesis which boosts collagen and elastin production (so great for wrinkles) and also helps to even out skin tone.
You can use it twice a day before heavier oils and creams.
Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
This could be your eventual replacement for the Sunday Riely Retinoid serum. The emulsion shouldn’t cause any breakouts. When you want to move up to a higher percentage be aware that the squlane oil that they are in could cause an initial breakout as the skin balances itself out.
Glycolic Acid 7% Toner
This dissolves dead skin cells which can block pores so its great for oil and combination skin. It also helps with skin radiance and evens skin tone.Best used in the pm, start of slowely using it once every 3 days, then once every 2 days until you feel your skin has gotten used to it. Too much acid use can damage the skins protective layer. While you are introducing it to your skin alternate it with the retinol, until you feel your skin can take the both of them.
Rose Hip Seed Oil
I think this would be the best oil for you to try as there has been a lot of great feedback from users who have acne and oil skin plus its just an all round great facial oil.
Buffet + Copper peptides 1%
This is a bit more expensive than some of the other Ordinary products but it is worth it. I’ve been using it for about 4/5 months now and its made my skin look so much better. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is but my skin just looks good, I’ve also had hardly any breakouts or sensitivity issues.
These would be the best products to get you started and you can introduce while you use up the rest of your other products.
With regards to a new spf moisteriser – trying to find one that isn’t heavy and doesn’t block pores is tough, im still looking for my perfect one. I haven’t tried them yet (as they’re not available in Ireland yet) but I have heard great things about SuperGoop spfs
I wish there existed an eye cream for getting rid of dark circles! If you find one let me know! The Ordinarys Caffeine Solution 5% is really good and I would definitely recommend trying it out, I would use it first, then add a nourishing eye cream on top. A good eye cream is worth shelling out the big bucks for!
With the saving you get with The Ordinary products I would recommend that you do invest in a good night cream, if the Caudalie is working for you, then it might be worth keeping it up. You only need to be using the tinest bit of cream, so it should last you a good while.
Delighted to hear you are going to start double cleansing! It’s so important and makes such a difference to your skin. Just be careful that you are not over cleansing it and stripping skins oil, which makes it product more and causes breakouts. I’d be concerned that using the clarisonic and dove bar in the morning may be too much for your skin everyday. A gentle cleanser like Cerave might work well?
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions.
Sarah xoxo
You are BOMB!!!!! thank you so much for replying to me. It means a ton! XXXOO Will keep you posted.
I know this post is older at this point, but I would love your recommendation on The Ordinary. It is so overwhelming! I am 40 and have pretty much no skincare regime. I wash with Dessert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash and moisturize with Image Prevention+ daily matte moisturizer. That’s it. But I am starting to feel my age and regret not caring for my skin. I am starting to see some fine lines around my eyes and mouth, have dark circles, hyperpigmentation, and large pores/congestion. I want to begin a regular regimine, but I don’t want it to be too complicated or time consuming so that I will stick with it. I also don’t want to overwhelm my skin with too much too soon. Great article! Thanks so much!
I definitely recommended introducing retinol or retinoid. Out of all skincare products this one dose the most for your skin. I go through the benefits on how to use it here
You should start off with the Granactive Retinoid Emulsion the emulsion is a light serum texture but it also comes in squalane which is a really light oil. They both work as well, its just a personal preference if you prefer a serum or oil. As I explain in my earlier post it’s best to start of slow using it every few days in the pm and increasing to every second day, then every evening once you feel your skin is tolerating it well.
The second product I’d recommend is the Buffet + Copper Peptides. I can’t get enough of this product! It does everything, helps to reduce fine lines, improves texture, reduces pigmentation.
For your eyes the Caffeine Solution 5% can help with dark circles but unfortunately when we get older the area around our eyes hollows which creates a darker shadow.
If you were wanted to try another product for large pores and pigmentation Niacinamide is my holy grail! It helps to reduce oil production and congestion, fine lines and pigmentation.
So your skincare routine could look like this.
AM
Cleanse
Buffet + Copper Peptides
Niacinamide
Caffeine 5% for the eyes
Moisturiser with SPF
PM
Cleanse
Buffet + Copper Peptides
Niacinamide
Retinoid
Caffeine 5% for the eyes
Moisturiser with no SPF
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions or want to try any other products.
XOXO Sarah
Hi Sarah I’m 50 and would like to try the ordinary products, I have wrinkles and lines on my forehead , and pigmentation on my cheeks, and some age spots, plz recommend some products for me , love reading how you helped others and put in a daily routine
Hi Roxy,
I’m so sorry, I somehow missed your comment. If you are still would like some advice I would love to recommend a routine for you. If you want to drop me a mail at sarah@awelltravelledbeauty.com with what products you use at the moment and what you would like your routine to look like ie do you like to take your time and don’t mind appling 5 different products or do you prefer it to be as quick as possible? The more information the better!
Again I’m so sorry for missing your comment 🙁
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sara,
I really loved your article and love that you are helping out ordinary product virgins like me!!
I am 27yo and would like to get started with some Ordinary products. I get occasional hormonal breakouts before/during the shark week which leave behind marks. Also I get frequent break outs on this one area of my cheek (once a month). What would you recommend to get rid of the marks from the breakouts, avoid further breakouts, and to get started with anti-ageing products. I have a combination skin, cheeks are dry, nose skin slightly oily!
Thank you so much 🙂
Hi Gini,
Thank you so much for your comment!
I would definitely introduce the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, as you can see from the other comments, I recommend this product a lot! It helps to regulate and reduce sebum production in the skin, so it’s perfect oily and combination skin, It helps with hyperpigmentation (the marks left behind by breakouts) and also helps the skin protect itself, meaning less inflamed and sensitive skin! You can use this in the am and pm as your first serum after cleansing as long as your not using a vitamin c product. You should use this all of the face.
Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% Is also great for reducing breakouts and evenning skintone. This can be used in the am and pm after lighter serums like Niacinamide in areas where you have current breakouts and pigmentation.
Rose Hip Seed Oil is perfect for combination skin as it helps balance oil production and it has anti-aging properties. It’s just a great all round oil, again you can use this in the am and pm, but most like to use it in the pm as it can take a bit to sink into the skin. Use all over the face and take some time to massage it in. Another oil that would be good for you is the Marula oil, it is a bit more hydrating than the rose hip oil.
Alpha Arbrutin 2%
Is a fantastic serum for reducing pigmentation, just pop a couple of drops on the areas of concern in the am and pm. (Best used before the Azlaic Acid)
For the occasional breakouts Salicylic Acid 2% is your secret weapon. If you have an idea when and wear your hormonal breakouts will happen, put a few drops of this on the area and if you have a breakout use it on them. It basically just clears everything out of the pore, it can be drying on the skin though so don’t go over board.
With regards to anti-aging you could introduce Argireline Solution 10% smooths out and helps prevent dynamic wrinkles forming. Its best applied as one of your first serums to the forehead, around the eyes and around your mouth. The Niacinamide also helps with aging by stimulating protein synthesis which boosts collagen and elastin production.
I would also recommend the glycolic 7% toner. It dissolves the dead skin cells on our skin, giving your skin a glow and evenning the skintone. It also helps to boost the skin cells turnover rate, which slows down as we get older. If you havent used a glycolic before, start off very slowly by using it once every few days always in the pm and increasing use eventually to every evening.
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions.
xoxo
Sarah
Hi Sara
Thank you so so so much for your suggestions.
I was thinking for now I will start with Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% followed by the rose hip oil in the am and pm. And use the salicylic acid 2% before/during breakouts. and gradually add the other products. Is that ok??
In the mornings after the rose hip oil can apply my moisturiser and sunscreen after that?
I also use the kiehls midnight recovery at night, is it ok to use that after the rose hip oil?
Also do i need to use a toner before I apply the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%? If so, which one would you suggest? i was looking at the pixi glow toner…
And what eye cream would you suggest?
Sorry for so many queries. I am still a newbie and would love the help!
I just realised it shows my name as Arundhuti.
Gini is my nickname. Still the same person haha
Hi Sara,
Thank you so so much for the suggestions!
I wanted to ask if it is okay if i start with the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and rose hip oil followed by my moisturizer and sunscreen in the am. Is it okay if i follow the same and add the kiehls midnight recovery also.
Do you suggest using a toner before the products? which one would you suggest? Also, what night eye creams would you suggest ??
Hi Gini,
Send me all the queries! I love answering them!
Yep thats a good routine. Only use the tinyest bit of the Rose Hip oil in the am as it can take a few minutes to soak into the skin. Play around with it at see how your skin is reacting and if it suits your morning routine. In the pm, I would use the kiehls midnight recovery before the rose hip oil as it’s best to layer according to thickness. Also the oil gets pulled into the lower layers of the skin so any products that you have applied before will get brought to the lower skin layers with it. Meaning that your products are working on a deeper level of the skin and giving you more benefits!
As for a toner, the Pixi Glow Toner is a great one to start off as an introduction to glycolic acid. Iv’e gone through many bottles of the stuff! They also do a great rose toner. If your going to use the pixi glow toner, only use it in the evening after cleansing and before the Niacinamide. Start off using it every second day till your sure you don’t have any sensitivity. After you have used it for awhile you can use it in the morning, but YOU HAVE TO USE SPF with it! The rose tonic you can use anytime, it’s lovely and refreshing!
Eye cream wise, you need one that is nourishing and hydrating but not thick, using a heavy cream around the eyes can lead to puffiness. One that i’ve loved and recommended for a long time is ESPA 24 hours Replenishing Eye Cream It is a little bit expensive, but it last for AGES! You just need one pump for both eyes and you can use it on your lips as well. I used to work for ESPA and I know their products inside out, and I still love them!
Looking forward to hearing how you get on!! Let me know if you have any other questions.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sara,
wanted to give an update!!
So i have been using the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% in the am and pm after cleansing my face. I use the midnight recovery or sometimes rosehip oil at night after it. In the am, i put my moisturiser and sunscreen.
I also started using the Nip+Fab extreme pads with glycolic, salicylic n lactic acid 2 times a week.
