The Ordinary: Primers Review

My Friday review of 'The Ordinary' Primers by DECIEM

I haven't always had the best success with primers in the past (To be honest I never noticed them doing anything and thought they were a bit of a waste of money), so when I heard all the rave reviews about the The Ordinary Primers, I was very sceptical. I mean, primers that actually help my makeup stay on, that were vegan and at an affordable price. Keep reading to find out the difference between these primers, and see if they worked for me.

If you haven't heard about The Ordinary, you may have been living under a rock. The Ordinary are one of the many brands under the Canadian company DECIEM, and are all about 'clinical formulations with integrity'. They offer effective and familiar skincare technologies at affordable prices, contain no nasties, and are cruelty free and vegan. The Ordinary are on top of their game right now as one of the most talked about skincare brands in the world.

The Ordinary offers two primers - the High Spreadability Fluid Primer and the High Adherence Silicone Primer. I feel like the two do very different jobs and the right one for you will depend on what you want a primer to do and your skin type.

High Adherence Silicone Primer
​How It's Described: Featuring advanced adaptive silicones, this pore-minimising primer ensures that make up adheres for longer, so that you can prolong the staying power of your masterful handiwork with a flawlessly finished base. Mattifying yet hydrating, this high-performance primer can be worn alone or under make up to blur imperfections and create an ‘airbrushed’ finish.

This primer comes in a sleek, plastic tube that is perfect for travel. It is a white, gel cream formula, not unlike a silicone moisturiser, that dries down almost instantly on the skin. This primer is similar to the other primer in that it leaves lines and pores blurred, and leaves the skin silky to the touch, albeit not quite as silky as the former.

I’ve heard a lot of people raving about this, and I personally have mixed opinions. It doesn’t feel at all like a traditional Silicone Primer which I absolutely love. It blurs my pores incredibly well – in fact I’d go as far as to say it’s the best I’ve tried to date. So yes it does blur and smooth.  I have normal/combination skin and found that this primer is fantastic on the normal areas, however when used on the oilier areas of my face I find my makeup doesn’t last as long as when I use my Arbonne Makeup Primer.  

High Spreadability Fluid Primer
How It's Described: A new generation of primer, this lightweight, serum-like formula creates a flawless base and helps make up blend and spread more seamlessly. Perfect for avoiding uneven accumulation of pigment around the eyes and on dry skin, it creates a hydrated, naturally dewy look that’s just as good worn alone as it is under make up.

Essentially, this is a silicone based primer which enables foundation to spread evenly over the skin and prevent it from settling into fine lines or clinging to dry patches. It has been designed give the skin a hydrated, dewy look.

The primer comes in an apothecary styled bottle with a dropper. As with all of the The Ordinary products, I love that they keep their branding clean, simple and chic. It means they are getting straight to the point rather than focusing on gimmicky branding.  The fluid itself is gel-like and applies to the skin with a very matte texture. If you aren’t a fan of gel consistencies then this won’t be a product you will enjoy applying. I don’t mind the texture personally and I like that it glides on well making your skin feel silky smooth.

In my opinion, the downside to this product, is the dropper feature. In theory, I like it. It works well as a for oils and serums, however, as the consistency of the fluid is quite thick I have found that, after a while, the dropper no longer works. It clogs and becomes practically unusable. I have to resort to tapping the product out – think Heinz ketchup – or scraping around the edges with a cotton-bud or thin brush.

My make-up lasted a whole day of work. I didn’t require any “foundation touch-ups,” and there was minimal cracking and thinning when I got home. My foundation lasted until I was ready to remove it for bed. 

For the price, The High Adherence Silicone Primer was £3.90 and the High-Spreadability Fluid Primer was £5.50 - I don't think you will find better.

Have you tried them ?  What do you think ?
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Emma x