NEW FROM THE ORDINARY | LIP BALM & ANTI-BLEMISH SERUM

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The Ordinary seems to be having some kind of renaissance at the moment so whatever they launch is going to be of interest to me. The latest launches I’ve been trying out are their anti-blemish multi-active serum and their first ever lip balm, so let’s see how I got on with these product…

First up, let’s talks about the Balancing & Clarifying Serum* | £20.20. This product is formulated to work as a gentle but effective treatment against active breakouts but also to tackle the dark marks left behind by them. It contains a number of intriguing and novel ingredients. The first is sarcosine, a hydrating amino acid which may also help reduce discolouration. L-carnitine is a promising ingredient when it comes to regulating oil production in the skin (indirectly helping to balance the skin and reduce breakouts). Then we have polylysine which looks as though it could help speed up wound healing and help move along active breakouts. There's adenosine in the mix too, which seems to have skin smoothing, healing and soothing benefits. We have N-Acetyl Glucosamine (also known as NAG) which is in another of the Ordinary's serums, which can have mild exfoliating benefits to deliver smoother, clearer skin. This also contains one of my favourite new ingredients I'm always looking out for in my products: ectoin, which is soothing and promotes skin barrier repair. We then also have the prebiotic Lactococcus Ferment Lysate which is also thought to help with skin barrier function. 

This breakdown of the ingredients should probably give you an idea of who I think this serum could work for. Ultimately, it's not an intensive acne-fighting ingredient; I would personally recommend this product for someone to use daily who generally has oily or acne-prone skin to gently keep things healthy and ticking over. It's a great option for skin barrier health, though it's not going to pack the same punch as a BHA, but you don't necessarily want something that intense as part of your daily routine. For my skin, I've been using this during hormonal times of the month and it's honestly helped keep things at bay (though, granted, I'm not the most breakout-prone person in the world). So, if you have dry or sensitive but acne-prone skin; this is definitely worth a go. The ingredients are all a little newer to the market, but I think if you've tried the usual BHAs, sulphur and so on; this will offer a much gentler option.

The Ordinary have also launched their Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm* | £8.50 | which I didn't know I needed but ended up loving. This is a lightweight gel-balm formula with simple but effective ingredients. Squalane is a replenishing plant-based oil to boost moisture levels in the skin, nourishing jojoba esters, hydrating amino acids, sodium PCA to keep the moisture barrier healthy and vegan waxes which help to seal moisture into the lips. This glides on, it doesn't look glossy (if you don't wear makeup and don't like the shiny look) and moisturises without being heavy. It feels light, it's not thick or heavy and it works. It leaves my lips feeling soft and hydrated (I'll be interested to see how it works for my lips during the winter months) but not like there's a load of product on them. It's low-maintenance, fuss-free and I'd recommend it to just about anyone!

Have you tried either of these new launches from the Ordinary?

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