So it has been 3 weeks and i have been picturing my face and the results are WOW.
Things i observed-
1. My uneven skin tone has improved SOOOOOO much. I am in LOVE <3
2. My face is so much less oilier.
3. I have just had one breakout since. Even the area on my right cheek which was so shit and I would get breakouts there every other week, *touchwood* I haven't had any breakout there any longer. The discoloration caused by it, has lightened so so much.
I am so HAPPPY with the results and thank you so so so much for getting me started nd helping me out. I will always remember you 🙂
Now I am thinking of adding the other ordinary products that you suggested. Could you recommend a daily use toner and a face wash for cleansing. I am currently using the Bioderma face wash gel.
Again thank you so much 😀
Oh i just remembered my collegue also said to me my skin looks real good lately. I told her about you and she is also getting interested in skincare now 😀
Hi Sarah,
I loved reading your article. And yes you’re right, it’s very confusing for the beginner to know which products to use.
I’ve just started using Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion. It’s only been a few days but so far so good. I realise it takes a while to see any real results. I’m trying to make my way up the Retinol path without causing too much irritation.
I’m 49, and wrinkles are starting to be a concern, along with dark circles around my eyes, redness and open pores around my nose and marionette lines going down at the corners of my mouth. If I could find a miracle product to combat this slight sagging I would be VERY happy!
I do get the odd spot but not very often really. I think my skin type is combination but probably on the drier side if anything.
I want to add more The Ordinary products to my regime (such as hyaluronic acid) but I’m worried about using the wrong mixture of products and causing a major reaction!
Which products would you recommend for my skin?
Thank you so much for any advice you can give.
Hi Mandy,
Thank you so much for your comment and i’m so sorry i’ve taken so long to get back to you.
Ok so starting with Granactive Retinoid is great, once you have finished that you can move up to the 5% Retinoid and then the 1% Retinol. It can take up to 12 weeks to see a difference as this is how long our skin cells take turn over.
Some products I would recommend are
Buffet + Copper Peptides a bit more expensive than other The Ordinary products, it worth it though. The Buffet has lots of peptides which help with slowing and reversing aging of the skin. The copper helps the skin cells communicate better with each other, which slows down as we age. I have been blown away by this product! I havent used it in the past few weeks as I ran out and im travelling and I really notice the difference in my skin. I can quite pin point what it is but my skin just looks better when I’m using it. It also helps your skin adapt to Retinol use.
Another peptide that I swear by is Argireline Solution 10% Known as botox in a bottle, it helps to relax the facial muscles, helping to lessen and prevent expression lines. SO perfect for the marionette lines, around your eyes and forehead. Don’t worry it doesn’t give a full frozen effect, just makes your skin look softer. Usually found in way way more expensive serums, this is one of the best value The Ordinary products.
For redness and pores around your nose you can try Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%. This is a great product for reducing redness and helps to even your skin tone as well.
Rose Hip Oil.
We all should be using facial oil, and rose hip is great for helping with fine lines and preventing further wrinkles. It works really well with combination skin as its not too heavy and helps to balance the skin. Plus using an oil helps “pull” your other products deeper into your skin.
Glycolic Acid.
As we get older, our skin turnover slows down, glycolic helps to remove the dead skin cells, helping your products work better and giving your skin a renewed, refreshed appearance. It’s best to alternate with the retinoid use as using them both until your skin has gotten used to them can cause irritation. Also use in your pm routine as it can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Hyaluronic Acid – the Buffet + copper peptides, already has Hyaluronic acid but I love to soak my skin in the stuff so I always recommend having a bottle to hand.
Treatments.
Although it sounds scary the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is a great product, you just have to start off using it SLOWLY! Do a patch test first, then try it on one part of your face, if after a few days there is no reaction, use it as a mask. Start off for 5 minutes then the recommended 10 the next time you use it. Use it once a week for the best results but don’t use the glycolic or retinoid afterwards, hyaluronic acid and the rose hip will work great with it. Like the glycolic it removes the dead skin cells but gives a deep clean. The next day your skin is glowing! and with continued use it helps to fade fine lines.
Alpha Lipoic 5%.
A potent antioxidant it helps to even skin tone and works to defend against wrinkles. Use once to twice a week but not with the glycolic (till your skin is used to it) and never with the retinoid or retinol. You can use the agrieline, Azelaic Acid, hyaluronic acid and rose hip oil with it.
I won’t confuse you with too many recommendations!
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions!
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sarah, First of all, thank you!!! I can’t believe you are taking the time to individualize a skin care regime! You are so kind!
I NEED HELP!!!
I am 42 and have struggles with melasma (dark spots) since kids. I have tried Obagi (which is a fortune), which was too harsh on my skin. I have been using Clinique for 7 months, better on the wallet, but not sure it’s really working, perhaps I need to give it more time.
Also, I have more of a combination skin, but tend to get oily in the summer months and very dry in the winter. And wrinkles are coming in quick (around the eye, mouth, forehead, etc.). I would love to hear your recommendations! THANK YOU!!!!
Hi Yani,
My apologies for the delay in getting back to you.
Melasma is pretty common after having kids – bloody hormones! Obagi products are some of the best professional products out there but they are super intense and super expensive. A couple of The Ordinary products that will help are
1. Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
This is a great serum for pigmentation, out of all the products, this is the one I would recommend the most for pigmentation! Plus it has Hydralouric Acid so it helps with dehydration and dry skin.
2. A vitamin C product.
The Ordinary has so many vit c products, its rather overwhelming! They do a vit c product with the Alpha Arbutin which I was SUPER excited about but after using it, I don’t like it, which is so disapointing. I find it takes ages to soak into my skin, which doesnt work for me as I use my vit c in the morning. It may just be me and could work well for you, as it has loads of great reviews.
If you want to go for a seperate Vit C product, I’d recommend Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F It has high potency of Vit C but isn’t irritating like some of the other vit c products.
Vit C is great for pigmentation and helping with skin aging.
3. Retinol
If you’re not using a retinol or retinoid you should be! It dose everything! If you havent used one yet start off with the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion then work your way up the percentages.
This can also be used around the eyes.
4. Argireline Solution 10%
One of my favourite products of all time! It works like botox to “freeze” the muscles and helps to decrease and prevent expression lines. Now it dosent work as well botox, (nothing dose unfortunately) but you do see a real difference.
Recommendations for the eyes, I would suggest you invest in a good product, this is one area you can’t get skimp on. The Ordinary eye product Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG is good for helping with puffiness and dark circles but it dosen’t address the aging of the skin.
The FILORGA Time-Filler Eyes® Absolute Eye Correction Cream is probably the best out there and considering how long it lasts, it’s a good investment! (ps you can get 20% of with the code JULY4)
You could also add in The Rose Hip Oil as its great for helping to balance the skin while also hydrating. It has also been shown to reduce signs of photo-aging and many other skin conditions.
So for a routine
AM
after cleansing use
1. Alpha Albrutin on areas of pigmentation
2. Argireline on the forehead, eyes, nasal folds and lips.
3. Vit C product
4. Eye product – use around the lips as well
5. Moisteriser and SPF.
PM
1. Alpha Albrutin on areas of pigmentation
2. Argireline on the forehead, eyes, nasal folds and lips.
3. Retinol / Retinoid
4. Eye product – use around the lips as well
5. Rose Hip Oil
6. Night Moisteriser.
Note: The most important treatment of Melasma is protecting your skin from UV rays especially UVA, which your devices emit… so you need to make sure you are using an spf every day that has blue light protection!
Unfortunately, melasma is harder to fade than regular pigmentation as its produced deeper in the dermis, this means it can take longer before you see results. If you are really struggling with it, laser treatments have been proved to work well.
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions!
Sarah
XOXO
Do you have any recommendations for cleanser, day & night moisturizer?
This is so helpful… THANK YOU!!!!
I’m so sorry for the late reply! Somehow missed this comment! The Ordinary has released “The Daily Set” which is a great set to start off with as it has the Squalane cleanser, Hyaluronic Acid serum and The daily moisturising factors. All 3 are perfect to us in the am and pm.
Hey! Can you help me? I have tiny pimples on my forehead that will NOT go away! I think my skin is dry, it is really hard to tell honestly. It looks oily but feels dry if that makes any sense. I have been using Tula face wash, serum, and moisturizer. They are not working like I would like them to. So I feel like I need to start over from scratch. Thank you so much!
Hi Becca,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
First of all congestion on the forehead can be a sign of stomach and digestive problems, do you take an pre-biotic, they can make a big difference to your skin.
Skincare wise. Make sure you are double cleansing every night. Sometimes the silicones that are in make up, spf and primers don’t get removed with the first cleanse and can then block the pores causing congestion.
I would recommend trying Glossier’s Solution which is a chemical exfoliant that removes dead skin cells and cleans out the pore. You could also try Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid which does a similar job.
It sounds like your skin is dehydrated and is making excess oil to try and balance itself. So you need moisture and hydration but nothing heavy thats going to sit on the skin and block your pores. Serums I would recommend is my good old Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, this product works for everyone! It helps to reduce sebum and evens skin tone.
Hydration wise, a hyaluronic acid serum would work great as it draws water into your skin and keeps it hydrated. The Ordinary’s Marine Hyaluronics is a lighter serum and soaks into the skin straight away. In the evenings you should use a facial oil, Rose Hip Oil is great as it helps to rebalance the skin, for a lighter oil you could try the Hemi Squalane, which technically isn’t oil but feels like one briefly before your skin soaks it up, plus at around $4 for a bottle you can’t go wrong!
Treatment wise, the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution used once a week will do wonders for your skin!
If you want to get a new cleanser and moisturiser you could go with the Squalane Cleanser and the Natural Moisterising Factors.
