I am always looking for new and upcoming skincare products to test out, if you've read my previous blogs you'll know that I'm BIG into skincare. It's the most important part of your morning/evening routine, this is because your skin is the starting base for any make-up application you're going to do and of course it's good to feel happy with yourself without make-up too! I have always spent time looking after my skin, using products suited to my skin type and taking my make-up off at night before bed and because of this I luckily don't get too many problems or blemishes. If you're struggling with your skin and there are certain issues that you're not happy with, for example, redness, excessive oil production and spots and blemishes then it's worth spending a bit of time doing your research and finding products that will help combat this. My main issue with my skin is the redness that I have around my cheeks and nose as well as dullness in certain areas so I've been looking for a specific product to help with this and that's when I found The Ordinary. The Ordinary is a brand from Deciem offering a collection of treatments that have clinical formulations. All the products are free of parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, benzalkonium chloride, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, mercury, oxybenzone and are not tested on animals.
What are Retinoids?!
If you're new to the beauty world you many not have heard much about Retinoid and you're probably wondering what an earth is it.. well it's something you should know about if you're wanting to change the appearance of your skin. Retinoids are a derivative of Vitamin A, it's proven that they are an anti-ageing ingredient that can reduce pores, wrinkles, acne and even sun damage. To get a bit technical Retinol and Retinoids are converted to Retinoic Acid by enzymes in the skin. Retinoic Acids trigger changes in the skin cells that result in an increase in cell turnover. The enzymes that break down collagen are blocked. The skin thickens (which is a good thing) and more Elastin and Collagen is formed. If you went to a dermatologist for acne or asked them how to improve the appearance of your skin they would prescribe you retinoid.
I know what you're thinking WHERE CAN I GET THIS, and don't worry I'll add a link at the end but there are a few things you need to be careful with when using Retinoid. You need to make sure you're using a product that has a high enough percentage to actually show visible results on the skin, certain products may contain Retinoid but you won't be sure of the percentage unless you buy a product that has the exact amount listed. The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2% is by far the winner for me at £8 for 30ml compared to Dr Brandt Glow Serum 2% at £59.50 for 50g you can't go wrong. So, as well as all of the amazing pro's of using this product there are also some con's such as irritation, flakiness, redness and a possible increase of spots to start with. The main thing to remember is to go slow with this one, your skin needs to get used to the Retinoid in order to reduce the risk of you suffering with the cons.
How to use:
- Start by using the Retinoid Serum ONLY at night onto clean dry skin (Retinoids are broken down by the sun)
- Go slow, if you use too much or too often your face will turn into one major flaky biscuit, use twice a week for around 3 weeks then you can go for every other day for another 3 weeks, once you've done this you can start using your Retinoid serum every evening, I know what it's like when you buy a product you want it to work immediately, you NEED to be patient, trust me or you'll regret it.
- Make sure you use a moisturiser after using the Retinoid serum and keep your skincare gentle over the first few weeks.
- Use sunblock or a day time moisturiser and foundation that has SPF in it as Retinoids make your skin more sensitive to the sun rays.
Remember:
- If your skin gets flaky, take a break for a few days
- It works just as well for dry and sensitive skin, if this is you then start by mixing the serum in with your night time moisturiser
- Be patient, for the first few weeks it may feel as though your skin is getting worse or it's not working and making you break out more, this does happen, but I promise you after a month or two you will see a difference
My Experience:
I ordered my Advanced Retinoid Serum from Beauty Bay they stock quite a few products from The Ordinary and I was already ordering some make-up from them so thought I would add it to my basket to try it out. I was a bit skeptical at first because it seemed like it was a lot of effort using a products for two or three months before I saw a difference, I'm very impatient and I like a quick fix but it was obvious this was not going to be the case with this product. The product itself looks very clinical as expected and comes with a little pippet in the lid so that you can easily access the right amount of product. It comes in a brown bottle and the liquid inside is very thin and white in colour, I have to be honest it doesn't smell too great and I was a little bit put off by it having to put it all over my face but after a few days I got used to the smell and it didn't bother me. I've noticed with most skincare that actually works has a not so pleasant smell. It absorbs well into the skin and with no stickiness, I like to massage the product into my skin and then bring the excess down my neck. I firstly started using the product twice a week then as said above I brought it down to every other day and now I'm using it every evening. After using it for around 2 months I can honestly say it's made a massive difference in my skin, it's totally revamped the texture by reducing any fine lines and bumps I had. It has also greatly reduce any pigmentation and redness in my skin so it now looks very even toned. I usually suffer with very dry skin and it has removed any dry patches I have meaning that my skin is a lot smoother. I did make the mistake of trying to use the serum in the morning too, why, I don't know ,like I said I always want MORE and it was a bad move, immediately after a few days my skin started breaking out into little painful blackheads so I went back to using it just at night and once again my skin has calmed down. Overall, I'm extremely happy with it and will continue to use the product over time. Retinoid is best used consistently for over a year to see a reduction in wrinkles and to reverse the effect of sun damage so I'm looking forward to seeing my results in the future!
Where to buy:
http://theordinary.com/product/rdn-advanced-retinoid-2pct-30ml
UK Sites:
- Feel Unique http://www.feelunique.com/p/The-Ordinary-Advanced-Retinoid-2-30ml
- Beauty Bay https://www.beautybay.com/skincare/theordinary/advancedretinoid2/
- Cult Beauty https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/the-ordinary-advanced-retinoid-2.html
Comments