Hey pretty gals. Before I get into the post, I believe I need to put a disclaimer that this is not a review of The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum. I am not reviewing this serum in its entirety. As you can read from the title, I’m only sharing with you my experience slash first week impression of using this serum.
Where to get in Malaysia
I ordered online from TheBeautyStuffXO which is Iman Abdul Rahim’s online shop (Twitter skincare OG) for RM50. I believe you can get it cheaper elsewhere but then you’ll have to wait weeks for it to arrive and patience is what I lack.
Skin concerns
I have quite a sensitive skin. My face turns red everytime I got out of the shower, when the weather is too hot, or when I’m being rough on my skin. Sometimes when I’m in a rush I rub on skincare products with so much pressure and my skin hates it.
I also have food allergy and unlucky me, those are the food that I would die to eat everyday. My major concern regarding my skin is definitely post inflammation erythema (PIE) which is the red acne scars. If you have the blackish scars, I believe that is called post inflammation hyperpigmentation (PIH).
My dilemma
As you all know, The Ordinary has a wide range of products you can choose from that cater to many skin problems. For me, I was in dilemma between the Niacinamide and Alpha Arbutin. After hours of of researching and reading reviews, I went with the Niacinamide just because the Alpha Arbutin is much more suitable for PIH.
First application | Fri, Oct. 19th, 2018
I applied the serum after using the Hada Labo Hydrating Premium Lotion. The first time I applied it, I felt a slight tingling sensation around my problematic area such as my cheeks and forehead. It didn’t bother me as much as it lasted for only a few minutes. Texture wise, it’s liquidy but not runny and once you’ve applied it, it will get absorbed right into the skin. It doesn’t have any fragrance smell although it does smell like glue stick.
I used it again the next day and I still had that tingling sensation. I went out for lunch with my family so of course I had to put on my SPF which was the Bioré Perfect Protect Milk Moisture.
In the evening, I saw that I had a lot of whiteheads and closed comedones around my forehead and cheeks. I thought that the serum was the culprit BUT I had spicy tomyam (it has shrimp paste in it) a few days before and also seafood sambal on the night before so it must have been the food I ate.
On Sunday the 21st, I no longer had the tingling sensation and the whiteheads/closed comedones did not make its appearance on my face anymore. Thank the lord!
What it claims to do — did it work?
Helps with breakouts — it’s preferable to use other serums that are targeted for major breakouts, but I can see that this serum helps in treating my pimples just here and there. They were not really pimples, but you know, those red bumps that are starting to swell? This serum helps with that.
Minimises pores — let me just tell you that this serum does help with my pores. I have huge pores and on day 5 I can see that my pores are less visible. Your pores will be there forever no matter what you do but you can try to make it less visible.
Decongests confused complexions by regulating sebum production — this one will take a while before you can see result but my skin is less oily, it’s glowing, it looks clear, and the redness on my right cheek is no longer inflamed and angry. My PIE is still there — of course — I’ve only been using it for a week. I will wait for as long as it takes because I’ve been dealing with this skin issue since like, 2015. What is another year, eh?
Will I repurchase?
Of course. Yes. Absolutely. It’s affordable and so far, it is working on my skin. I’ve been skeptical to try The Ordinary products despite the glowing reviews by the skincare community and now that I have tried it a million years later, I finally understood the hype.
