Review: The Ordinary Serum Foundation

Review: The Ordinary Serum Foundation

I feel like it’s been quite some time since I wrote anything on here, let alone a review, but I’m back with the hotness. This particular foundation I’m about to review isn’t exactly new, however, it was so popular that it took me damn near a year to be able to find it in stock and order. It is The Ordinary Serum Foundation from Deciem. Deciem happens to be my latest holy grail for skin care and you may remember that I’ve talked about The Ordinary Coverage Foundation and a few of their skincare products on Facebook and Instagram recently.

Let’s get into this foundation now, shall we? It’s watery, but that is to be expected from a serum foundation. That fact isn’t a pro or a con, just a reality of the product type. But this can come as a surprise to people who are unaccustomed to serum foundations. I started off using this after going through my usual skin prep routine. So my skin wasn’t oily or dry, it was smooth and well hydrated. Sadly, I looked like an oil slick after a few minutes. The finish is supposed to be semi-matte, but there was nothing remotely matte about them. It wasn’t even a matter of it going from semi-matte to oily over time. In my opinion, it applied and dried down to a dewy finish when first applied. This isn’t one of those “oh it’s a serum foundation so you should expect this” type of situation because I use the NYX Total Drop Serum Foundation and it’s one of my favorites for a semi-matte finish.

Being that it was so darn oily on my skin, there was no amount of setting spray or powder that kept it from transferring. It not only sat on top of my skin, it moved around so much I imagine if you blew on my face too hard you might see it shift. I tried applying it with both a Beauty Blender and a brush with the same results.

The good I can say about this foundation is that the shade range is extensive and I was able to easily find my shade. The price was also excellent, at only $6.70 plus shipping. So I don’t really feel bad that I won’t be using it again. It is easily blendable, but it doesn’t melt into the skin. It also has an SPF of 15. I might give another test drive over the winter to see if maybe it’s just not a good summer foundation, but I’m skeptical. I will say that The Ordinary Coverage Foundation is where it’s at though. It’s one of my go to’s for a medium coverage foundation. It’s lightweight, highly pigmented, actually sets to a semi-matte finish, and is only 20 cents more than the Serum Foundation at $6.90 plus shipping. If you were to ask which I’d recommend it would be the Coverage Foundation over the Serum Foundation any day.

The final verdict:

Pros
  • Extensive shade range
  • Excellent price point
  • Blendable
  • SPF 15
Cons
  • Sat on top of my skin
  • Transferred a lot
  • Didn’t dry down matte
  • Made my skin look very oily
  • Mainly available online, Very few brick and mortar stores in the U.S.