The Ordinary. Advice for a newbie please

[TheDogsMother]

I've read great things about The Ordinary and thought it was about time I gave my skin a bit of a treat. It's been micellar water and Nivea for the last few years so I feel I should up my game though I've left it a bit late. I've been looking at the range/website and there are so many things I just don't know where to start, so can anyone help.

I'm late 50s so I know there are limits to what can be achieved, skin tends to be a little dry and sensitive though it has looked good after mild peels in the past. I would love to brighten my skin a bit and try to minimise some of the finer lines. Also to find a nice moisturiser for night time and another for under makeup in the day. If there are any other things that are good in the range I'd love to know about them too. Thank you !

I feel the same as you, so I’m hoping someone will have some advice.

If you go on their homepage, there’s a yellow box with “not sure where to start? Build your regimen…”

I selected my skin type and issues, and it suggested the products I needed and the order to use them in. It’s probably the best skin care I’ve used in a long time, and not overpriced either.

The problem with the website is that it asks you to prioritise your skincare woes... but I'm so haggard I'm worried about aging AND blemishes AND tone 🤣🤣🤣 I need everything thrown at me

I had a few like massive pores, blackheads, oiliness and redness, but the cleanser, 2x serums and moisturiser I ordered are all (so far!) working great. I think the prioritising is more so their system can suggest which treatment to put on first, I’m not sure it makes a huge amount of difference in the end.

After two weeks I had ordered more again to keep my supply going! It’s the only think that so far has kept my shitty hormonal acne down without drying my skin to a crisp!

@SquashPenguin I'm pleased you find it good. I've read so many good things and it doesn't seem eye wateringly expensive.

Me too @Dinneronmybfpillow ! I probably need the lot but I can imagine I'd end up with 10 different things to apply every night. That's quite a leap from my current basic regime

I did try a retinol product a while back (different brand) and it seemed to be making a difference. It also coincided with (or was perhaps the cause of ?) my hair thinning quite considerably so I didn't dare try it again.

I love most of the Ordinary stuff

Start with your first concern - anti aging for me
Build a regime following their advice and then see how it goes
What did you like , what did you hate
I didn't like the bright red leave on stuff that stained my new tee shirt

Then as you replace anything add something for your other concern

Large Boots have some stock but I do like the website
Just waiting for something to come back in stock then I'll be putting an order in

Don't waste your money on the eyelash serum

Highly recommend the Squalene Cleanser , niacinimide and retinol serums and the standard moisturiser

Good luck

Hi OP, I will share my skincare routine as it's really helped to improve my skin, especially with hydration and overall skin tone/brightness. I've only ever tried 3 products from the ordinary and I love them.

At night, I use micellar water to remove any makeup and then I cleanse using CeraVe hydrating cleanser. After that I'll apply hyaluronic acid (the ordinary) and then I use CeraVe moisturiser (it's a thick cream rather than a lotion so it's great for night). Finally i'll apply a few drops of retinol (the ordinary).

In the morning, I basically do the same thing but I'll use a toner from the ordinary before putting the hyaluronic acid and no retinol (you should only use it at night).

I hope this helps a bit!

Every now and then I do some late night research into skincare then slowly back away again, scared.

I need someone to look at my face and go "right-oh Hag! Slap this on and you won't look so bloody rough" and pop it through the till for me. I have always been rubbish at hair/skincare/makeup/clothes. I dream of having a stylist and facials to make me all glowy and sophisticated.

Might take @Wasteofmoneyornot 's advice and start small...

Thank you Wasteof and Mamailla ! I went through their 'Build a Regime' and thought 'Jeez, that's a lot of products'. In fact it was the same five for AM and PM and they weren't too expensive. I went over to Boots where the prices were the same, they had more items in stock and I get the Advantage points.

Funny you should mention the eyebrow/eyelash serum ! I was about to add to basket but it was out of stock. I thought it might help my ravaged eyebrows but it was out of stock.

Good idea about tweaking as I go along with this as I might like to introduce some retinol at some point. I have a v large birthday approaching so I'm hoping that people will say 'Wow Dogs you don't look a day over 40' ! Unrealistic maybe, so I will settle for looking slightly less haggard.

Mandelic acid is my absolute favourite.

Thanks for that recommendation Northern I will take a look.