The Ordinary Skincare Mini Haul
Despite my ever-growing skincare stash of The Ordinary products (see Here for a review of my collection), there's always room for more of them!
I recently picked up three more products that I felt would fit nicely into my current skincare routines. It's obviously far too early to talk about results so instead these are my initial impressions.
I was most excited to try the Agireline Solution 10% (£5.50 for 30ml).
Agireline is also referred to as 'Botox in a bottle'! Agireline is actually a trademark owned by Barcelona-based Lipotec. It prevents the formation of expression wrinkles by acting as a muscle inhibitor.
I had previously been using the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG around my eye area but started to realise that dark circles and puffiness were not actually my main concern - it was the fine lines that was making my under-eye concealer look too obvious that were bothering me slightly. I'll still use the Caffeine solution if I'm having puffy eye days, but I really want to see if this Agireline works.
You apply the Agireline around the eyes and on the forehead before using heavier products.
Because of the whole 'Botox in a bottle' tag, I wrongly assumed that it would make my eye and forehead area feel numb and that I wouldn't actually be able to move those areas! Totally wrong!!
The Agireline has the consistency of water and is very light and runny and therefore quite difficult to apply from the dropper - I do feel there's a lot of wastage.
There is no irritation at all, in fact it feels quite soothing and hydrating. It's too early to see if it's working yet, but I look forward to seeing if there's any reduction of the fine lines around my eyes.
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 £5.90 for 30ml
After discussing my mother's skincare needs with her, I was sure that what she felt was missing was some extra hydration and I felt that Hyaluronic Acid was the way to go. So I mainly picked this out to trial on her behalf (as she can be a bit reticent about what will work for her sensitive skin).
Hyaluronic acid is already naturally found in the skin but it's natural function is not as a hydrator. What I've already learned briefly about the addition of hyaluronic acid to a skincare routine is that it's molecules are generally too large to actually penetrate through the skin's surface and instead will sit on the top of the skin which gives a temporary hydration. The Ordinary's HA has three different forms of hyaluronic acid in with varying molecular weights, which supposedly helps with multi-depth hydration.
I know that I already have several hydrating products in my stash (the product that comes to mind first is the Scinic All-in-one Aqua Ampoule) but not a dedicated hyaluronic acid.
Again, with the low price of this product compared with most on the market, it's cheap enough to try out without fear of wasting money.
The Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 is a clear serum and actually quite viscous in texture. Unlike many of the other Ordinary serums, this is actually quite sticky, and as I would tend to use this in the morning before make-up, my initial thoughts was that it was a bit too sticky to use if I needed to rush out - but dries down if I have time to let it sink in.
As yet, I don't particularly feel that it's any more hydrating than any of my other products (including my Ordinary Niacinamide) so I'm not entirely sure it's a product that I would sell to my mother as a must-have (unlike the Niacinamide, which she also uses daily).
As suggested in the Victoria Health newsletter, I tried mixing the Resveratrol and Vitamin C together as a powerful anti-oxidant night time treatment. However, the Resveratrol is actually quite an oily product and when mixed with the rich Vitamin C cream, it felt far too heavy on my skin and didn't sink in well at all.
When I last blogged about the Resveratrol, it was of my first impressions of the product. After a few weeks of usage, I have to say that out of all my Ordinary products, the Resveratrol is the one I like the least.
I'm always banging on about how I don't know exactly how a single product is working for me but I know that as part of my routine, a product is an important part of making the magic happen. Not so with the Resveratrol. I just don't 'feel it'. I don't see any results (instantaneous or otherwise) and it just feels like an unnecessary step in the routine.
I felt 'meh' about it back then and I still do now.
But back to the Vitamin C.
The second time I tried it, I used it on its own as a night time moisturiser. And this time the grainy texture was much more apparent. It felt like the product had pilled on my skin, although when I pulled my hand away there were no actual pills of product. I know it's not the best to keep feeling your skin after you've applied products, but it's a bit of a habit that I have just before I go to sleep. Generally, I like to feel how my skin is feeling after an evening routine - is it sticky or oily? Has a product sunk in well? Am I feeling particularly soft after a good mask?
After using the Vitamin C, my nightly feel-up was unsatisfactory! I felt quite oily and grainy. Although, to give credit where it's due - my skin was great the next morning. Soft and clear and a good base for make-up.
I think I need to go through my water-based serums to see if I can find a good match for the Vitamin C cream - it's been mentioned elsewhere that a good water-based serum may help in dissolving the granules of Vitamin C which would get rid of that texture.
So the testing continues ...
As usual, I buy all of my Ordinary skincare products online from Victoria Health.
I was most excited to try the Agireline Solution 10% (£5.50 for 30ml).
