When The Ordinary launched their range of foundations, there was so much buzz within the beauty community following how well received their skincare range was. What particularly appealed with the launch of the two foundations is that it launched with 21 shades which are broken into very fair, fair, light, light medium, medium, medium dark, dark, deep and very deep witch each skintone section having multiple tones.
There are very few foundation brands which create such a diverse range of shades which cater for warm, cool and neutral undertones and the foundations are just £5.70 each which is one of the cheapest foundations I’ve tried. The two foundations are; the The Ordinary Coverage Foundation and the The Ordinary Serum Foundation which are both available to purchase on the The Ordinary’s website.
The Ordinary Coverage Foundation
“Coverage Foundations are full-coverage formulations available in a comprehensive shade range across 21 shades. These foundations contain higher pigment levels than our Serum Foundations but still offer a smooth finish that avoids the heavy makeup look that can make skin appear more aged. The texture is that of a lightweight, non-oily cream. “
The Ordinary Serum Foundation
“Serum Foundations are lightweight medium-coverage formulations available in a comprehensive shade range across 21 shades. These foundations offer moderate coverage that looks natural with a very lightweight serum feel. They are very low in viscosity and are dispensed with the supplied pump or with the optional glass dropper available for purchase separately if preferred.”
I have very pale skin with a strong cool undertone so I went for the palest cool tone shade for both the The Ordinary Coverage Foundation and Serum Foundation which is 1.0P. I was really surprised to discover that the two foundations have different 1.0P shades which I don’t really understand. Both versions of 1.0P are sadly too dark for my skintone, but the The Ordinary Coverage Foundation is noticeably darker than the Serum Foundation and whatsmore, the Coverage Foundation oxidises considerably on my skin whereas I don’t notice any oxidising with the Serum Foundation whatsoever. I have to mix quite a lot of the NYX White Foundation Mixer to be able to use the Coverage Foundation to counteract the oxidising and deeper colour.
The Ordinary Coverage Foundation has quite a thick consistency like the name would suggest, but it doesn’t feel like a mask on the skin like some high coverage foundations can such as the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation which offers amazing coverage but you can feel it sitting on the skin. I find the Coverage Foundation to be relatively comfortable, but the oxidisation is a big issue when the shade doesn’t match me to start with.
If you have a deeper skintone that mine, I’d perhaps recommend going half a shade lighter in order to balance out any potential oxidising but the Coverage formula is great shade issues aside. My favourite from the two however has to be The Ordinary Serum Foundation as it’s a little more comfortable, and forgiving on my dry skin. It offers a light to medium coverage in my opinion, but it feels very lightweight so it’s ideal if you don’t like to feel like you’re wearing foundation.
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