Review: The Ordinary Foundation

Ana and I went to The Ordinary in Covent Garden, where the shop assistant (who thought we were sisters!) matched our skin to a foundation. We are both 1.2 N, the 1.2 standing for how pale we are, and the N meaning Neutral, signifying the tone.

What I'm looking for in a foundation:

Amber: Usually I get very, very shiny when I wear foundation. I therefore don't often apply a thick layer, as I don't like the feel of being a human oil slick, so I am looking for something high coverage that I don't need to apply a lot of. 

I'm also quite pale and have an odd skin tone that no foundation seems to match, so it always is good to find something that matches my skin well.

Ana: I usually look for something light which also happens to be reasonably high coverage. It is often difficult to find a good foundation which works on my skin because my skin is intolerant to heavy textures and tends to look very dull after using things which feel heavy on my face. I also don't like foundations which make me look unnatural, so usually go for something which helps me achieve a natural, glowing look.

Coverage/complexion matching:

Amber: 10/10 - amazing!!! I didn't even use concealer in the above photo and it covered all of the blemishes I had, as well as smoothing imperfections and even my dark circles.

Ana: 10/10 - it is absolutely incredible! I did not wear a concealer and the foundation did a fantastic job at covering my blemishes ( such as redness and my dark circles). My skin also felt super smooth after I applied the foundation.

Longevity:

Amber: 9/10 - only limited shine on the nose, and the forehead held up remarkably well. I had rubbed my face a little over some spots that I have, so it had removed slightly there, but all in all it was amazing.

Ana: 10/10 - it lasted the entire day and did not go off a little bit. I had a really busy day when testing this foundation, running all around London, with severe wind blowing in my face all the time and it stayed where it was. The foundation proved itself to be strong in a range of temperatures and performed very well on a long and tiring day.

Texture:

Amber: 8/10 - I always prefer the look of a foundation about an hour in, when it isn't sitting on top of my skin. On first application, it felt ever so slightly chalky, but that quickly disappeared.

Ana: 9/10 - At first I wasn't sure what to make of the foundation, it looked slightly strange on my face and I started to worry about the texture not matching my skin. Though after about 10 minutes all of the weird chalky things went away and it blended in beautifully into my face. The foundation left my skin feeling very soft which I am very pleased with.

Price:

Amber: 10/10 - at £6 (£5.40 after my student discount) this is a steal!!

Ana: 10/10 - I was very impressed with the price given how good this foundation is. I can highly recommend this!

Total:

Amber: 37/40
Ana: 39/40

Ana: Overall, I have been left with an incredibly good impression of this foundation. I was not sure what to expect as it is a high coverage foundation but it lived up to my standards. This foundation is literally perfect for any look at any time of the day (and I am sure you can make its coverage less strong when you blend it with a cream). The foundation did not make my skin dry or dull after a full day of wearing it and feels good on my skin even at the end of the day. I can highly recommend this product and will definitely repurchase it after my first bottle disappears.