Diana off Duty



I was so excited when I bought my first The Ordinary products. They were not yet available in Bulgaria, so I got them off of BeautyBay. They had great reviews and came with a low price tag, which gets an A++ in my book. Since this post I have tried a few other products from The OrdinaryWe even have them in Bulgaria now! However, while I was incredibly excited at first, I have a little different view on their products now. 


Lactic acid (quick review here), Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (review here and here (updated)), the Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% and Hyaluronic acid 2% + B5 (reviews here), and the AHA 30% + BHA 2% peeling solution (very quick review), The Granactive Retinoid 2 % in Squalane.



 Lactic acid 10% + HA 2% was really nice before I tried products with Glycolic acid in them. It seems that lactic acid is just a little too gentle for my skin. Lactic acid is more suitable for sensitive skin, or if you’re just starting out with chemical exfoliants, because it provides a much more gentle exfoliation. It is an all around great product for everyday use or if you have sensitive skin. 

I didn’t see much difference after using the Hyaluronic acid 2% + B5 and it is incredibly sticky, so I wouldn’t buy it again. I know people who see great difference after using it and they really love it, but I just can’t endure the stickiness of it.

I had some ups and downs with the Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%It helped a lot when I was having bad skin days, especially on those clusters of tiny whiteheads I get around my period, but it would pill like crazy if I used it with pretty much anything else on top, so I used it 2-3 times a month only. If you don’t use many products with this, it could be okay. 

the ordinary skincare review

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AHA 30% + BHA 2% peeling solution is great. It takes a little bit of getting used to. In the beginning I would have it on my skin for less than 5 minutes because my skin would tingle like craaazy (remove any product that starts tingling on your skin immediately. Soldiering through that won’t make your skin look better, but it can make your skin worse), but it does leave my skin super soft, unclogged and just generally brighter. 

However, this is an incredibly strong solution, it is not recommended for use in the summer months, when the sun is bright. This is intended for use only at night and in the morning after you’ve used it, you must have a separate sunscreen product. You should generally have a separate sunscreen product but I know that some people rely on the SPF in their moisturizers and foundations. You are not supposed to do that, that is not enough. Especially if you have used a strong acid like the peeling solution.

Retinoid 2% in Squalane is something I have never mentioned. I like that it is in Squalane, as retinol can be very drying. Squalene is a moisturising If not hydrogenated, squalene would oxidize in contact with air and thus lose its benefits. I introduced the retinol slowly into my routine and I have used it pretty much every other night since then. The thing with retinol is that if you don’t have anything to ‘fix’, you won’t really see much of a difference. I find that my skin in generally clearer (with a few pesky little breakouts after travelling and around that time of the month). However, it is great for prevention. I know how people say that wrinkles and lines just show your life, but I would like my life to be kept a little more private, thank you very much.


At first I was super excited. Cheap skincare that works? Yes, please, I’ll buy 300 things!


the ordinary niacinamide 10% + zinc 1% review

In order to keep their products cheap, The Ordinary don’t really mix their ingredients so you need to know what to combine with what and you need to apply quite a few things, if you are targeting multiple skin issues. Unfortunately, while I was incredibly positive that I would do that (I am quite religious with my skincare routine), I just got bored of applying, waiting for the product to sink in the skin, then applying something else and waiting for that… And also all of that track keeping of the ingredients that go well together; the ingredients that pill and the ones that don’t. Of course, that is quite my fault and not everyone will experience that but I am talking out of my own experience, after all.

At this point I prefer to pay 24 GBP for a product that targets multiple issues in my skin, than spend 4×6 GBP for the same thing, but in 4 bottles. 


I think The Ordinary is amazing in general, but especially if you want to see if an ingredient works with your skin or if you have a very low-maintenance routine and not too many skin issues. But the low price tag comes with a fair amount of time lost in researching and applying.

However, I am still religiously buying the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% just because I cannot live without it. That is my absolute favourite thing out of everything and I cannot imagine a day when I won’t have it in my life.


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This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Това може би е причината да не съм си взела още продукти освен Ниацинамида, просто не ми се занимава да им правя хороскопи за съвместимост. 😂 Със сигурност ще пробвам още нещо в бъдеще де, най-вероятно гликоловата киселина и онова магическо нещо с кофеин, което премахва тъмните кръгове.

    1. Това с кофеина едва ли ще ти махне кръговете. Най-малкото, много хора не са доволни. Но ако са ти генетични кръговете, нищо топикално няма да ти помогне. Виж, ако са от недоспиване, може малко да избистри, ама…

  2. Загледах ги покрай черния петък, обаче си поръчах и друга козметика и ги оставих за друг път. При мен на дневен ред седи най-вече туширането на бръчките, но голямата ми дъщеря има проблем с акнето и се чудя дали да не й взема Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% и да го пробвам и аз 🙂

    1. По принцип ако има проблем винаги е най-добре консултация с добър дерматолог, който да прецени типа кожа и от там каква грижа ѝ е нужна. 🙂 Но според мен е чудесен продукт за поддържане на кожата чиста, особено ако се стиска и ‘чопли’ 🙂

      1. Да, най-добре е дерматолог да препоръча грижата. За съжаление обаче в нашия град няма читав такъв и не ми се ще да рискува и да я натъпче с лекарства или да я ползва като опитно зайче. Не че тя сега не пробва различни продукти, с цел да намери такъв, който да помогне.

        Поне цените на The Ordinary са достъпни и няма да ме разорят 🙂

        1. О, да, определено. Бих препоръчала хубаво да определите с какъв тип кожа е и да работите от там. Много хора смятат, че акне=мазна кожа, но това не е задължително така.
          Важно е да използва хидратиращи продукти и да си измива лицето хубаво, особено ако носи грим, с неизсушаващо средство. Подхранващ крем за лице, подходящ за типа кожа. Редовно екфолиране редовно, но с неабразивен продукт (тоест, да не е с ‘черупки от кайсиеви ядки’ и подобни, защото те могат да бъдат пагубни за вече раздразнена кожа).
          Идеята ми е, че въпреки че смятам, че ниацинамидът е страхотен продукт, базовите грижи са много важни за това специализираната грижа да проработи 😊

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