Here I am, back again reviewing another product from The Ordinary Line – this time it’s their foray into makeup. Not too long ago DECIEM’s The Ordinary released The Colours Range – a range of colour products that like the skincare range, aimed to disrupt the beauty industry. Disrupt it most certainly did – at one stage earlier in the year, the products from the range had a waiting list of over 25 000 people. Priced at USD$7/GBP£5.70/AUD$13 for 30ml, its no wonder that it was a waiting game, as you cannot beat the value of a makeup product at that price point. I know that a lot of the foundations I cost a great deal more! Curious to know what the fuss was about, I put my name on several waitlists for a restock of these famed foundations. It wasn’t until recently that finally got my hands one and purchased a bottle and gave it for a test run. The results were pleasantly surprising…
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What Is It:
DECIEM’s The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation is a lightweight medium-coverage foundation that feels quite think (or as DECIEM describes it, has low viscosity).
What Does It Do:
The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation offers moderate coverage that looks natural with a very lightweight serum feel due to its thin texture and feel. The foundations are of a semi-matte finish and are supposed to sit well with most makeup primers.
Ingredients:
Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua (Water), Caprylyl Methicone, Coconut Alkanes, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Cetyl Diglyceryl Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylethyl Dimethicone, Dipropylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hectorite, Sodium Chloride, Hexyl Laurate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Alumina, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin. May Contain [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Tin Oxide, Aluminum Hydroxide, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Mica, Triethoxycaprylylsilane.
My Thoughts:
DECIEM’sThe Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation is actually not half that bad, some improvements can be made for sure, but for a budget foundation, this is actually quite decent for USD$7. This foundation is no luxury foundation, it definitely does not have the elegance of a Chantecaille or Chanel foundation, but for the price point, why should it? However, out of all the drugstore/pharmacy brands that I have used, the Ordinary’s Serum Foundation would have to be the best in texture and finish that I have come across, unfortunately, it just didn’t quite like my combination skin type.
When using the Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation, the first thing I notice is just how thin the consistency is when dispensed out of the pump. It is a texture that is actually quite comparable to an essence or a thin serum. One pump is generally enough to cover the whole face in a light coverage that will even out the complexion and cover up most light spots. Two pumps will give the complexion a slightly more medium coverage and will cover up most minor imperfections in the skin. I also found that the shade 2.0YG Light Medium (Yellow Undertones with Gold Highlight) was perfect for my medium skin tone.
The finish that the Serum Foundation gives is quite natural – not dewy, not matte but a really lovely in between, making it perfect for an everyday “my skin but better” look and finish. According to DECIEM’s The Ordinary website, the highly saturated pigment in the formula has been suspended in The Ordinary’s proprietary spreadability system allowing the colours and the finish to look quite natural on the complexion.
I found that The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation’s watery texture made it very easy to blend into the complexion. From using the foundation serum, I found that I get the best results by applying it with my fingers, as they warm up the foundation. It literally just melts into the complexion to give quite an even and natural finish. I have tried using a brush to blend the foundation in before, but I did feel that this made the foundation a little more patchy due to its thinner consistency. In all honesty, using the warmth of the fingers is possibly the best way to apply this foundation – great for those who are lazy like me!
In terms of lasting power, this is probably where the Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation lacked a little bit for me, I have combination skin so whilst the foundation lasted most of the day for me, I found that it started to get a quite oily in my t-zone. Towards the end of the day, I noticed that the foundation also started to look a patchy around my forehead and nose, which is forgivable after 8 hours of wear. I find that a good primer (I varied between Onomie’s Powerful Priming Serum and J.One Jelly Pack) and cooler weather helps with the longevity of the Foundation Serum and that a powder generally does help in regards to oily areas. I also found that this foundation does catch on dry, flaky patches for those who have generally very dry skin.
If I had to compare DECIEM’s The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation to others I have used before, I would say it is very comparable to Perricone MD’s No Foundation Serum Foundation (a favourite formulation of mine) and Glossier’s Skin Tint. For me, I probably do like The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation more than Glossier’s Skin Tint because it does do a better job at evening out the skin tone and covering up imperfections but I do find that Perricone MD’s formulation far more superior in terms of longevity and wear. For me, DECIEM’s foundation sits somewhere in between the two.
I honestly don’t think The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation is a terrible product, it is actually quite decent in terms of coverage and how it feels on the skin. I am quite pleasantly surprised with how it overall felt in terms of texture and application on the skin, it wasn’t a terrible product on and I felt that it was more sophisticated than most drugstore foundations I have used in the past. For me, where the Foundation Serum didn’t perform is mainly in the area of longevity and wear, most probably due to my skin type (combination oily) as I have had similar foundation formulations work a lot better for my skin.
Overall, this is a great option for someone who has normal skin and is on a budget as it does feel quite lovely on the skin in terms of texture and how it gives the skin a beautiful natural finish. However, those with oilier skin types do need to be a little wary of how this will wear over the course of the day and those with dry skin types, do need to be aware of the product potentially catching on dry patches. For USD$7/GBP£5.70/AUD$13 the price point is not bad at all and if you are curious then its definitely worth testing out. Whilst DECIEM’s The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation is a decent product, I don’t think its worth waiting weeks on end for but its definitely worth a try if you are lucky enough to come across it.
Repurchase YAY or NAY:
I don’t think that I would be repurchasing DECIEM’s The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation after I have finished using up my bottle as I don’t think this quite suits my skin type. Whilst I do like the price point, coverage and overall finish of the Foundation Serum, I do feel that there are other products that are much better suited for me.
DECIEM’s The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation comes in 21 different shades and is housed in a 30ml bottle with a pump.
Have you used anything in DECIEM’s The Ordinary Colours range? What did you think of it? Would try another product in the range again? I would love to know, so please feel free to comment below.