So skincare routine wise I would recommend
AM
1. Cleanse
2. Tone with Solution or BHA Blackhead power liquid (only on the t zone if the rest of your face is feeling dry)
3. Marine Hyaluronics
4. Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
5. Moisteriser (You could mix in a few drops of the hemi squalane for extra hydration)
PM
1. Double Cleanse
2. Tone with Solution or BHA Blackhead power liquid (only on the t zone if the rest of your face is feeling dry)
3. Marine Hyaluronics
4. Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
5. Rose Hip Oil
6. Moisteriser.
Once a week AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution in the pm on cleansed skin. leave on for 10 mins maximum – make sure do a patch test first, then use the marine hyalouronics followed by the hemi squalane or rose hip oil and then your moisteriser. Don’t the Solution or BHA as thats too much acid for your skin.
Note on the Solution and BHA power Liquid. Start off using on of these slowly, once every two days, then once a day (pm is better) and once you feel your skin has adpated to it you can increase it two twice daily. If you find your skin is becoming dry, go back to using once a day.
I hope this helps! Again sorry my reply took so long, as you can see, I like to do indepth recommendations and do they do take a while!
Hi Sarah!
I’m 27, combo skin with a few normal pimples around my cheeks/nose.
I have texture issues, acne scarring/discoloring, and HUGE pores.
Slightly sensitive skin but I can handle a bit. I cannot use retinol as I’m breastfeeding.
I am looking for a full lineup.
Cleanser, toner, acne treatment, serum, moisture, oil, etc.
Thank you!!’
Hi Jackie,
Thank you so much for your comment!
Ok lets break it down from the start.
Cleanser
The squalane cleanser is a great cleanser for every skin type, I’ve just started to use it and really like it so far. It disolves make up and doesn’t dry out the skin.
Toner
The 7% Glycolic toner is great for improving skin texture and pigmentation. It helps to remove the dead skin cells, meaning then your products work better and giving your skin a renewed, refreshed appearance.
Serums
I would definitely introduce the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, as you can see from the other comments, I recommend this product a lot! It helps to regulate and reduce sebum production in the skin, which helps the pores plus It helps with hyperpigmentation (the marks left behind by breakouts) and also helps the skin protect itself, meaning less inflamed and sensitive skin! . You should use this on all of the face and alternate with a Vit C serum. Ie use one of them in the morning and the other in pm.
Alpha Arbrutin 2%
Is a fantastic serum for reducing pigmentation, just pop a couple of drops on the areas of concern in the am and pm. The alpha-arbutin travels down to your melanocytes (the cells responsible for melanin production) and stops them working, which means pigmentation production will be inhibited. So it is great to use when pregnant and afterwards when hormones can cause extra melanin products.
Marine HyaluronicsEveryone should be using the a hyaluronic acid serum. It makes such a different to hydrate and plump you skin. The marine hyaluronic is a lighter less sticky serum and soaks in the skin really quickly.
Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution ( A Vitamin C serum )
There are so many different Vit C serums and it can take awhile to find the one you like. I’ve tried all of The Ordinarys Vit C products and this is the one I like the best. Vit C is perfect for helping even skintone and pigmentation.
Moisteriser
Natural Moisterising Factors. is a great light moisteriser to use in the am or pm.
Treatments
the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution used once a week will do wonders for your skin!
Niod Mastic Mud is an amazing mask for pores. You can literally see them getting smaller after using the mask.
If you wanted to add in another product to help with your pores Cosrx two in one poreless liquid is a cult product for a reason! Used daily it helps clear out the pores and tighten the skin without over drying it and minimizes the size.
AM
1. Cleanse
2. Tone with Cosrx poreless liquid (just pat the liquid into the skin)
3. Alpha arbutin on pigmentation areas
4. Marine hyaluronics all over the face
5. Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution (vit c)
6. Your eye cream
7. Natural Moisterising factors
8. SPF
PM
1. Double Cleanse
2. Using a cotton pad, wipe the Glycolic toner all over the face
3. Tone with Cosrx poreless liquid (just pat the liquid into the skin)
4. Alpha arbutin on pigmentation areas
5. Niacinamide all over the face
6. Marine hyaluronics all over the face
7. Eye cream
8. Natural Moisterising factors
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions!
xoxo Sarah
Hi there I just purchased some ordinary products, but now I’m a little nervous about it! I’m not sure what order to use stuff. Can you help me make a routine? I’ve never used retinoids so I’m thinking of starting that just one day a week to start? Here are the products I have ordered. Retinoids 2% squalane. rosehip oil. Aha 30% + bha 2% peeling solution. Natural moisturizing factors + ha. Hyaluronuc acid 2% +b5. My skin is kind of combination, it can get very dry and flakey on my cheeks and chin but my forehead and nose stays pretty normal. Any help would be appreciated!
Hi Sam,
Thank you so much for your comment. How are you getting on with the retinoid? Good idea to start of using once a week then increasing. So for a skincare routine I would recommend.
AM
Cleanse
Hyaluronic Acid
Natural Moisterising factors (if your skin is feeling a dry you could add in a few drops of the rosehip oil.
SPF
PM
Double cleanse
Retinoid
Hyaluronic Acid
Rosehip oil
Natural Moisterising factors
Then once a week use the AHA peeling solution in the pm. Afterwards, don’t use a retinol but you can use the rest of your PM routine.
Let me know how you get on if you have any other questions
XOXO Sarah
Hi Sarah,
I love reading all your suggestions. You are right that it is super confusing. I am looking for a little guidance on what to use and when and have googled myself right out. Can you help ?
I am 41 and have sun damage on my forehead , uneven skin tone but would consider my skin normal ( a bit dry in winter) with a few blackheads on my nose. I do get occasional acne but no much. Also would like to prevent aging. I have some fine lines around my eyes already and on my forehead . Thank you so much !!
Hi Amy,
Thank you so much for commenting, I would love to recommend some products for you.
So since aging and prevention of aging is your main concern I’d definitely recommended introducing retinol or retinoid. This is the only skincare ingredient that is proven to make your skin cells act younger than they are and produce collagen. I go through the benefits on how to use it here
You should start off with the Granactive Retinoid Emulsion the emulsion is a light serum texture but it also comes in squalane which is a really light oil. They both work as well, its just a personal preference if you prefer a serum or oil. As I explain in my earlier post it’s best to start of slow using it every few days in the pm and increasing to every second day, then every evening once you feel your skin is tolerating it well.
The second product I’d recommend is the Buffet + Copper Peptides. I can’t get enough of this product! It does everything, helps to reduce fine lines, improves texture, reduces pigmentation.
A vitaminc C product can do amazing things for your skin. It really helps to bring back that glow to the skin that we lose as our skin gets older. I’ve tried nearly all of The Ordinary’s Vit C products and my favourite is the Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution. Your best using it in the morning and it can’t be used with the retinol or buffet + copper peptides.
If you were wanted to try another product for helping with acne and pigmentation Niacinamide is my holy grail! It helps to reduce oil production and congestion, fine lines and pigmentation.
So your skincare routine could look like this.
AM
Cleanse
Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution
Moisturiser with SPF
PM
Double Cleanse
Buffet + Copper Peptides
Niacinamide
Retinoid
Moisturiser with no SPF
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions or want to try any other products.
XOXO Sarah
Hi Sarah!!
First of all I want to thank you for sharing with us and I have to say I am amazed and grateful that you are taking the time to aswer each and every one of the questions..that span over months!!
I have recently learned about The Ordinary (I know, a bit late) and I have been investigating where ever and how ever I can to try to learn about what products I need and what would work for me.
So I would be super greatful if you could guid me a bit about the best for me and also tell me what routine to follow with what I have at the moment.
I’m 32 and I have combination skin and in the winter it gets quite dry..and I have to say since I live in Spain my skin takes a lot of sun..now in summer especially..even without sunbathing and using SPF 50 all year long.
The products I have now are:
Retinol 0.2% in Squalane
Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG
100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
Natural Moisturising Factirs + HA
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Sari,
Thank you for your lovely comment! I love putting together skincare recommendations!
So for your skincare routine, I would recommend.
AM
Cleanse
Hyaluronic Acid
hemi squalane
Natural Moisterising factors (if you want to save time you can add in a few drops of the hemi squalane)
Caffeine 5%
SPF
PM
Double cleanse
Retinoid
Hyaluronic Acid
Natural Moisterising factors
If you wanted to add in some products I would recommend Alpha Arbutin, this helps stop pigmentation, which can be a problem when you are in the sun.
During the winter time you could change the hemi squalane for Marula oil to help increase your skins hydration levels.
I don’t want to overwhelm you with too many products but adding in a vit c product for the am routine would be great for your skin. The Ordinary has so many but I am currently loving the Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution it can take a few goes to find the ones. Another Vit C option is 100% L-Ascorbic Powder. This is fine powder you can add to the Natural Moisturising Factors. Depending on how sensitive your skin is you will experience a tingling sensation for the first week or two of using it till your skin becomes used to it.
Let me know how you get on and if you have any other questions
XOXO Sarah
Hi Sarah I loved reading your post and I am ready to try these products…BUT where to start? I am 34 and need to work on the fine lines starting to show and I have large pores along with some uneven skin from old acne scars and dark circles under the eyes. What do you recommend I start with?
Hi Danielle,
Thanks so much for your comment. So the two products for dealing with the first signs of aging, I always recommend are a Retinol and the Niacinamide. See my posts on why they are the best!
Retinol wise you should start off with the Granactive Retinoid Emulsion. the emulsion is a light serum texture but it also comes in squalane which is a really light oil. They both work as well, its just a personal preference if you prefer a serum or oil. As I explain in my earlier post it’s best to start of slow using it every few days in the pm and increasing to every second day, then every evening once you feel your skin is tolerating it well.
A vit C in the am. It’s great for helping with evening the skin tone and fine lines. Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10% is a lighter vit c product that dosen’t interact with the Niacinamide.
So routine wise it would look like
AM
Cleanse
Niacinamide
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%
SPF
You could also add in a hyaluronic acid serum, I love the marine hyaluronic one as its super light. You would use this before the Niacinamide.
PM
Cleanse
Niacinamide
Retinoid
Night Moisteriser
You could add in the rosehip oil for extra hydration after the Retinoid.
I don’t want to overwhelm you with recommendations but if you want add in some products let me know.