Agireline is also referred to as 'Botox in a bottle'! Agireline is actually a trademark owned by Barcelona-based Lipotec. It prevents the formation of expression wrinkles by acting as a muscle inhibitor.
I had previously been using the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG around my eye area but started to realise that dark circles and puffiness were not actually my main concern - it was the fine lines that was making my under-eye concealer look too obvious that were bothering me slightly. I'll still use the Caffeine solution if I'm having puffy eye days, but I really want to see if this Agireline works.
You apply the Agireline around the eyes and on the forehead before using heavier products.
Because of the whole 'Botox in a bottle' tag, I wrongly assumed that it would make my eye and forehead area feel numb and that I wouldn't actually be able to move those areas! Totally wrong!!
The Agireline has the consistency of water and is very light and runny and therefore quite difficult to apply from the dropper - I do feel there's a lot of wastage.
There is no irritation at all, in fact it feels quite soothing and hydrating. It's too early to see if it's working yet, but I look forward to seeing if there's any reduction of the fine lines around my eyes.
Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 £5.90 for 30ml
After discussing my mother's skincare needs with her, I was sure that what she felt was missing was some extra hydration and I felt that Hyaluronic Acid was the way to go. So I mainly picked this out to trial on her behalf (as she can be a bit reticent about what will work for her sensitive skin).
Hyaluronic acid is already naturally found in the skin but it's natural function is not as a hydrator. What I've already learned briefly about the addition of hyaluronic acid to a skincare routine is that it's molecules are generally too large to actually penetrate through the skin's surface and instead will sit on the top of the skin which gives a temporary hydration. The Ordinary's HA has three different forms of hyaluronic acid in with varying molecular weights, which supposedly helps with multi-depth hydration.
I know that I already have several hydrating products in my stash (the product that comes to mind first is the Scinic All-in-one Aqua Ampoule) but not a dedicated hyaluronic acid.
Again, with the low price of this product compared with most on the market, it's cheap enough to try out without fear of wasting money.
The Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 is a clear serum and actually quite viscous in texture. Unlike many of the other Ordinary serums, this is actually quite sticky, and as I would tend to use this in the morning before make-up, my initial thoughts was that it was a bit too sticky to use if I needed to rush out - but dries down if I have time to let it sink in.
As yet, I don't particularly feel that it's any more hydrating than any of my other products (including my Ordinary Niacinamide) so I'm not entirely sure it's a product that I would sell to my mother as a must-have (unlike the Niacinamide, which she also uses daily).
Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% £4.90 for 30ml
I already felt that I had found my Vitamin C holy grail product in the Hero Project Vit C-30 Ultra Brightening Serum but at £39 for 30ml I felt that I should at least try out a cheaper alternative before committing to spend that amount (when there's so many other things I want to buy too!).
Vitamin C products are, I feel, quite tricky to choose - mainly because of how unstable Vitamin C is as an ingredient. With a lot of products you need to keep them in the fridge and they have a short shelf life as they can quickly become unstable when exposed to light and air (the Hero Project does neither).
The Ordinary's Vit C Suspension is water-free and silicone-free and is a stable due to the absence of water. At 23% this is quite a powerful product so some irritation is expected.
I had already heard that it did have a rather grainy texture (it comes in a white cream form) but on first application I didn't find that bothered me too much. Neither did I experience any real irritation due to it's strength so that was another bonus.
When I last blogged about the Resveratrol, it was of my first impressions of the product. After a few weeks of usage, I have to say that out of all my Ordinary products, the Resveratrol is the one I like the least.
I'm always banging on about how I don't know exactly how a single product is working for me but I know that as part of my routine, a product is an important part of making the magic happen. Not so with the Resveratrol. I just don't 'feel it'. I don't see any results (instantaneous or otherwise) and it just feels like an unnecessary step in the routine.
I felt 'meh' about it back then and I still do now.
But back to the Vitamin C.
The second time I tried it, I used it on its own as a night time moisturiser. And this time the grainy texture was much more apparent. It felt like the product had pilled on my skin, although when I pulled my hand away there were no actual pills of product. I know it's not the best to keep feeling your skin after you've applied products, but it's a bit of a habit that I have just before I go to sleep. Generally, I like to feel how my skin is feeling after an evening routine - is it sticky or oily? Has a product sunk in well? Am I feeling particularly soft after a good mask?
After using the Vitamin C, my nightly feel-up was unsatisfactory! I felt quite oily and grainy. Although, to give credit where it's due - my skin was great the next morning. Soft and clear and a good base for make-up.
I think I need to go through my water-based serums to see if I can find a good match for the Vitamin C cream - it's been mentioned elsewhere that a good water-based serum may help in dissolving the granules of Vitamin C which would get rid of that texture.
So the testing continues ...
As usual, I buy all of my Ordinary skincare products online from Victoria Health.
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