The Ordinary Foundation, Concealer, and Primer Review

If you are familiar with the skincare brand The Ordinary, makeup may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about The Ordinary. But in addition to their robust collection of affordable skincare products, The Ordinary offers just as affordable cosmetic products including makeup primers and their Colours foundation and concealer makeup collection.

The Ordinary makeup products currently include five different products: two primers, two foundations, and their latest offering, a concealer.

Since I am a big fan of their skincare products, I purchased all five of their makeup products and will share with you my experience and a review of The Ordinary foundation, primer, and concealer in this The Ordinary makeup review post.

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The Ordinary Foundations and Concealers Discontinued

Unfortunately, as of December 5, 2022, The Ordinary has decided to discontinue its foundation and concealers, as they did not reach enough customers and were not profitable since they were launched.

The Ordinary concealers will be discontinued on their website as of January 30, 2023, and the foundations will be discontinued in June 2023.

The Ordinary Foundation, Concealer, and Primer Review

The Ordinary Primer Reviews

There are two primers sold by The Ordinary: The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer and The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer. While both contain silicones, one formula is liquid while the other is a cream.

The formula also acts as a surface hydrator. It is formulated with a variety of silicones plus vitamin E.

I’ve never used a primer that was so fluid before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Leave it to The Ordinary to pleasantly surprise with this lightweight and non-greasy primer.

The primer sinks into my skin quickly and creates a smooth palette for makeup application. It helps foundation and makeup wear longer too.

The one drawback for me is the packaging. It’s a bit difficult to see in the image above, but the formula comes in a bottle with a dropper, similar to The Ordinary serums.

Since the formula is slightly thicker than a serum and grips the outside sides of the dropper, the application of the serum can get messy.

Even when I am careful and try to remove the primer from the outside of the dropper, inevitably, it ends up dripping off the sides onto the bottle or my fingers. I usually just apply the extra primer to my face, which surprisingly doesn’t get too thick or cakey.

Overall, my makeup wears much more evenly and is more natural-looking when I use this primer compared to no primer at all. My skin also feels very moisturized and smooth.

The lightweight feel makes me reach for this primer a little more often than The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer, which I discuss next.

Like The Ordinary’s liquid primer, this primer is formulated with a variety of silicones and vitamin E.

High-Adherence Silicone Primer can even be worn alone for non-oily hydration. It will help to smooth your complexion and reduce the appearance of pores.

This primer definitely feels a bit heavier on the skin than the Fluid Primer. Yet it creates a blurred and smooth canvas for makeup application. Makeup really does adhere better to the skin when this primer is used prior to makeup application. Although heavier on the skin, I think this primer grips makeup slightly better than The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer.

The Ordinary Foundation Reviews

The Ordinary offers two foundations: The Ordinary Coverage Foundation and The Ordinary Serum Foundation. Both foundations come in 21 shades and are oil-free.

The Ordinary Serum Foundation offers medium coverage, while The Ordinary Coverage Foundation offers full coverage.

Both foundations have a semi-matte finish and are formulated to work well with primer, especially The Ordinary primers.

Three of the 21 shades of both foundations are labeled with an S for Silver highlights and G for gold highlights. These shades have natural-looking metallic effect pigments for an added highlight effect.

These foundations are formulated with pigments that are suspended in The Ordinary’s proprietary spreadability system.

Sounds pretty technical, right? What this does is creates a natural look with a smooth finish. It also avoids creasing in fine lines and helps the foundations last longer.

One other interesting note is that The Ordinary states that due to the pigment suspension system used in these products, shades tend to look quite natural on the skin. As a result, three or more shades will work for most skin tones.

Shades can also be mixed together at the time you apply them for a custom-blended shade to best match your skin tone.

NOTE: In the European Union only, these formulas include mineral-based (Titanium Dioxide) SPF 15 sun protection.

The coverage is buildable to full coverage. It works well to cover my hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, and freckles.

It blends better and lasts longer when applied after The Ordinary primers and doesn’t settle into fine lines.

I ordered shade 2.0 (light-medium with pink undertones). It is still a little yellow for my skin tone and a bit too dark, so I subsequently ordered 1.2 (light with pink undertones). I mix the two shades together to get the best custom blend for my complexion.

Yet this was not my favorite foundation from The Ordinary…

You can apply this foundation with the pump that comes with it or purchase a dropper from The Ordinary. I think the pump is convenient, and it dispenses easily.

The best part of this foundation is that it is so skin-like. It performs like other luxury serum foundations that are several times the price. Like with the Coverage Foundation, wear is extended by The Ordinary primers.

I use shade 2.0P (light-medium with pink undertones) in this foundation. Once applied, it quickly disappears into my skin and evens out my skin tone. It does not sink into my fine lines, especially after applying one of The Ordinary’s primers.

Like the Coverage Foundation, the shade is a bit too dark for my complexion, so I will be purchasing the shade 1.2P to mix since mixing worked well with the Coverage Foundation.

I think this is better than a BB or CC cream as it feels weightless on the skin. I also think this would be best for those with normal to dry complexions. It’s so pretty and natural-looking that this won me over after the first application.

The Ordinary Concealer Review

This richly pigmented concealer spreads easily and provides a skin-like finish. The concealer comes in a wide range of 36 shades, including pink, red, neutral, and yellow, with cool, neutral, and warm undertones.

The Ordinary notes that the concealers are formulated slightly lighter in shade than The Ordinary Serum and Coverage Foundations, so you won’t be getting the exact same shade if you buy the same shade number across the collections.

Concealer is best when worn slightly lighter than your typical foundation shade, as it helps to brighten the under-eye area.

I purchased three shades of The Ordinary Concealer: 2.0P (light-medium with pink undertones), 2.0N (light-medium neutral), and 2.1P (medium with pink undertones).

While 2.0P and 2.1P were very close in shade, 2.0N appeared much lighter on my skin than both of the pink undertone shades. I will apply shade 2.1P and mix a little shade 2.0N in to lighten and brighten my under-eye area.

This concealer provides excellent coverage – much better than some drugstore concealers. It’s highly concentrated, so you don’t need much, and I love the precision tip applicator.

It spreads easily and covers my dark circles well. Plus covers blemishes and dark spots well, too, without looking cakey.

It does crease a bit but only needs a quick touch-up to correct it. It does not dry out even after several hours.

The Ordinary: Clinical Formulations with Integrity

The Ordinary offers clinical treatments backed by honesty and integrity. The brand falls under the DECIEM family of skincare offerings, which also includes the brands Hylamide and NIOD.

With a background in materials chemistry and biochemistry, the DECIEM team strives to bring innovation to their brands. They focus on honest communication and offering effective and familiar technologies in their products, all at very reasonable prices.

All DECIEM products, including The Ordinary products, are free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, animal oils, coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, mercury, oxybenzone. DECIEM does not test or pay others to test on animals.

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t expecting The Ordinary Colours makeup products to work so well for my skin. I think the formulas rival some of the best drugstore makeup foundations and concealers.

The prices are very affordable, and they provide a smooth and natural-looking base for color cosmetics, especially when used with a primer.

Have you tried The Ordinary Colors foundations, primers, or concealer? I’d love to know!

Thanks for reading!