Sarah XOXO
Sorry forgot to add in the Caffeine Solution 5% +EGCG for the eyes. You should use this twice a day.
Hi Sarah
Very impressed with your knowledge. I am almost exclusively using The Ordinary products. Last year at this time I was using rich oil creams on my face and ended up with itchy scaly red spots at the sides of the bridge of my nose, and in the crevices on either side of my nostrils and itchy scaly patches on my forehead. After extensive research I have self diagnosed SD. Learning about the impact of carbon chain lengths, the Malassezia bacteria that feeds on Fatty acids with carbon lengths of 11-24 etc.. I surmised that caprylic/capric acid with a carbon chain length of 10 was my safest bet. I landed on TO Natural Moisturizing Factors+HA, Buffet + Copper Peptide, Hylamide Low-Molecular HA and The Body Shop Aloe Calming Cream Cleanser. My face has been amazing ever since….except I had a recent mild relapse (which I now attribute to a lazy week of not washing my face before bed) and discovering that our natural sebum is carbon chain lengths of 18. It has however led me to dig a bit deeper to find a slightly modified regime as the TO moisturizer and the BS cleanser both have ingredients that can feed the Malassezia bacteria and inflame SD. My question is regarding the Niacinamide and Zinc you recommend and the 100% Squalane Oil and the Squalane Cleanser. You mentioned you have mild SD as well. Coco-caprylate is the second ingredient in the Squalane cleanser – a higher carbon length fatty acid. Does it not aggravate your SD? How about the Squalane Oil and the Niacinamide/Zinc serum? Do you use the TO Natural Moisturizing Factors+HA or do they have a better moisturizer you recommend. I also just bought the Hylamide Sensitive Fix but am considering returning it to replace with the Niacinamide. I love the TO products and want to stay away from any products with parabens etc (which is why I love TO). Would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi,
Thanks so much for your comment. Wow, you’ve done a lot of research into SD, and seem to know alot more than I do but i’ll tell you what my experience is.
When I start to get a flare up, I stop using all products and switch to my prescibed products, the main one being an anti fungal cream and I use La Roche Posay Cicaplast, which is for flaking, chapped skin and is anti bacterial, to protect and moisturise. Once I finish the La Roche Posay though, I’m going to try out the Uriage range, which you could have a look at. https://www.uriage.com/AA/en/ranges/d-s
For me, I have an SD flare up when i’m stressed and my diet isn’t great and I’ve been eating to much sugar. So the main way I treat it is cutting out all sugar, eating prebiotic food, making sure I’m taking a pro biotic and try and chill out a bit. Usually, my skin is back to normal after a week.
Hope this helps!
XOXO Sarah
Thanks Sarah – good advice. I will have a look at those products. I have heard taking a probiotic can help – will start taking one. Didn’t know about sugar but that may be why I have had a good year as I have significantly reduced my sugar intake. Would be interested to know what anti-fungal cream you are using that you take alongside the LaRoche product. Is it a prescription or available on store shelves. Thanks for the reply.
Sugar is the biggest contributor to SD, before I had it diagnosed I thought I was becoming allergic to chocolate as my skin got worse every time I eat it. So if you have an outbreak or can feel that tingle in your skin cut out all sugar, even fruit! The antifungal cream is a prescription but if go into a pharmacy and have a chat they may be able to recommend something. Best of luck with it!
Please help me I’m so confused!!
I have ready so many articles about how careful you have to be about mixing these and some you shouldn t be wearing during the day. I would love to know what you would recommend and that is suitable for myself? I am 42 so it’s all about trying to keep my skin looking young and preventing or disguising fine lines. I do have dark circles and some open pores. Thank you
Hi Natalie,
Thanks so much for your comment. The two products for dealing with the first signs of aging I always recommend are a Retinol and the Niacinamide. See my posts on why they are the best!
Retinol wise you should start off with the Granactive Retinoid Emulsion. the emulsion is a light serum texture but it also comes in squalane which is a really light oil. They both work as well, its just a personal preference if you prefer a serum or oil. As I explain in my earlier post it’s best to start of slow using it every few days in the pm and increasing to every second day, then every evening once you feel your skin is tolerating it well.
You could also introduce A vit C in the am. It’s great for helping with evening the skin tone and fine lines. Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10% is a lighter vit c product that dosen’t interact with the Niacinamide. It’s a wonderful light moisteriser that evens and brightens the skin.
So routine wise it would look like
AM
Cleanse
Niacinamide
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%
SPF
You could also add in a hyaluronic acid serum, I love the marine hyaluronic one as its super light. You would use this before the Niacinamide.
PM
Cleanse
Niacinamide
Retinoid
Night Moisteriser
You could add in the rosehip oil for extra hydration after the Retinoid. You can mix in a couple of drops into your night moisteriser as an easy way of getting extra hydration.
I don’t want to overwhelm you with recommendations but if you want add in some more products let me know.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sara,
Thank you for sharing , very interesting article . I just recently purchased some of the products from the ordinary after reading your article but I don’t know yet how to combine them and in which order.
I bought Amino acids +B5 , Ascorbyl tetraispolmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F , Rose hip seed oil and AHA BHA Peeling solution .
Thank you so much!
Xx
Hi May,
Thanks so much for your comment!
So the best order to use them is
AM
Amino acids + B5 – a great hydrator this will keep your skin hydrated and protected throughout the day. Best to use after cleansing.
Follow by the Ascrobyl solution
Depending on your moisturiser you could add a few drops of the amino acids to it instead if you find the amino to “tingly” on your skin.
Alternatively, if you’re skin is really dry you could add a few drops of the rosehip oil to your moisturiser, after using the Amino acids and Ascrobyl.
SPF
In the pm you can use the Amino acids again after cleansing followed by the rosehip oil
The Peeling Solution should be used once a week, I put together a detailed post on how best to use it here The rose hip oil is perfect to use after this treatment.
Hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions
XOXO
Sarah
Great article
Thanks so much! It really means a lot when people take the time to comment!
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sarah. I’m a little late in joining The Ordinary bandwagon…
I’m 43 and I’ve been using the Korean 12 step method for about 6 years. I have very minor wrinkles but do have dry skin. So I guess my concern would be to hydrate and keep the wrinkles to a minimum. I’ve been using the Hyaluronic Acid 2% +B5 mixed with 2-3 drops of the Marine Hyaluronics at night for about 2 weeks or so. I also now started mixing 2 drops of Resveratrol 3%+Ferulic Acid 3% with the Organic Chia Seed Oil.
Do you have any recommendations? I bought a lot of their products- mostly the oils and hydrates but some of the Vitamin C, antioxidants and direct acids- I’m just a little nervous about using them and causing damage to my skin. Any advice?
Hi Ana,
Thanks so much for your comment!
So I would actually use the marine hyaluronic acid all over the face first, as it’s so light it soaks into the skin very quickly. Then you can follow with the hyaluronic acid. You can do this in the am and the pm as they don’t counteract with any other products.
Are you using the Ferulic acid in the am or pm? I’m presuming the am as it’s an antixoidant and it does it’s best work through out the day protecting the skin.
The chia oil is fine to use with it and so is other Vit C products. What other Vit C products do you have as a few drops of the Ferulic Acid mixed with a Vit c will give your skin maximum protection!
If keeping wrinkles at bay is your concern, I 100% recommend a retinoid if you’re not using one yet. You just need to make sure you use the Vit C in the PM and the retinoid in the pm.
A product you might be interested in, if you like hyaluronic acid is Polyglumatic Acid from the Inkey List (which im obsessed with) It holds 4x more moisture than HA. I love to layer the marine hyaluronics, hyaluronic acid then the polyglumatic acid and my skin looks so healthy and plump!
If you want to let me know your full list of products that you use, I can advise which are the best ones to use together or not use..
XOXO
Sarah
Hey sarah,
Love all your articles on the ordinary and skincare in general!! So helpful as I hope to expand my skincare routine. I got several products you recommended!
I have a very simple routine right now. but I bought several TO Products for a Christmas present to myself 🙂 and I feel a bit overwhelmed about how to use them! I want to incorporate them slowly, but mostly I’m nervous to mix conflicting ingredients like you mentioned in your post.
I bought the Hyaluronic acid + B5, Niacinamide and zinc, granactive retinoid 2% in squalane, vitamin c suspension + HA Spheres, azaelic acid, and the aha/bha peel.
I currently have this routine:
AM – wash with water, sometimes cleanse with dermalogica dermal clay cleanser, drunk elephant vitamin c serum, chia oil, sunscreen
PM – jojoba oil cleanse, dermalogica dermal clay cleanser, use omorovicza acid fix every 3-5 days (has glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acid), chia seed oil, and acure night cream or drunk elephant protini.
So where would you incorporate the products into my routine (to replace the drunk elephant vitamin c serum and the onorovicza acid fix) and which would you incorporate first?
Thanks so much for your help!! So excited to get started.
Hi Corrine,
Thanks so much for your comment!
I’m delighted you’ve treated yourself to some of the TO products. So the main thing is making sure the products you use work well together.
The hyaluronic acid can be used with every product,
Niacinamide can’t be used with strong Vit C – so don’t use it with the DE Vit C or the TO Vit C suspension.
Granactive Retinoid – Can’t be used with the Vit C
Vitaminc C Suspension – As said above you can’t use with the Niacinamide or the Retinoid
Azaelic Acid – Can be used with everything 🙂
AHA/BHA Peel. Not to be used with Vit C or Retinoid.
Routine recommendation
AM
Cleanse as usual
Hyaluronic acid
Azaelic Acid
Vitamin C Suspension
SPF
You may find the Vit C suspension takes a bit longer to sink in. It can also be a bit tingly on the skin. Your skin will get used to it. If you find it’s taking a bit too long be absorbed you could opt to use the azaelic acid.
PM
Cleanse as normal.
Hyaluronic Acid if you feel your skin is dehydrated
Niacinamide
Retinoid
Azelaic acid
Night Cream or protini
The AHA/BHA you should once a week in the pm. Use after cleansing, and follow with the hyaluronic acid and the chia oil or the protini.
