Another foundation review for you. (Ambassador, you’re really spoiling us, etc.) It’s actually two foundation reviews in a single; the Coverage Foundation and the Serum Foundation, both from Deciem brand The Ordinary. The Ordinary launched last year to a hugely positive reception from the beauty world; it’s a high-tech skincare brand having a no-frills, ingredient-led approach and incredibly low price-points.
I’m not going to attempt to de-mystify the skincare range here – so many people have asked me for a run-down of the products, but I have to admit that I’ve not had the time (nor the energy!) to properly take a seat and go through them. Suffice to say, for the moment, that it’s all very to-the-point. You can buy your acid peel based on which specific acid it's that you want – Lactic, Salicylic, Glycolic, for example – and you get exactly that. I’d say that perhaps you have to know what you’re doing more than you would with other brands and ranges, which is maybe why there are so many requests for a product guide, but if you’re au fait with your skin issues and know which ingredients are effective at treating them, this is a brilliant (and affordable) way of getting hold of the good stuff.
Anyway, I’ve digressed. The standard have branched out with some colour products, namely two foundations – the Coverage and the Serum, which are pretty self-explanatory, I have to say! There are no real surprises here; the policy has a medium, buildable coverage that blends well and doesn’t seem to cling to dry patches, the Serum is far more sheer, has less longevity but gives a more natural and fresh look. Here are a few before and after pics, but please watch the video at the bottom of the page for my full review – I was actually intending on simply embedding the video and prompting you all to watch it, but I decided to not be lazy and to look after those who like to read rather than listen. (You old-fashioned beasts, you!)
Here I'm before the Serum foundation – I used shade 2.0N:
And after:
It does a fairly decent job of balancing the skintone but blemishes aren’t concealed and also you do need a touch extra underneath the eyes if you have dark circles. It’s kind of like a tinted moisturiser, this foundation, but with no moisturiser part. If that is sensible. I’ve seen reviews saying that this is dewier than the Coverage foundation, but I don’t find it to be so – not unless I’ve prepped with a particularly buttery moisturiser.
And actually, I’d say that’s quite an important point: both foundations are extremely lightweight and I’ve discovered that they sort of take on the properties of anything you have on underneath. You need to prep the skin well, whether that’s tackling an oily t-zone with a primer, or making sure that dried-out skin is adequately hydrated. I've found that I can get a really lovely finish using the Coverage foundation if I’ve plumped my skin out with buttery face creams; equally the Serum look rather dry if I attempt to apply it over minimal moisturiser.
Here I'm before and after using the Coverage Foundation by 50 percent.0YG, which is the yellow-toned shade with golden highlights (you will find 21 shades, 9 different depths along with selection of undertones):
Now I did originally think that the 2.0 was slightly to deep for me personally, but after perusing my photos and re-watching the recording, in which I opted for 1.2N, I think that 2.0 is probably my best match. It’s fairly spot-on if you’re generally a 2.0/20 in Dior and Chanel foundations and that i like the added warmth that it gives my skin. The golden highlights within the YG give a little bit of luminosity to the base that I think that the foundations in general seem to lack – they’re not flat matte, however, you don’t get the high-wattage glow or “real skin” effect of a number of my high-end favourites…
But I’m not sure that The Ordinary are promising an extravagance foundation for less – just functional products with no frill and frippery. For me, they miss out that vital finish that I love so much – plumped, real-skin glow – but, as I said, you can get an enhanced finish by really prepping your face well.
Here’s the thing, though; the Coverage Foundation costs lb5.90 and also the Serum is lb5.70. You can’t really go far wrong with those prices – light, transportable packaging, SPF15 and (in the Coverage, at least) a high concentration of pigment which means a little product goes quite a distance.
Take a look at the video for more thoughts – there’s quite a long waiting time for the principles, if you want to order them, so you’ve a while to make your mind up if you’re contemplating buying them. You can find all of the shades online here* – they’ll be rolled out to other stockists once the supply is there, but I suspect that The Ordinary are presently working their way through their extraordinary waiting list!
