Get 23% Off Our Top 5 Picks From The Ordinary

A cult skincare brand that offers up seriously powerful formulas at seriously low prices, The Ordinary is all you need to create a routine that’ll take care of all your skin concerns. Most of the brand’s products are under a tenner (with a huge handful under a fiver) and each and every formula is meticulously crafted by skincare experts.

This November, The Ordinary is stepping back from Black Friday and challenging the consumerism that overshadows the busiest shopping day of the year. When we say these formulas pack a punch, we’re not kidding! Before you buy you need to research which products are right for your skin – so The Ordinary is encouraging you to take your time when you’re shopping this month and is offering 23% off everything for the whole of November, in what it’s calling, KNOWvember.

We understand that skincare is a bit of a maze and new products can be overwhelming. So, we’ve picked out our top five essentials from The Ordinary and we’re going to tell you exactly what you can use them for! We’re going to leave all the jargon behind and keep things simple, so you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

When we say hydration, we mean the amount of water in your skin. If your skin lacks hydration, you’ll get dry patches and a general “tight skin” feeling. Putting the water back into your skin gives it bounce and gets rid of those annoying flaky areas! This is exactly what Hyaluronic Acid does. Hyaluronic Acid attracts over 1000 times its weight in water – this means that when you put it on your skin, it draws the water from the air into your skin like a magnet! Then you can seal it all it in with a moisturiser.

You should use The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid after cleansing and before any creams. Apply a few drops of the serum while your face is still a little wet and leave it for a few minutes to absorb. Then follow with your favourite moisturiser.

Any dead skin that’s on your face naturally sheds, but as it does so, it can block pores and cause blemishes. To encourage the cell turnover on your face, you should exfoliate! That St. Ives face scrub your mum used to make you use? Throw it away. If you use harsh scrubs on your face, the little “stones” or pieces of grit that are meant to renew your skin’s surface actually cause tiny abrasions which can lead to irritation and redness. Instead, you should use a chemical exfoliant like The Ordinary’s Lactic Acid. This gently removes any dead skin to reveal a rejuvenated complexion.

Apply The Ordinary’s Lactic Acid Serum just once every few days until your skin builds up a tolerance to it. If you use this product, be sure to apply sunscreen the following morning as it can increase your skin’s sensitivity to UV rays.

Picking, squeezing and poking your spots can lead to acne scarring. Your scars will naturally fade with time but if you want to reduce their appearance quicker, The Ordinary’s 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil can help. It’s rich in linolenic acid which helps to reduce signs of ageing and scarring – making it perfect for sufferers of acne.

Apply a couple of drops of The Ordinary’s Rose Hip Seed Oil to your face after water-based treatments (so after your Hyaluronic Acid and before your moisturiser) and gently pat it into the skin.

Spots. Blemishes. Zits. One of life’s inconveniences, spots can be painful, irritating and seriously hard to get rid of! The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% reduces the appearance of skin blemishes and congestion by reducing the amount of oil your pores produce. And, it can be used to brighten your skin tone!

Apply a few drops of The Ordinary’s Niacinamide serum to your skin morning and evening before creams.

If you have puffy eyes or dark circles in the morning that you want to banish for good, The Ordinary’s Caffeine Solution is here to help. Formulated with a high concentration of caffeine, this small-but-mighty serum is like two cups of coffee straight to your skin.

Massage a drop of The Ordinary’s Caffeine Solution into the eye’s contours morning and evening.