You can continue using the acid fix till you’re finished about once a week but make sure you don’t use it the day after the aha/bha peel. You could use the peel on a Sunday then the acid fix on a Wednesday?
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi! So I’m super new to the whole skincare thing. I’m only 22 but I have always had super dry skin and it’s also sensitive. My brother and mom are more acne prone with oily skin so they got specialized skin care products. But I’ve always just used a cleanser from Walmart lol. I need help! I’ve been doing a lot of research and I keep coming across The Ordinary products and love the simplicity. Do you have any recommendations for a newbie like me?
Hi,
Thanks so much for your comment! Let’s jump right in! If you have sensitive skin and just getting into skincare, less is definitely better. With dry sensitive skin you want to keep it happy, which is easier said than done… To help it not freak out on you, you should pay special attention to the skins protective barrier (the first few layers of the skin) This means not stripping it with harsh cleansers, irritating it with too many products and preventing it being damaged by outside pollution.
The Ordinary do a Daily Set kit which includes the Squalane Cleanser, hyaluronic acid serum and the Natural Moisturising Factors.
The Squalane Cleanser is a really gentle cleanser that removes dirt and excess sebum but doesn’t strip the skin and doesn’t leave you with that tight feeling after washing your face. I would recommend using it the am and using it twice in pm. Double cleansing makes such a difference to the skin, it just helps to get rid of all the dirt and pollution that can damage your skin.
The Hyaluronic Acid helps to keep moisture in the skin and protects it from drying out. It also gives the skin a lovely plumped up healthy look!
Natural Moisturising Factors is a light moisturiser that suits all skin types. You could add in an oil like Marula or borage for extra hydration.
So your routine would look like
AM
Cleanse with the Squalane Cleanser
Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Natural Moisturising Factors
SPF
PM
Double cleanse with the Squalane Cleanser
Hyaluronic Acid serum
Natural Moisturising Factors with a few drops of oil mixed in if your skin is feeling dry.
Let me know how you get on and if have any questions!
XOXO Sarah
Hi,
I currently use squalane cleanser Hyaluronic acid, buffet, Azelaic acid suspension 10% and the moisturizer + HA. Is this routine what you would reccomend using? I’m a bit confused and don’t want to damage my skin. My skin is very dry in places, I have large pores and dark circles. I also want to keep the wrinkles away for as long as possible!
Hi Molly,
Thanks so much for your comment. You have a some good products here for dry skin. None of these will damage your skin if used incorrectly so don’t worry.
The Squalane cleanser is great for dry skin as it’s really gentle and dosen’t strip the skin.
Hyaluronic Acid helps keep the skin hydrated
Buffet contains a mix of peptides which help support the skin and delay fine lines
Azelaic Acid is a very gentle exfoliating acid which works by killing bacteria on the skin, as well as decreasing keratin which clogs pores. It has an anti-inflammatory property which will decreases redness and swelling. I wouldn’t use this on your very dry patches. This will also help reduce your pore size.
The Natural Moisterising Factors is is a light moisteriser that suits all skin types. You could add in an oil like Rose Hip Oil or Marula Oil for extra hydration.
For dark circles you can try the Caffeine Solution 5%. So your routine should look like
AM
Squalane Cleanser
HA
Buffet
Azelaic Acid – on areas of congestion
NMF
SPF
PM
Squalane Cleanser
HA
Buffet
Azelaic Acid – on areas of congestion
Rosehip or Marula Oil
NMF
Let me know how you get on and if have any questions!
XOXO Sarah
Hi there.. Can u help me there! My skin is oily.. I want to buy some ordinary products plz recommend me I had scars on my skin little bit spots and want to brighten my complexion.. I had search niacinamide glycolic acid and ordinary ascorbyl glucoside solution 12% as vit c.. Plz tell me Am and pm skin care routine
Hello Sarah!
Like everyone else here, I’m confused about starting my skincare routine. I’m 49 years old, some dark acne marks, medium pores and dry skin. I have occasional breakouts before my monthly.
The products I have are –
Buffet + Copper
Hyaluronic Acid 2%
Niacinamide 10%
vitamin C suspension 23%
Grab active Retinoid 5%
Rose hip oil
I would be so grateful if you could advise me on a routine to using these products.
Thank you in advance!
Jacque
Hi Jacque,
Thanks so much for your comment. You have some great The Ordinary products here. I would recommend using them in this order.
AM
Cleanse
Hyaluronic Acid
Vit C
SPF
PM
Double Cleanse
Buffet + Copper
Niacinamide
Retinoid
Rosehip oil.
You could add in the glycolic toner in the pm as this is great for pigmentation and skin tone.
Just in case you don’t know you can’t use the Vit C 23% with the niacinamide or buffet and copper and they cancel each other out.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Brilliant and informative
Thank you so much x
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Hey Sarah, I really enjoyed your review and wonder if you could help with what products I should use?
I’m 40yo and have seborrheic dermatitis in flaky patches, pretty much all over my face. I also have congestion on the sides of my nose, chin and forehead. I have small dry patches on the chin area (yes, my skin is a mess!). I would be so grateful for your help…thank you xx
Hi Shereen,
Thanks so much for your comment, i’m sorry its taken me so long to get back to you. Before you can do anything, we need to get the seborrheic dermatitis (from know on known as SD) sorted. As a fellow suffer I feel your pain! Are you using any medicated creams for it? Do you know whats causing it? For me it’s when i’m stressed and eating to much sugar. I get it under control by taking extra probiotics, cutting out all sugar, drinking lots of water and only using certain skincare products. I have a prescriptive anti-fungal cream i use but i also use D.S range from Uriage. I love their cleanser and cream. You can find them on amazon.com
Until you get the SB under control, there isnt much i cant recommend from the oridinary.
If you have other questions please let me know!
XOXO
Sarah
Hey Sarah, thanks for replying!
I would truly welcome any advice you could offer for the SD. I’ve actually never considered my diet being a cause but will definitely look into this. I suffer from sever anxiety so stressed, is pretty much how I feel all the time lol
Hi Sarah!
First of all, loved the post! Super excited and inspired to get a good skincare routine going!
I left a comment before but can’t find it and need to add an important factor! I have some indented acne scars and I hear that hyaluronic acid is good and can be used with a derma roller to optimise use. Is this what I should be using or is there a better way? Also in my previous post I pointed out that I have some redness and broken thread veins under my eyes, accentuated by the sun, normal skin if a bit dry in the winter and an uneven skin tone. I would really appreciate some guidance, it’s so kind of you to make all of these personal recommendations!
Thanks,
Anthea
xxx
Hi Anthea,
Thanks so much for your comment! First off I would recommend the Peeling Solution mask. If you use this once a week (instructions on how best to use it are here it will be a big help with helping your skin tone and acne scars.
The derma roller is also great for helping with scars, you could use it with the retinoid 3/4 times a week. Use the hyaluronic acid first, then the derma roller followed by the retinoid. This will also help delay the skins aging.
For under the eyes, unfortunately the only thing that will help broken vein is laser treatments. The caffeine solution is great for puffyiness and protecting the skin.
I don’t want to overwhelm you with product recommendations but a vit c in the morning would also help with pigmentation. The Ordinary have a lot of different ones but i think the Magnesium Ascorbyl would be good as it’s not to intense. Then if you wanted to add in one more product the alpha arbutin is also amazing for pigmentation.
So your routine could look like this.
AM
Cleanse
Alpha Arbutin on pigmentation areas.
Hyaluronic Acid if you feel you need some more hydration.
Magnesium Ascorbyl all over
Caffeine solution around the eyes
Moisteriser with spf.
PM
Double cleanse
Alpha Arbutin on pigmentation areas
Hyaluronic acid all over
Derma roller (2 or 3 times a week)
Retinoid all over
Moisteriser or a facial oil like the Rose Hip or Marula.
Start off slow with the Retinoid, use it every 3rd day for about a week, then every second day, then every night if you have had no reaction like dry skin.
Then once a week in the pm use the peeling solution and follow with hyaluronic acid and moisteriser or oil.
Out of everything SPF is the most important. You need to be using it every day! You’ll thank yourself when you’re older.
Let me know how you get on.
There are some other products for pigmentation from a different brand I can recommend a bit further down the line.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sarah! Thanks for posting such an informative column! For the longest time, I’ve been looking to revamp my skincare routine but I don’t know where to start. I would really appreciate it if you could help me! I’m 21 years old and I struggle with seborrheic dermatitis and mild acne. My biggest concerns are stubborn blackheads on my chin and nose, dullness, skin texture, redness, and my forehead is stubbornly bumpy with tiny acne. Per the instructions of my dermatologist, I use tretinoin cream (.025%), pimecrolimus cream (1%) (to treat the stubborn patches from dermatitis), I cleanse with Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash, and when I’m breaking out I use Glyderm’s glycolic acid clay mask. This routine has helped me but only to an extent, I really just want to do something about it but I don’t know how to begin. I would seriously appreciate any advice about an AM/PM routine! Thanks so much!
Hi Mireille,
Thanks so much for your comment. Did you your dermatologist say anything about fungal acne as that sounds like what it could be on your forehead, especially as you have seborrheic dermatitis.Both are caused by an over growth of yeast. With your skin, patch testing is so important and you need to introduce new products very slowly. If you’re not currently having a SD breakout you could try The Ordinary 30% AHA and 2% Peeling solution on areas that don’t have dermatitis. You would need to do a few patches first, then start off very very slowly, only using it for a minute the first time, then wait a week, then use it for 2 minutes, building up to 10. This should help clean out the pores and the build up of dead skin. Make sure you do not use a physical exfoliant as this is just going to irritate the skin and can cause an increase in sebum. For the stubborn blackhead, the mask will help as well but the best and quickest way would be extraction by a professional.
Niacinamide is another great product as its great for skin tone and reduces sebum production. I’ve never known a skin to not like it but introduce it slowly, using every second or third day in the am or pm and building up to using it every day in the am and pm. To gently exfoliate the skin through out the week I would suggest a PHA toner, this is a lot more gentle than glycolic acid. The Ordinary doesn’t do PHA but a similar brand The Inkey List does.
