The Ordinary is one brand that seems to be super-hyped at the moment…..and I am well and truly into this hype! I have mentioned in my post The Ordinary Skincare about the serums I love using…and I have another serum on order too, however it’s not just their skincare that everyone is shouting about!
Makeup Artist Wayne Goss took to YouTube to tell everyone that there is a £3.90 primer that ‘beats them all!‘ So many people…myself included watch Wayne’s videos and after purchasing makeup and skincare pull a bit of a ‘YouTube made me buy it’ excuse! This was no exception! He has since released another video about the new release of Colours by The Ordinary…again the orders have gone in by their thousands…but that’s for another post! I digress…..
There are two primers that have been released, a High Spreadability Fluid Primer for a more natural, dewy look and the High Adherence Silicone Primer for more of a matte yet hydrating finish. Having oily / combination skin I decide to go for the High Adherence Silicone primer. Being on a makeup buying ban on which I am allowing myself to replace products I was quite smug when my PUR silicone primer ran out as it gave me the perfect excuse to order one of these alongside my replacement serums.
As with all products from The Ordinary, it is a basic, no frills, verging on clinical packaging, which I have to say I am more than happy with! Don’t get me wrong, packaging can make products look appealing and attractive, but given the quality of product you are getting for the price that you are paying, the packaging is absolutely fine in my opinion!
This formula uses advanced adaptive silicones to act as a matte, hydrating, blurring primer for makeup that looks higher in definition and adheres for longer. The formula can also be used alone as a non-greasy hydrator that reduces the looks of pores and of imperfections. The Ordinary website
I have a few favourite foundations that I use depending on what I’m doing, how long I want it to last and so on. In fairness, I don’t expect much from a primer these days as I just find no matter what I use, certain foundations only last a certain amount of time on my skin and I accept that. I do what I can to make it last, but for example, if I want it to last from morning to evening, I won’t head for my Nars Sheerglow, but instead go for my Estee Lauder Double Wear.
I do have the Dior Forever and Ever primer to use with the Forever foundation but I don’t want to have to buy different primers to go with different foundations so if this worked with all of my foundations then that would be a bonus. Something to note however is that generally speaking, silicone primers will work best with silicone based foundations. To tell if your foundation is silicone based, check the ingredients list for something that ends in ‘cone‘ or ‘oxane‘ such as ‘dimethicone‘ and ‘cyclopentasiloxane‘. Even if Water is the first ingredient on the list, this does not mean your foundation is water based! All three of these foundations are silicone based so this primer should work with each of them.
Initial impressions:
The white primer spreads easily so a little goes a long way. It blends out smoothly and quickly aiding smooth application of foundation.
I found that using each of my foundations with this primer, it did help with the mattifying effect and it didn’t make my skin look ‘flat’ which was great. I do believe it also helped with the longevity of my makeup too. I don’t tend to time from the point I applied to the point it starts to wear off etc but I know from experience of wearing my foundations with and without primers that this does help with staying power. It’s not going to make my Nars Sheer Glow suddenly last for 12 hours but that’s not what I’m expecting!!
Foundation and all following powders, blushers, bronzers and so on all applied perfectly well with this base.
In addition to my three liquid foundations I have also used this with my Mac Studio Fix plus powder and I do believe this helped the makeup stay as I tend to find even with powder, my skin gets oily and the powder gradually wears away. This helped the staying power…I can’t say by how much as I don’t tend to clock watch to the point of my makeup wearing off, but it was longer than usual so to me, the primer worked well.

