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Skin Care Product Fails: November 2019
Updated: Jun 10
Hey there!
Although I try quite a few different skin care products, it’s not often that I strongly dislike a product. Although calling them product fails may be a bit harsh, I was left very disappointed with these three items of skin care!
If you’re new to my blog, hey! Consider subscribing to my blog for more product reviews and skin care tips! But that’s not what I wanted to say. If you’re new to my blog, you won't know that I have combination skin. It’s mostly oily but I have dry patches too, so a product may work differently for you than it did for me.
1) The Ordinary- 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder
If you follow me here or on my Instagram, you may have realised I am a huge fan of The Ordinary’s products. The Ordinary is an affordable, no-frills skin care company, that makes simple products with fantastic active ingredients. My love of skin care developed because of trying The Ordinary’s Glycolic acid toner and I have spoken so much about it that I’m almost sick of hearing myself talk about it now (just kidding, I will talk about glycolic acid till I die). I now use about 6 The Ordinary products on rotation and my skin is soft and glowy.
So, when I bought this product, I thought I would love it. I had previously tried a similar Korean product and didn’t enjoy that, but I believed that The Ordinary’s L-Ascorbic Acid powder would change my world. Unfortunately not.
If you don’t know what L-Ascorbic Acid is, it’s a stable form of Vitamin C. Vitamin C has many benefits, such as evening and brightening (not whitening!) the skin tone, and reducing the appearance of fine lines. This product is not a serum; it is a powder which is designed to be mixed with some serum or moisturiser just before applying it to the skin.
The jar may appear small, but the product can last you up to a year, which makes it fantastic for the price. Or it would do if I actually liked the product! It comes with the tiniest, most adorable little spoon, which you use to scoop out the perfect amount of powder to use. It’s recommended to use a quarter to half a scoop. This also stops you from putting your hands inside the jar, meaning your product should stay bacteria-free!
I don’t particularly mind having to mix my own Vitamin C serum, but it is an extra step which can become become annoying if you’re the kind of person who already has multiple steps in their routine. I used to use it at night (for reasons I will go into soon), and once I was done with my tooth care and cleansing, toners and serums, I sometimes didn’t have it in me to mix my little Vitamin C powder.
My biggest issue with this powder is that I just didn’t see an effect on my skin. This could be because I became increasingly lazy with using it, but at first, I was really regular with it! I didn’t notice that my skin was glowier or more evened out.
Another issue I found with it is that I hated how it felt on my skin. If you use slightly too much powder, the product pills (balls up) on the skin. Pilling aside, it just sits on top of the skin. It doesn’t sink in, like a serum, so it just leaves a thick film. Which is sticky. And itchy. If you don’t like being glued to your pillow case, this isn’t for you. Plus, this means that you can’t use the powder during the day, as it will be uncomfortable on the skin, and makeup will not layer on top of it.
Now, maybe I could ignore the pilling, and the feeling of the powder sitting on my skin. But what really broke the deal for me is the fact that it just. stains. everything. Vitamin C is known to do this, but having my white, cream and grey bedsheets dyed orange every night is just too much.
Oh, the disappointment. But, the jar can be washed and reused. It makes a super cute container for other products!
2) The Ordinary- Mineral UV Filters SPF 15 with Antioxidants
Another The Ordinary product! It’s not because their products aren’t great, but it’s because I have tried more products from their line than any other brand. When I saw they also sold SPF I was really excited as I love that their products are unscented and high quality.
I bought the factor 15 cream as I generally reapply throughout the day, and I do think it is possible to reapply this cream. I actually really enjoy the formula of this cream. I love how it smells (it has a really soft oaty smell), and I also enjoy how it leaves my skin slightly tacky and glowy.
The issue for me with this cream is that it leaves a white cast on me. I’m mixed afro-caribbean and white, but I am quite light, so I did not expect this to show up on my skin. As the cream is a mineral sunscreen (meaning it doesn’t absorb INTO the skin, but rather, stays on top), it leaves a blue/grey hue on my skin. Not cool. My girlfriend says it makes me look ghostly. I gave the sunscreen to her as she is pale as snow and she seems to be enjoying it. I shudder to think how I would look if I had bought their factor 30 cream.
3) COSRX- One Step Original Clear Pad
I was recommended these pads as a solution for acneic skin. These pads use the BHA betain salicylate to help reduce sebum production and acne. I don’t have bad acne, but I always have little whiteheads, mostly on my cheeks. I expected this to help relieve some of these spots, but I did not notice an improvement in my skin. It mayyyybe made my skin a little softer, but this could just be due to other products I was using.
I will say though that it is extremely pleasant to have your exfoliating toner pre-soaked on a pad for you. Then again, this does also make this product extremely polluting and wasteful, especially as the pads are not biodegradable, compostable or recyclable.
I love the packaging btw, it’s super cute.
To conclude, it’s normal that I’m not going to get on with every product from every brand, even my favourite brands. I have forgiven The Ordinary (mostly), and I’ll be writing a blog post about The Ordinary products soon! Subscribe if you’d like to be notified when I upload that post.
Thanks for reading!
Jazmin xx