Another good product from The Inkey List that I think would work well for you in the multibiotic moisteriser. Because your skin is imbalanced you need to treat it with good bacteria and balance the pH of the skin. There is alot of expensive pre and pro biotic skincare out there but in my opinion this one is just as good. This also has squalane to help hydrate the skin and balance oil production.
The tretinoin cream can be very drying on the skin so you could try the rosehip oil on any dry patches. This can be used all over the face and shouldn’t cause any irritation. You can also mix a few drops into your moisturiser for an extra boost. Then if you want to do another layer of hydration you can’t go wrong with hyaluronic acid. I like the Marine Hyaluronic as it’s so light.
So routine wise, it would look like
AM
Cleanse
Marine Hyaluronics
Niacinamide
Medicated creams
Multibiotic moisteriser (add a few drops of rose hip oil if skin is feeling dry)
SPF
PM
Double cleanse (so so so important!)
PHA toner – swipe or pat across the skin.
Marine Hyaluronic
Niacinamide
Multibiotic Moisteriser (Let it sink in as long as possible)
Rose Hip oil ( if you find the oil makes the moisteriser pill you can swap around the order)
Once a week the peeling solution mask.
I suffer from SD myself and while there is no official connection between diet and SD i’m 100% convinced it’s one of the causes, mainly eating too much sugar. It’s what sets off my SD, I very nearly had a flare up at easter from eating so much chocolate. Probiotic supplements are also a big help in controlling it for me. A diet rich in healthy fats will also help with any dryness from the products.
Best of luck with it and let me know if you have any questions and how you get on!
XOXO
Sarah
Hi there, thank you for this post, it’s really informative and trustful 🙂
Thank you for helping everybody, you are so great.
I also wanted to ask you about the products…
My skin in quite dry sometimes, sometimes I get breakouts on my cheeks and chin. The main concern is that it’s dry not glowing and it has some dark spots, scars on my chin.
I ordered these products and I don’t know how to layer them and use them in the morning and evening. I don’t want to buy anything else, just to understand how to layer them…
The ordinary: Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
The ordinary: Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
The ordinary: Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
The ordinary: Rosehip seed oil
thank you 🙂
Hi Greta!
Thanks for your comment.
So with layering products always start from the thinnest and work up to the thickest. I would recommend the following order
Alpha Arbutin
Hyaluronic Acid
Niacinamide
Rose Hip Oil.
You’ve pricked great products for your skin concerns so I hope this helps. Don’t worry if you have been using them in a different order, it won’t make that much of a difference in their effectivness.
Let me know how you get on!
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
I am searching for the skin routine using The Ordinary. Like the others, I am confused as well :D. My face is oily, has acne scars and not so large pores but still they are visible and I have pimples on my chin and upper mouth area. I think pimples come out when I am exfoliating using facial scrub. I haven’t use any The Ordinary products but I am planning to purchase Niacinamide, Buffet, Salicylic Acid, Caffeine Solution, should I buy Hyaluronic Acid? Please advise for the skin routine (AM/PM). Thank you so much.
Hi Anne,
Thanks so much for the comment.
The products your planning on getting or have got are great for your skin concerns.
So first things, stay away from the physical exfoliants, they increase oiil production, which is why you find you have congestion after using them.
You can use all of these products together except for the buffet and salicylic acid, as the acid lower the pH of the skin and stops the peptides working correctly. Hyaluronic acid is brilliant for everyone and I always recommend it and definetly go for the AHA peeling solution, it brilliant but take it slow when you first start using it. I’ve put together a detailed guide here
The Ordinary’s natural moisterising factors is a great simple moisturiser, that helps to hydrate and protect the skin with out being too heavy.
So a rountine could look like this.
AM
Cleanse
Buffet
Niacinamide,
Hyaluronic acid
Caffeine solution
Moisturiser
SPF
PM
Double cleanse
Hyaluronic acid
Niacinamide
Salicylic acid (this can be very drying on the skin, so depending on how you get on maybe only use this a few times a week)
Moisturiser.
Let me know your thoughts and how you get on.
XOXO
Sarah
Hey Sarah,
Hope you’re well! Love your posts! It’s already helped me form some sort of idea of what I should be doing! But want to make sure I get it right! Haha
I have the below products/wanting to try some but I’m useless with knowing what’s best for my skin and in what order.
I have oily skin with some blemish marks from when I had bad acne, just the odd spot now and again. Also I’m in my late 20’s –
Cleanser – I current use la Roche posay
The ordinary Niacinamide
The ordinary Buffet
A Retinoid product suggestion please?
Pixi glow tonic (glycolic acid)
Vitamin c product suggestion, I’m completely undecided on this, so many different brands out there, ole henriksen gets good reviews?
The ordinary Caffeine solution
Moisturiser – currently la Roche posay
My apologies I know some of these aren’t the ordinary products but I hope that is ok!! As you can see there is a right mixture here haha! Any help with best products/order of use greatly appreciated!
Candice xx
Oh gosh I forgot to say I also have the AHA peeling mask too!!!
Sorry x
Hi Candice,
Thanks so much for your comment. You have some good products here for your skin concerns.So lets start of with product recommendations. The Ordinary Retinols are great to start off with. I’d recommend the Granactive Retinoid 2% in emulsion. You can also get this is squalane. Once you have finished that you can work your way through the different retinols, so the 5% retinoid then the 1% retinol. It’s very rare to have any irritation with the 2% retinoid but still use it every second or third night to start off with, gradually increasing it to every night.
Vit C wise there is a lot out there. I would go for the Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 10%. This is a lighter Vit C product but still works really well. The reason I recommend this is it doesn’t have a lot of contraindications unlike a lot of the other stronger Vit C products. The Buffet is one of these products that doesn’t work well with stronger Vit C or direct acids.
One other The Ordinary product I would recommend is Azelaic Acid. This is amazing at reducing redness from blemishes.
So for a routine I would recommend
AM
Cleanse
Buffet
Niacindamide
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Caffeine Solution
Moisteriser / SPF
Caffeine solution for the eyes
PM
Double Cleanse
Pixi Glow tonic – after this you need to bring the skins pH level back up to neutral so an essence or another hydrating toner would be good to add in here. – The Maria Badescu Witch Hazel and Rosewater Toner is a favourite and great for oily skin
Retinoid – On the night you’re not using the retinoid you can use the buffet. But again make sure you rebalance your skin after the glow tonic otherwise the acid can make the peptides ineffective.
Niacinamide
Azelaic Acid
Caffeine solution for the eyes
Night moisteriser.
For the AHA Mask start off using it once a week. Generally I recommend using only once a week but if you have oily skin and you’re tolerating it you can increase it to two times a week. Just make sure not to use any acids or retinoids after it. I have a detailed post on how to use it here. And a video of how i use it here
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for posting this. I have been searching for the right skin care routine for years. I have had problematic skin since I was 11 years old and I am now 25. I have combination acne prone skin. I have always had bumps on my skin for as long as I can remember and now I really want to take the time and figure out the right routine for me..
My acne isn’t really white heads or black heads, it’s mostly small bumps and acne scars on my forehead and cheeks. My chin gets large cystic acne and I would love to find a solution.
My biggest problem is I always find new products and think they are gonna work better than what I’m currently doing. I know the best thing for the skin is consistency which is why I’m reaching out to get help to put together a routine that I feel comfortable sticking to.
Below is my current routine and I would love to hear what ordinary products you think would help me. I would like to try and use one brand for the whole routine so please help me figure out the best products to buy! I am really open to anything.
AM
Cetaphil daily cleanser
Indie Lee toner
Cerave vitamin c serum
Neutrogena hydro boost daily moisturizer
Image skincare SPF 50
PM
Bliss jelly cleaner ( to remove makeup)
Cetaphil daily cleaner
Dr Dennis Gross peel pads
Niaciamide ( the ordinary)
Retinol .5 in Squalane (the ordinary)
Olay regenerist night recovery cream
I use a Lancer clarifying detox mask with green tea and 3% sulfur mask every Wednesday and Sunday.
Thank you for your time!!
Hi Avital,
Thanks so much for your comment. First things you do need to give new products time to work. Ideally, 12 weeks as this is the average time takes for skin cells to do a full turnover.
Niacinamide is a great product to help reduce excess sebum. I would maybe use it in the morning as well alternating it with the vit c serum. I’m not sure how strong the cerave vit c is so it might interact with Niacinamide so best to alternate to be on the safe side.
In the PM I would only use the peels pads a few times a week to make sure your not over exfoliating your skin and causing more sebum to be created. When your finshed the peel pads you could switch to the Ordinary Glycolic Acid. You could also try the AHA 30% and BHA 2% Peeling Solution once a week replacing one of the days you use the Lancer mask. The peeling solution is a great mask, I go into details about it here
I wouldn’t worry to much about using the one brand for your whole routine. Go with whatever works best for you. There another brand called The Inkey List which is similar to The Ordinary and they have some great products that could help. Like the Salicylic Acid Cleanser.
I would only introduce one product at a time so you can track whats working and whats not and build your routine around that.
One of the main causes of congestion on the forehead and cheeks is actually your gut. A good probiotic can do wonders for your skin and definitely worth getting. Aother cause could be a sensitivity to silicones. If there is no improvements in a few months I’d recommend you check if your spf and make up products (especially your primer) have silicones and switch to silcone free ones.
Best of luck! Please let me know how you get on and if you need any other advice.
XOXO
Sarah
I love The Ordinary! Have you tried NOID?
Yes I’ve tried a good few of their products and have my eyes on a few more.
Hi Sarah, i am new in the ordinary family & i need some advices pleaaaase. I had acne recently ( used antibiotics for 3 months) now i have some acne scars & occasional breakouts. I also need anti aging products as i am 36 & we are not getting any younger! I bought the cleanser, the moisturiser, niacinamide, hyriolic acid, toner, buffet peptides, retinol 0.5, rosehip oil. Also aha peeling but i know it’s once a week PM. Can you recommend in which order i shall use Am Pm & also if something missing? Never used retinol before many many thanks
Hi Arwa,
You have some great The Ordinary products here. Ok so here is suggested routine.