The finished look with using The Orindary Primer with Dior Forever Foundation

Finished look with The Ordinary Primer and Estee Lauder Double Wear

Finished look with The Ordinary Primer and Nars Sheer Glow foundation

Finished look with The Ordinary Primer and Dior Forever Foundation (The selfies are not altered in any way….the light through the window happened to be very bright when I took this one!!)
As you can hopefully see, my makeup sits perfectly fine with these combinations. For £3.90 this primer is brilliant! It does what it says! It does not dry my skin out or grab the foundation unevenly. Some matte primers can be quite drying but this really isn’t.
Would I recommend and repurchase?
Yes and Yes! Not all products will suit all skins so just because it works for me doesn’t mean I will say it is definitely going to work for you but the way I see it is that the reviews for this so far that I have seen have been great, and its £3.90! To put that into perspective……my Dior Forever and Ever primer is £30!
Have you tried this primer? Does the low price encourage you to try it or discourage you with concern over quality?
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments box below or on my facebook page. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook….links below🙂
I got a heap of products from this range just before we moved but then packed them all up, so I haven’t had a chance to play with them yet. I did get this primer, but I’m dry so not sure how well it will work for me.
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Ahhhh! At least you’ll have some new goodies to play with once you unpack them!! The primer may still be ok because I find it is still quite hydrating so may be ok. It’s not as heavy as some silicone primers I’ve used. I’d love to know what you think when you’ve tried it xx
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I love your reviews, always so in-depth and informative! I’m still using up my Ordinary Moisturiser and keep meaning to try a serum. You may have just convinced me further! 😘
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Ahh thank you! I’m loving the serums…Buffet, HA+B5, Advanced Retinoid and have just ordered the Niacinamide too so hoping that is just as good as the others 🙂 x
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Love how this brand is so hyped like you say but also so affordable! Buffet seems to come a lot. Might have to go for it! X
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Well, I guess I know what my next primer is going to be! I finished the Lauar Mercier one earlier this year and I loved it but it got discontinued. I’ve been using up some sample primers I have but once I’m done I will get this one. I like that The Ordinary one isn’t a flat matte – I prefer something more natural looking. Thanks for this!
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I had been wanting to try a Laura Mercier primer but at the time my skin was playing up and I wasn’t sure if it was the sample of it that had caused the breakouts so I didn’t go back to it. This is such a basic primer that just seems to do it’s job! Thanks for reading x
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I bought both the primers to test (because at that price, why not I told my self 🙈?) but because my skin Has become dry with this winter weather, I’m finding the High Spreadability Fluid Primer better for my skin. I’ve been using a few of this brands products too and I’m impressed with them.
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I should have bought both too! I’ve heard the high spreadability one is good also. I may have to try it at some point x
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I would give it a go just to try although it may just work for me because I’m drier at the moment 🤷🏻♀️ By the time the warmer weather comes around and I’m oilier, the silicon may work better.
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I never heard of this brand before, I love when people talk about products I don’t know of because it makes me introduced to the brand. Love your reviews, always on point and helpful. xx
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Thank you lovely 💕 glad it’s of interest! They ship worldwide too 😋 x
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Thank you for review. I have to try the Ordinary line❤️
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Thanks for reading, if you try it I’d love to know what you think x
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I will try iz for sure❤️
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Great post! I need to check this new line out! Double wear is my trusty foundation. 😊
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Thank you! Double Wear is great isn’t it. I use other foundations but this is the one I trust to last! X
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Yes it really does last. Great foundation. 🙂
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I’ve been wanting to to pick up this for the longest time and it’s always sold out. I can’t wait to try it out! Great post! xx
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Thank you! Hope you get to try it soon x
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I tried this primer and I love it! I will definitely repurchase. I can’t believe how affordable it is, for the quality.
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It’s good isn’t it?! Yeah I can’t believe how cheap it it!!
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I really want to try something from this brand! I find it all a bit confusing….I’ve been trying to research it xx
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They are really good if you email them saying what your concern is they’ll suggest a routine for you! I emailed them saying I wasn’t sure what to use and although it took a few days for them to reply they were really helpful x
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Ooh that is really handy to know – thank you 😊 xx
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Never heard of this range – I must have my head under a rock but it looks great! Such a bargain!
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Haha! Where have you been?? Lol. Yes it is a bargain. 😋 x
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Great review Rachel. I really want to try this range. Especially the foundation and the primers. I haven’t purchased anything because I want to finish my current stash of products before i do so.
http://lubzsays.com
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This is such a great in depth review! I think this sounds like the perfect product for me so I’ll have to check it out!
-Stephanie | http://www.nudelipdiaries.com
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Thanks for reading! For the price I thought it was worth the risk…..I’d love to know what you think if you try it x
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I love your reviews!
https://andreeatheodorablog.wordpress.com
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Ah thank you! Thanks for reading xx
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Hello,
Did you use this primer prior to applying foundation or after foundation application?
If applied after foundation, did you then apply your blush, bronzers, setting powder on top?
I just received and I love it but when I applied on top of my bronzer and powder, I noticed the primer took the bronzer off.
Looking forward to hearing from you! Great review!
Jenny
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Hi. As this is a primer it’s for use under foundation only so if you’re applying it on top that’s going to be why your having issues with it. It would be primer, foundation then powders on the top. Hope that helps x
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