Review: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

A few weeks ago Marianne and I had the following text convo:

A: In other “let’s spend money we don’t have” news, I just booked a facial because my face will no longer allow me to dermaplane at home.
M: Ha!
A: And now it's all hairy. And also zitty.
M: Man, our skin is totally different so this won’t help you, but the Niacinamide serum from The Ordinary has legit transformed my skin
A: Ooh, tell me more! Lately I’ve been getting small surface whiteheads, so that's new and fun.
M: It has really cleared up acne and I swear made my pores smaller

Y'all, that's literally all I needed to hear. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum is under $6 so I figured, what the hell? I also ordered the Squalane cleanser because I'm almost out of my Kiehl's oil cleanser and I like to try new things. First, the serum:

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

What it is: High-strength vitamin and mineral blemish formula

What it’s for: Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) is indicated to reduce the appearance of skin blemishes and congestion. A high 10% concentration of this vitamin is supported in the formula by zinc salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid to balance visible aspects of sebum activity. Independent studies suggest Niacinamide is also an effective ingredient for brightening skin tone.

My review: You guys. I have been using this every evening for two weeks and my skin is CLEAR. All those little zits just disappeared and my face is looking better than it has in quite a while. After two weeks! I am very, very surprised and pleased because my expectations were low. I haven't experienced any dryness or irritation with this serum which is also surprising because my skin is pretty reactive. I honestly can't believe a serum that costs less than $6 is so effective! It's definitely worth checking out.

Just a note: I bought my serum directly from Deciem and it came really quickly. It's also available at Sephora and Ulta. (Don't buy it from Amazon! Super over-priced.)

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser

What it is: A gentle, moisturizing facial cleanser

What it's for: This gentle cleansing product is formulated to target makeup removal while leaving the skin feeling smooth and moisturized.

My review: I love an oil cleanser and this one is good but not exceptional. The price seems low but the tube is TINY so it's not really a huge bargain. It's a decent cleanser with an interesting consistency - somewhere between an oil and a balm - and you need to use a fair amount to really get everything off your face so I can see going through the tube quickly. It's unscented, which I like, but I think Kiehl's oil cleanser is nicer to use (and it lasts forever) and for a more balm-like cleanser, I really like Clinique's the best.

There you go! If you've been considering trying The Ordinary, I hope this is helpful because that site is really overwhelming. If you're already using their products, what do you like/dislike? I am very curious about the Buffet serum...

Shopping Report: Long Weekend Sales.

Did I buy anything during all the crazy 4th of July sales? Yes, yes I did. But first, I need to point out that my Miu Miu bag is now another 15% off on top of the original 40% off and the extra 50% off at Barneys Warehouse. I think they might be stretching the bounds of sale math with this one but hey, it's even more on sale than before and I'm not even mad about it. (Okay, I'm a little mad about it but not enough to make a big deal about it. Totally still worth it! Those fuckers.)

ANYWAY. I did buy a few things last week and I'm here to tell you about them. First, I think I mentioned I caved to the Loft sale and ordered:

This dress which could go either way. I can never tell if I'll love the print until I see it in person.

This dress which seems flattering and gets great reviews. A good basic to dress up or down, right?

This top which incorporates my favorite things - the weirdness of wearing black in the summer with the interesting details that saves it from being boring.

And this top which incorporates my favorite thing with a thing that I'm not sure about  - snake print (yay!) with a, dare I say it? Pussy bow. There, I said it. We'll see.

When I made the order everything was at least 60% percent off, so I feel like they're just desperate to get this stuff out of the warehouse before the box cars full of fall clothes roll up. Oh, Loft. You're so dumb. My order is scheduled to arrive today, so I'll report back.

Next, I braved the mall with my friend Kate, starting at Madewell where she got this shirt which was so cute on her:

I almost tried it on too but dammit, I know better. While she was trying stuff on I got busy falling deeply in love with these sneakers:

Also, these which have a little patch of silver glitter in the back:

Ugh, I know. I didn't buy either pair but I'm going to keep an eye on them because they will eventually go on sale.

We went to Athleta next door because they had an extra 20% off of sale. Kate bought this long hoodie thing which is the BEST (They didn't have my size or I would've bought it too):

She also bought some very cute joggers that hopefully will become her excellent travel pants:

I tried on a bunch of of stuff that didn't work on me at all and thought I was in the clear and then found this amazing jacket:

I am going to Ireland in the fall and thought it would be a great light layer for rain. It's also just really cute on - cinched at the waist with a fun pleat in the back. I bought it and got it home and then read the reviews online and apparently it's great at being everything BUT a rain jacket. Dammit. I should probably return it but it's SO CUTE. So damn cute.

Weekend Window Shopping: Stars and Stripes

In honor of Independence Day, I am giving you a fun stars and stripes themed collection that you're hopefully not viewing from work. (I mean, what is that? No American should have to work the Friday after the 4th.)
         
       

         
       
     
       

Outfit of the Day: Some Old Thing.