AM
Cleanse
Buffet with copper peptides ( I LOVE this product!)
Hyaluronic Acid
Niacinamide
Moistureiser and SPF
PM
Double cleanse – super important for congestion
alternate with the retinol and gylcolic toner
so the retinol pm
Niacinamide
Retinol
Rosehip oil
The glycolic pm
Glycolic
Niacinamide
rosehip oil
Try this on alternating nights, you should get any irritation or peeling but if you do slow the retinol use to once every 3 nights for a week then try again. Your skin will get use to it.
With the AHA peeling solution use once a week in the pm and only use the rosehip oil.
If you want to see my crazy routine and how i use retinol, vit c and peptides i have a new post https://www.thebeautyexplorer.ie/the-ordinary-skincare-for-pigmentation-and-ageing-my-weekly-routine/#.XtqlfJ5Kg6g
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions. After awhile you can start using the gylcolic toner and retinol in the same pm routine once your skin is tolerating both of them well.
XOXO
Sarah
Brilliant! Many thanks for taking the time, i can’t want to try these routines 😍
Hi honey! I was really looking out for someone who can help me out with the ordinary. I have a combination skin type. I’m 27 years old and I tried ginger tea for losing weight and soon after some days I got pimples all over my cheeks. I do have large open pores on my T area and all I want is to get rid of these pimples and their marks plus the reduction in open pores. The ordinary products I got are:
Niacinamide
Granactive
Vitamin c suspension
Rose hip oil
Glycolic acid toning sol
Ascorbic acid alpha arbutin
Aha bha
Please help me out with these or if u recommend any other product. Plus I am confused about one thing that u have mentioned am, pm routines. So is it like we can use ‘AM’ mentioned things all together or one by one in steps?
TIA ♥️
Hi Huma,
Thank you for your comment. When I talk about AM and PM routines its one after another. So for you, I would recommend
AM
Cleanse
Vitamin C is best used in the morning to get the best use of its antioxidant properties so use the Vitamin C Suspension or the Ascorbic Acid and Alpha Arbutin. Strong Vit C, unfortunately, doesn’t get on with a lot of products so your best following with your spf.
PM – With the products you have it’s best to alternate the two routines.
Routine 1. Retinol
Double cleanse – so important for dealing with congestion.
Granactive retinol
Niacinamide
Rose hip oil
Moisteriser if you need it
PM routine 2. Vit C
Double cleanse
Glycolic acid
Vit c suspension or ascorbic acid and alpha arbutin
Rose hip oil
Moisteriser
Once a week use the AHA & BHA mask – have a detailed post about how to use it here. Follow with the Rose-Hip oil.
Another product you could add-in is Azelaic Acid This is brilliant for helping with congestion and redness. Especially when combined with the Niacinamide. You can use it with the Vit C products and its best to use after the vit c. Let me know if you have any questions on it.
Best of luck with the routine.
XOXO
Sarah
I’d love your opinion on a regimen. I have super duper dry dehydrated flaky skin. I’ve tried so many products and nothing seems to work! It’s dull and textured because of the dryness. My make up looks horrible. I rarely break out so that’s not really a concern, but dullness, dryness, redness really is. I’m also 38 and started to see deepening lines across my forehead and crows feet area, plus my kids too and bottom have always been a bit crepey so anything to help plump us and smooth that skin would be amazing too. I just want bright glowy skin!! 😫 lol. Right now I use a miceller water and then cleanse with beauty counter milk cleanser. I do use the hyaluronic acid from the ordinary, and I have multiple creams I’ve been trying out, but nothing seems to be hydrating enough.
Hi Brandi!
Thanks so much for your comment.
It sounds like your skin’s barrier is damaged. Skin functions correctly when its outer lipid barrier is at its peak. This lipid barrier helps retain moisture, prevents dehydration and loss of moisture, keeps it hydrated for longer and protects skin against the ravages of the environment irrespective of the time of the year.
I’m going to suggest some products to help rebuild the barrier and once it’s working properly. ie your skin isn’t so dry and flaky you can start to use anti- ageing products.
First, though you need to figure out why the skin’s barrier is damaged. This could be from your enivornment including pollution, stress, diet choices, too much alcohol, allergy to products. It’s best to start a skin diary and track how your skin is each day and when it is more dry and flaky, and hopefully you can find the cause. Don’t use anything that has strong acids, retinol or perfume in them as this can be irritating to the skin.
So recommended products.
Niacinamide – Which helps increases ceramide production and restores skin barrier function. I have a post on it here I love the Ordinarys version.
The Ordinary Sea-Buckthorn Fruit Oil – this is super nourishing, protects the skin from free radical damage and maintains the skin’s normal barrier function.
THE INKEY LIST Polyglutamic Acid – This serum hydrates skin, holding 4 times more water than Hyaluronic Acid and forms a thin, protective moisturising layer on skin
The Inkey List Ceramide Night Treatment – features a ceramide complex to hydrate, protect and restore skin’s moisture barriers. Ceramides act like a glue that bind skin cells together. They protect, hydrate and plump your skin and act like natural moisture magnets in the skin.
So a routine could look like this
AM
cleanse
while skin is damp use the hyaluronic acid serum
then Niacinamide followed by the Polyglutamic acid.
Mix a few drops of the sea buckthorn oil into your moisteriser
SPF
PM
Double cleanse – super important to make sure remove any potentially irritating pollution.
Hyaluronic acid while the skin is damp
Niacinamide
Polyglutamic
Thick layer of the sea buckthorn oil
Ceramide overnight treatment.
Make sure you’re eating lots of omega rich food and taking an omega supplement. This can make a big difference in skin health. You could also try a ceramide supplement
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions and how you get on.
XOXO
Sarah
Loved your blog. I am new to all this and I am verry scared to mix and dont know where to start.
I have never used any products for my skin. i have some problem zones that i want to tackle now and build a full routine.
I have sensitive, combination skin. oil t-zone, dry chin. dark circles under the eyes and rash on the side. also many blackheads on nose and chin.
Can jou help me?
Thx
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for your comment.
Lets start off simple then
Cleanse: The Squalane cleanser is great for all skin types. Use it twice in the pm to help with blackheads and excess oil.
Eyes: The Caffeine Solution 5% and EGCG is great for dark circles as the caffeine improve circulation.
Treat: I don’t want to overwhelm you so I’m just going to recommend the Niacinamide 10% as its a great multitasking proudct and will help with balancing the skin.
Moisteriser: The Natural Moisterising Factors is a great moisteriser and it’s not to heavy so won’t block pores but is also super hydrating for dry skin.
Protect: During the day the best thing you can do for your skin is wear spf. The Ordinary are out of their SPF but I would recommend Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen
So a daily regime would look like this
AM
Cleanse with squalane cleanser
Treat with Niacinamide all over face apart from any very irritated areas. Caffeine Solution patted on the skin under and around the eyes.
Moisteriser: Natural Moisterising Factors
Protect: With SPF
PM
Double cleanse with squaLane cleanser
Treat with Niacinamide all over face apart from any very irritated areas. Caffeine Solution patted on the skin under and around the eyes.
Moisteriser: Natural Moisterising Factors
Once you are used to that you can introduce a few other steps like toning and facial oils.
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi.
I”ve never tried this brand, but I really want to.
I have been using Dermalogica for some years know, but it is really exspensive, so I’ve had my eyes on The Ordinary for a while.
But where to start? As you say, it is really confusing if you don ‘t know that much about skin products
I am almost 40 and have dry skin, what would your recomemendation be?
/Julia.
Hi Julia,
Thanks so much for your comment.
Do you want to redo your whole routine? If you want to let me know what dermalogica products you are using and I’ll see if there are any corresponding The Ordinary products I can recommend.
I’d recommend using a retinol if you’re not yet. The Granactive 2% Retinoid in Emulsion is a great one to start off on. The I would also use the cold pressed Rose Hip oil as it’s very hydrating and has anti ageing properties.
The retinoid needs to be used in the pm and the oil can be used in the am and pm.
XOXO
Sarah
HI,
Thank you for your post.
I am currently using rodan and fields and love it but the cost makes it hard to continue to use. I use all fo the lines (unblemish a couple times a week to keep the odd outbreak away), the redefine line a few times a week for wrinkles and the reverse line (which has the retinol and Vit C.) for my sun spots and discolouration from pregnancy. I have no idea where to start with ordinary as it is very, very confusing. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Christine,
Thank you for your comment. So if you want to replace some of the rodan and fields with The Ordinary, I would recommend the Niacinamide 10% and Zinc to help with congestion and breakouts. The Buffet and Copper Peptides is a brilliant product for aging skin. You can combine it with Niacinamide and Alpha Arbutin for pigmentation and fine lines.
The Retinoid 5% is a good retinol replacement. There is a lot of Vit C options and it depends on how sensitive you are to Vit C. The Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution is the one I like the most.
I go through my routine which may give you some ideas in this post
Let me know if you have any other questions I can put together a more detailed routine for you.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for the article! It’s incredible how many people you’ve helped out! I also found your Instagram as a great source of useful recommendations!
The ordinary products are new to me (as well as proper skincare), but I would like to introduce some of them into my routine. I would be very grateful if you give me some advice, too!
I’m 27yo. Generally, my skin is dry, especially cheeks, especially in winter, with oily/normal t-zone. If I don’t use moisturizer, cheeks become flaky. I also assume that I have a couperose-prone skin since my grandma and mother have it. I don’t see any signs on my face by now but sometimes it’s still redness-prone without any obvious reasons. Additionally, I have blackheads on my nose. I don’t wear make up, only mascara but not now while I’m working from home. Honestly, I haven’t taken care of my skin too much before last two months. Previously, I used only moisturizing cream with spf in the morning and micellar water to remove mascara and toning lotion with camomile to cleanse in the evening. However, I believe I should start taking care of my skin more and use products without too harmful ingredients which are widely used by Lancôme (I used their products quite often before).
