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  1. Review of the Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid with Vitamin B5

    Posted on

    the ordinary hyarulonic acid and B5

    If you have not heard of the Ordinary, they are a Canadian skin care  brand which sit under the umbrella of their parent company Deciem.

    The Ordinary is a range of skin care products which are highly affordable and which contain highly effective ingredients for a wide variety of skin issues.

    For the past 4 months I have been using a variety of their skin care products for different skin care issues.  I am 47, have dry/oily combination skin, fine lines, wrinkles and melasma (darker patches of skin) on my forehead.

    Anyway, today I wanted to share my thoughts on the Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid with Vitamin B5.  Hylauronic Acid is a humectant which means it is able to draw water from the skin and the atmosphere around us to help to hydrate and give a plumped appearance to the skin.  Therefore it is a useful product for dry or dehydrated skin.

    Please note, if you live in a very dry climate then Hyaluronic acid may actually dry your skin out.  I am lucky that I live in Manchester which is often humid (although grey and overcast lol) due to the high amount of rainfall we have so I am ok to use this product.

    Compared to other brands, the Ordinary's Hylauronic Acid is really affordable at only £5.90 for a 30ml bottle.  It has a clear lightweight gel texture and is unscented.

    Ingredients List:

    Aqua (Water), Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract, Glycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Isoceteth-20, Ethoxydiglycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol.

    In terms a skin care routine, Hylauronic Acid can be used both day and night and in conjunction with other skin care products.  It can be applied after cleansing and toning as a serum but before your moisturiser.  If you use any other serums, apply it before any milky emulsified serums.

     Skin Care ProductsOrder of Application

    For me personally I found that the Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid was causing other products I placed over the top of it to pill.  So instead of ditching it, I decided to just add it to my toners.  I either use Frankicense Toner by Neal's Yard or make my own concoction with Organic Rose Water and Neroli (Orange Blossom Water) to make a hydrating toner or facial mist.  I add 2 pippettes to 100ml of toner.  

    About once every 2 weeks I make my own Kaolin Clay mask to purify my pores and skin. So I use the hyaluronic acid as an ingredient in my mask mixes   Basically I mix the kaolin clay with rose and neroli water and add 1/2 a pipette of hyaluronic acid.  This helps to hydrate my skin and really counteracts the drying effect of the kaolin clay.

    For me, the Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid is a keeper and I wish it was available in larger 100ml bottles as I enjoy using it as an ingredient to add to my concoctions.

    If you would like to purchase this product it is available on Deciem's site.  Shipping is free for orders of £25 or more and it normally takes about 4 days to arrive although their website says it can take up to 10 days.

    If you are new to the Ordinary, there is a useful regimen guide  which will help you to choose products suited to your skin type.  Alternatively you can email them and ask them for recommendations.

    I hope this post has been helpful and given you some ideas on how you can use the Ordinary's Hyaluronic acid in your skin care routine.

    Until next time

    Zoe

    x

    PS Do you need help with your at home skincare routine?

    Check out my Skin Care Guide - only £5 - Ebook PDF

    • Identify your skin type and skincare issues
    • Create a skincare routine suited to you
    • Help you choose products that are suitable for your skin type and skincare issues
    • Key information on common skincare issues and which products can help: acne and breakouts, dehydrated skin, dull skin, hyperpigmentation (uneven skin tone), mature skin concerns, rosacea and redness, sensitive skin.
    • A to Z glossary of over 40 popular, effective skincare ingredients 

    skin-care-guide

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  2. PT 2 Review of The Ordinary Retinol 0.2% in Squalane (Month 2)

    Posted on

    the ordinary Retinol 0.2% in squalane

    Well this is month 2 of using the Ordinary Retinol 0.2% in Squalane.  You can read my first post here. which explains what Retinol is used for in skin care, precautions and my results after month 1.  I doubt I will have anything significant to report in month 3, but if I do I will update my blog again.

    My skin is dry/oily combination in winter and I have sun damage on my forehead, fine lines at the side of my eyes, my under eye area is dry, furrows between my eyebrows and deep creases on my forehead.

    So, again the most noticeable result for me is that the skin on my cheeks looks fresh and new.  This is because Retinol increases cell turnover and regeneration.

    I have also noticed some reduction in the darker skin (caused by Melasma) on my forehead.  However, I have also been using the Ordinary's Vitamin C 23% in the day and Alpha Arbutin day and night.  These also help to reduce hyperpigmentation, so I can't say which product has proved most effective in doing that.  My guess would be the combination of all 3: Retinol, Vitamin C and Alpha Arbutin.

    The fine lines around my eyes look the same as do the deep furrows between my brows and deeper wrinkles on my forehad.

    About 7 weeks in to using the Ordinary's Retinol 0.2% in Squalane my skin felt tight and dry during the daytime even with extra moisturiser.  So I cut back to using it every other night and applied Neal's Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm over the top of my Retinol.  This did the trick and my skin stopped feeling dry and tight.  I have continued with the every other night approach and on the nights I am not using the Retinol, I just use a serum (topic for another post as I use a few) and the Ordinary's Natural Moisturising Factor to moisturise.

    As I am now 1/2 way through the 30ml bottle of 0.2% Retinol, I have purchased the next strength up which is the 0.5% Retinol in Squalane.  

    My Current Routine:

    Daytime: Cleanse, Tone, AM & PM Alpha Arbutin on my melasma patches and the Ordinary's Matrixyl with Hyaluronic acid on my lines and wrinkles,  Moisturise with an SPF Cream.

    Night Time:

    Cleanse, Tone, Retinol 0.2% in Squalane and Wild Rose Beauty Balm or

    Cleanse, Tone, Vitamin C 23%, Moisturise or

    Cleanse, Tone, Anti Ageing Serum, Moisturise.

    I use a mixture of cleansing balms, milks and facial washes to cleanse and a mixture of floral waters, moistursing or acid toners and anti ageing eye creams, serums and face creams, SPF creams and some creams with very simple formulas that are just there to moisturise.  I will write a blog post at some point and talk about the products in more detail.  The reason I use so many different products is because I like to switch things up, love trying different products which in down to earth terms means that I am just a skin care junkie lol.  Also on some days my skin needs more of 1 type of product than another and also because I don't want my skin to get used to using the same products all the time.

    If would like to purchase the Ordinary's Retinol 0.2% it is only £4.20 for 30ml!  I buy my products directly from their site and shipping to the UK is about 4 days time although there is currently a notice on their website which says orders can take up to 10 days.  Shipping is free after £25 min spend.

    If you would like more information on the rest of the Ordinary's products, please click here to read their Regimen Guide.  Also if you email them with your skin care concerns, they will send you a suggested routine.

    Until next time

    Zoe

    x

     

    PS Do you need help with your at home skincare routine?

    Check out my Skin Care Guide - only £5 - Ebook PDF

    • Identify your skin type and skincare issues
    • Create a skincare routine suited to you
    • Help you choose products that are suitable for your skin type and skincare issues
    • Key information on common skincare issues and which products can help: acne and breakouts, dehydrated skin, dull skin, hyperpigmentation (uneven skin tone), mature skin concerns, rosacea and redness, sensitive skin.
    • A to Z glossary of over 40 popular, effective skincare ingredients 

    skin-care-guide

    Subscribe in a reader