Friday 20 April 2018

The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review - Does Your Skin Type Matter?

The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review - Does Your Skin Type Matter? - 1

I've been keen to try something from The Ordinary for a while now. Rarely has a brand been more hyped, and there have been so many glowing reviews for many of the products. As I was in need of a new foundation, I decided to go for The Ordinary Serum Foundation as my first purchase from the brand. At less than £6, it's probably the cheapest foundation I've ever bought! I decided to go for the Serum Foundation rather than the heavier Coverage Foundation as I had read from several sources that it offers a lightweight, natural finish, buildable coverage and is suitable for all skin types. 

The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review - Does Your Skin Type Matter? - 2

I used Findation to find my shade. It's a website where you can input the shades of foundations you already own, and it will tell you which shade to buy in any other. This is handy when it comes to buying a foundation that isn't easily available in a store. I was matched to shade 1.0N, which is possibly a little too light for me but definitely an acceptable match when you add a little bit of bronzer.

Packaging


The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review - Does Your Skin Type Matter? - 3

Super lightweight and with a pump applicator that can be closed during transit, the packaging of the Serum Foundation is about as user friendly as it gets. There's something quite chic and stylish about it too, and even though it doesn't look as luxe as my Chanel foundation, it's still pleasing to the eye when displayed on my dressing table.

Application


The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review - Does Your Skin Type Matter? - 4

The consistency of this foundation is very light, almost watery, and if I'm honest I find it difficult to apply. It tends to slide all over my face, regardless of whether I use a brush or my fingers. I have learnt to apply it with a buffing brush first as best I can, and then perfect it with my fingers after that to get rid of the unsightly brush strokes, which seems to do the trick. I've never been a fan of makeup sponges, so don't possess any, but perhaps that would be the best tool for the job. Once I have battled through the application process, it seems to take a minute or two to settle down, so I tend to go away and do something else before attempting to apply the rest of my makeup.

Finish


The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review - Does Your Skin Type Matter? - 5

Once the foundation has settled, it looks beautiful. It provides a radiant glow without being in any way too dewy, and gives a decent amount of coverage while still looking totally natural. The lightweight formula is also very comfortable to wear. All this for less than £6? At this point, immediately after application, it feels like the best foundation ever.

Longevity


Unfortunately, however, the lovely finish doesn't last very long. Or at least it doesn't on me. Strangely, for something that is so wet to apply, after a couple of hours it starts to take on a powdery appearance. I have my share of skin concerns, but large pores has never been one of them. Yet somehow this foundation seems to find them and sink into them. The picture below was taken after I had been wearing it for about two hours. After another two hours, it looks quite a bit worse than this, and I wouldn't want to be out and about without the means to fix my makeup.

The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review - Does Your Skin Type Matter? - 6

While this is far from ideal, I have found a way to prolong the life of this foundation. With a mattifying primer underneath (I've been using Ren Perfect Canvas Skin Finishing Serum) and a fixing spray over the top (my current favourite being Pixi Make-Up Fixing Mist) I can get closer to four hours out of it before it starts to deteriorate. 

So Does Your Skin Type Matter?


My skin type is best described as "temperamental" - it can go through dry phases, but is usually slightly oily through my t-zone, especially my chin. My cheeks are definitely not oily, yet both the slippery application phase and the powdery deterioration that happens later seem to affect my face as a whole, so I can't really say that it would be more suited to either drier or oilier skin types than mine. Perhaps, after all, it's equally suited to all skin types, but is just generally a bit difficult to work with!

The Ordinary Serum Foundation Review - Does Your Skin Type Matter? - 7

Would I buy this again? Yes, because it is so affordable, because the finish is so lovely and because I have found a way to prolong that finish to a semi-decent amount of time. However, if one of those three criteria had remained unfulfilled, I would probably have said no.

Have you tried The Ordinary Serum Foundation? If so, I would love to know how it performed for you and what your skin type is! Let me know.

Kate x

Some links may be affiliate links. All opinions, as always, are my own.
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8 comments

  1. I've been hearing some mixed reviews about their foundation. Thank you for your thoughts

    Candice | Natalya Amour

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  2. I haven't tried either of The Ordinary foundations but I have dry skin so I havea feeling that this would look awful on me! xx

    Beautylymin

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  3. I haven't tried this foundation and don't think I ever will. I tend to be very fussy with my base products and this doesn't seems right for my skin type.

    Shireen⎜Reflection of Sanity

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  4. I wanted to try this because it's silicone free but it's sad that it doesn't last long!

    Jennifer
    Effortlessly Sophisticated

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  5. Four hours with all that effort? Doesn't sound like a winner to me, even for the price. I am usually out for 8-10 hours and need my foundation to look decent that long.

    Anne - Linda, Libra, Loca

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  6. I have wanted to try the ordinary foundations for ages! Especially that serum foundation, it sounds so wonderful!

    www.themakeupaficionado.com

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  7. I didn't like the weartime either, it wasn't good enough to warrant the effort. I've since thrown mine away xx

    Gemma • Gemma Etc . ❤️

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  8. Heard a lot about this product, especially the foundation. I've been wanting to try it for quite some time now. Thanks for the reminder dear!
    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

    ReplyDelete

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