Since last month I’ve been using Kiehl’s Avocado eye cream every evening, Kiehl’s caléndula & aloe soothing mask once-twice a week, Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser two-three times a week (my skin is irritated if I use it more often but since I don’t use it every day, I don’t see any positive effect) and Grow Alchemist Hydra-repair+intensive day cream (I found it’s not moisturizing enough even in summer and I got some small acne and some kind of closed comedones when started using it).
Thus, you can see that I’m not sure how to double cleanse my skin (whether I should do it twice a day?), how to exfoliate it and which moisturizer is better for me (I was thinking about Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin cream).
I’ve already purchased the following products from the ordinary:
– Squalane cleanser
– 100% plant derived squalane
– Pycnogenol 5%
– The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% + HA (haven’t tried yet)
Additionally, I ordered Alpha-H Vitamin C and Vitamin E to mix them with Pycnogenol for redness/couperose treatment. However, I’m not sure whether it’s too early to use such mix for my skin since I can’t say I have any quite obvious wrinkles or other aging problems.
Double cleansing is a pain for me because I cannot figure out which second product is better for me. Today I tried the ordinary squalane cleanser as first step and Fresh soy face cleanser as second step but I felt how my skin was literally squeaking after the second step. Also, I don’t understand whether I should use any toner after two-step cleansing.
I would be so thankful if you advise on how to wisely combine The Ordinary with Alpha-h and Kiehl’s and also recommend some second-step cleanser, toner, moisturizer, nourishing night cream and spf.
Thank you very much in advance! You literally safe such lost people like me!
Hi Victoria,
Thank you so much for your comment, that means so much to me!
Let’s get straight into it!
So the two main concerns we are going to concentrate on is your dry skin and preventing couperose conditions as much as possible. Both of these concerns tie into each other. One of the main causes of Couperose skin is a weakened skin barrier and this impaired skin barrier can’t retain moisture. So by concentrating on making sure your skin’s barrier is in top condition it will help your dry skin and in preventing the couperose skin condition developing to an extent.
The skin’s barrier can be weakened by
– using irritating products
– a sensitivity to fragrance in skincare products
– too much acid use
– using too abrasive skin scrubs
– pollution
– drinking too much alcohol
– eating too much sugar
– Consistent sun exposure without protection
So lets breakdown the skincare steps using the products you already have and a few that I recommend. Don’t worry I’ll keep it simple.
Cleansing.
You just need to do one cleanse in the am and double cleanse in the pm. Double cleansing in the pm is the most important and the longer dirt and pollution sits on your skin, the more damage it does to the skin’s barrier. The first cleanse removes the dirt and pollution (and make up if you are using it) aI nd the second cleanse is for cleaning out the pores. You can use the squalane cleanser for all of the cleanses and then a couple of times a week, use the Kiehls deep pore as your second cleanse.
I would then recommend using an essence. An essence is sort of like a toner. It prepares the skin to get the most out of your serums. Think of the skin like a sponge. When it’s dry it doesn’t absorb anything, but when damp it soaks up more. Does that make sense? The products that i’m going to recommend are from Korean skincare They have an important ingredient Centella, which I talk about in this instagram post this is great for repairing and supporting the skins barrier. The Cica Skin Essence contains centella and is super hydrating for the skin.
AM
You can then use your Alpha H Vit C and E mixed with the Pycnogenol 5% . All of these are antioxidants which are essential for protecting the skin.
If your skin is feeling dry you can add a layer of squalane oil.
Then a good moisturiser is the Purito Deep Sea Pure Water Cream This is similar to the Dr Jart but is more hydrating and is cruelty-free.
Then for your SPF Purito does an excellent unscented one.
PM
After double cleansing and the essence, you can use the Mandelic Acid for exfoliation. You can then use the Vit E and squalane for hydration and repairing the skin. Either mix them together or layer on the skin. Followed by the deep water moisteriser.
For an extra boost you could also get the Purito Cica Barrier Sleeping Mask which is an overnight mask and stops the skin losing moisture during the night.
So your routine would look like
AM
Cleanse once with the Squalane Cleanser
VT Cica Skin Essence all over
Kiehl’s Avocado eye cream
Alpha H Vit C and Vit E either mixed together or layered one top of each other
Squalane and Pycnogenol 5% mixed together or you can mix a few drops of the Pycnogenol 5% in with the Vit C or Vit E
Purito Deep Sea Pure Water Cream
Purito unscented SPF
PM
Double cleanse with the Squalane Cleanser
VT Cica Skin Essence all over
Mandelic Acid
Kiehl’s Avocado eye cream
Alpha H Vit C (you can mix this with the squalane oil if you want)
Purito Deep Sea Pure water cream
Then a few times a week use the Kiehl’s caléndula & aloe soothing mask and the Purito cica sleeping mask.
This should help improve your skin’s barrier, which will keep your skin more hydrated and help prevent irritation and redness. You could also look at adding in a hyaluronic acid serum for more hydration. Also, make sure you are getting enough omegas, the fats are very important for suppleness and hydration in the skin.
Let me know if you have any questions and how you get on.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sara,
Thank you for the article! I The ordinary products are new to me (as well as proper skincare), but I would like to introduce some of them into my routine. I would be very grateful if you give me some advice, too!
I’m 37 years, Generally, my skin is moderate dry have normal skin and dark circles under eye.
Currently I am using Nutrogena foaming cleanser, vitamin e moisturizer in the AM. In PM- neutrogena foaming cleanser followed with TruSkin Vitamin C Serum for Face with Hyaluronic Acid. Please suggest a routine and products!
Thank you in advance!
Divvi
Hi Sarah, came across your post and love all the advice you provide. I just turned 30 and looking for a full regimen for anti-aging (elasticity and wrinkles)
Thanks!
Hi,
I would recommend starting of with the Granactive Retinoid 2% emulsion you can use this in the evenings after cleansing and toning but before moisterising.
Another great product you can add is the Buffet + Copper Peptides. This is great for keeping the skin in top condition and preventing fine lines.
If you introduct these two new products, it’s best to use the Buffet + Copper Peptides in the AM and the Retinoid in the PM.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. If you want to learn more about how to put together a suitable regime from The Ordinary my friend scientist friend Cheryl Woodman has created a quick course.
XOXO
Sarah
Thanks! This post was very helpful. I would like to start using all the things! Haha. I am 40, dryish skin with signs of aging, lots of freckles, and puffy bags under my eyes (nothing really helps). I was wondering if you could suggest a regimen. I really value natural ingredients and love that most of the ordinary products score very low on ewg website. But not retinols, those score very high. Do you have other recommendations if I decided I wanted to avoid retinols? Do you have a good mineral sunscreen you recommend?
Hi Courtney,
Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you liked the post.
A retinol alternative (although not as powerful) is Bakuchiol, which scores low on the ewg website. I’m a big fan of ByBi Beauty for their natural and sustainable products. They have a great Bakuchiol Oil booster
I hear ya about the under eye bags, I’m the same! Unfortunately, there isn’t any miracle product out there that will get rid of them. As we get older the fat pad underneath our eyes becomes more prominant and this is what makes our eyes look puffy. The only thing you can do is surgery or under eye filler… But The Ordinary Caffeine Solution will help a little bit.
A vitamin c serum is great for helping to brigten the skin and can help with collagen product as well. The Ordinary has alot of different options but my I think the Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution is the best.
Another great product for ageing and all over skin health is the Buffet + Copper Peptides. As is my beloved Niacinamide 10% though I’m not sure how they score on the ewg.
Hydration wise I love the Marine Hyaluronics but the Amino B5 is also a great serum for dry skin.
Using gylcolic acid a few times a week is a big help for exfoliating dry skin, helping with pigmentation and giving the skin a glow. It would have to be used alternativly with Bakuchiol and the Buffet and Copper Peptides.
The squalane cleanser and the natural moisterising factors moisteriser are both simple products that suit everyone.
I like the REN Clean Screen spf 30 and I have heard great things about the C’est Moi SPF.
So a routine could look like
AM
Cleanse with squalane cleanser
Marine Hyaluronics or Amino Acids + B5 (Leave the skin slightly damp or use a spritz for more hydration)
Caffeine Solution 5%
Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution Vitamin C Serum
Natural Moisterising Factors Moisteriser
SPF
PM routine 1.
Double cleanse
Glycolic Acid
Marine Hylaronics or Amino Acids
Niacinamide
Natural Moisterising Factors Moisteriser
PM routine 2
Double cleanse
Buffet + Copper Peptides
Marine Hylaronics or Amino Acids (you can skip this if you want)
Niacinamide
Bakuchiol
Natural Moisterising Factors Moisteriser
Hope this helps! Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions.
XOXO
Sarah
Hi Sarah! Question, I am jumping on The Ordinary train. I struggle with Seborrheic dermatitis around my nose and chin area. I also have little to no collegian in my skin so I scar very easily. That being said, I need a product that will work for my sensitive skin i.e not scar or heighten scars but also help with this dermatitis too. What would you suggest from this beauty line?
Thank you!! I appreciate your advice and input!
Hi!!! I just love your blog and it’s amazing to see how you help everyone with their skin issues! So I wanted to start using the Ordinary line and was so confused by their website so I def need some help please! I am 42 and have tzone problems, mostly with breakouts/blackheads/whiteheads. I also have really bad under eye bags but they aren’t necessarily dark. I have dark pigmentation around my chin from past breakouts. I would say I have “normal” skin as it’s not dry or very oily. A few lines are starting at forehead, eyes, and mouth. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated-THANK YOU!!! 😀
Hello!
I use the pycnogenol but I also use polyglutamic acid on my face, is it ok to mix these ingredients? I tried doing some research online but couldn’t find an answer.
Thanks!!
Hi Kerry,
I can’t see any problem as to why you can’t use to the two of these together. The pycnogenol is not recommend with Vit C, retinol and exfoliating acids, but as far as I know is fine with hyaluronic acid, which polyglutamic acid is very similar to. The Ordinarys online help is excellent for any questions about mixing products and they should be able to help.
XOXO
Sarah