My summer dress game is decidedly not tight but I pulled this droopy sad thing out of my closet and decided to give it another chance. (How's that for compelling storytelling?) Mostly because I am tired of my other three summer dresses. So yeah:

I got this dress from Marshalls a few years ago for $15 and it's actually holding up better than expected. I absolutely have to wear a slip with it because it's reeeeeally thin but I love the way it drapes. For something similar this one by Cable & Gauge looks kind of fun and this Theory dress is a step up. Or, this Eileen Fisher t-shirt dress seems like a worthy upgrade and it's on sale! 

I am very much about wearing black in the summer and will confess that I just ordered this dress from Loft which gets excellent reviews. We'll see if it's a good replacement. I also bought a few other things (seriously, Loft is giving away clothes today) which I'll review on the blog once they arrive. 

My denim jacket has been getting a lot of use this summer and I'm still a little surprised at how good it is considering! I would like to get a darker version, though, something like this one, maybe? Ohh, or this one with the copper buttons. Oh man, I want all the denim jackets. On to details: 

I don't usually put my dumb face in the detail shots but I wanted to show you my new earrings! They were totally a Target impulse purchase but for $7.99 I couldn't resist. They're really fun and a good statement but not super heavy. My necklace is of course my Dean Davidson labradorite tassel necklace from Nordstrom Rack. It's sold out but they have some other pieces from the line available and there's also this version which is very much still full price. Boo. 

 I won't ramble on about my new bag since I just reviewed it this week but it's still sparking mad joy. And hey, I'm not wearing Birkenstocks! These fancy metallic sandals are Kenneth Cole and aren't they pretty? I got them last year for an event and, despite my love of flat sandals, I still sometimes like a little heel. These have just enough to give you some lift without making you want to cry. And really, isn't that the goal?

We Discuss: Red Dresses and Hot Priests.

M: Mango some really pretty COTTON dresses on sale

A: Dang it.

M: I just bark laughed at this dress. I would literally look like Friar Tuck:

A: Fuck

M: or a cult member

A: Who could possibly look good in that?

M: I still like it in navy though haha

A: Listen, if we had a cult, we would all be wearing caftans

M: That basically is a caftan

A: NO

A: Pretty caftans

A: That is a monk robe

M: Yes fine

A: I am just saying. What do you want from Mango?

M: These:

M: This is v Elio’s mom: 

M: Battle of the Eileen Fisher knockoffs:

A: That one looks… challenging

M: Have you ever tried anything from Reformation?

A: Nope, I have not

M: I like their philosophy

M: Confession, I was hunting for the red floral dress from the end of Fleabag.

A: That’s a good dress!

M: Long sold out of course

A: Ugh, of course

M: Anyway still wishing that red floral H&M dress hadn’t sold out

M: Okay this is a cute red floral dress maybe?

A: Yes!

M: It will def make me look like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, yes?

A: 100% totally

A: You will be fending off hot priests left and right

M: That’s all I ask

A: I don’t think that’s asking too much of a Loft dress

M: After not liking Loft for like two years I actually found several things with potential

A: Loft is really hit or miss. I have some things I really love but I struggle with their use of ruffles and some of the patterns.

M: rufflesssss

A: They put ruffles on ruffles

***

M: Am I her yet:

A: Cuuuuute

M: It is surprisingly cute! I really love it.

A: Watch out for hot priests.

Weekend Window Shopping: Of Course The Madewell Sale. Duh.

Madewell is giving a 25% off a select number of "summer must-have" items with code FIREWORK and I have to say, it's pretty damn good stuff! I focused on the full-price offerings but there's also a good selection of sale items included in the promotion. Here's what I like:

         
       

         
       
     
       

Stuff I Like: Reading, Listening, Wearing, Watching.

Time for a new Stuff I Like post! I have some good suggestions this week but I'm always open to your suggestions as well, so please leave a comment and let us know what you've been liking lately. (We're totally suggestible.)

This Book That Was Exactly What I Needed.
I have the feeling that I'm maybe the last person to have heard of News of the World but I discovered it while browsing by library's Kindle book selections and it just sounded exactly like something I'd love. It's a post-civil war novel about an elderly widow who's tasked with returning a young orphan to her family after she was "rescued" from the Indian tribe who kidnapped her. It's beautifully written, easy to fall into and just a really good story. It reminds me a little bit of Cold Mountain, which if you haven't read the book, I also highly recommend.

Also! for the Kate Atkinson fans, the new Jackson Brodie novel has been released! I am about a third of the way through so I am not ready to review it but so far it doesn't disappoint.

This Podcast That Doesn't Stress Me Out
Sometimes I get a to a point where all my usual podcasts stress me out - they're either current events/politics or hate-listens or just too much of whatever and I need something that has nothing to do with real life. That's where Shedunnit comes in. It's a podcast by Caroline Crampton (recently of SRSLY, my favorite defunct pop culture podcast) and bills itself as, “the podcast that unravels the mysteries behind classic detective stories." I like class detective mysteries but it doesn't matter if you aren't! She tells great stories, often about real-life cases that inspired mystery writers and it's, as the title suggests, very women-centric. A well-researched and comforting listen that I highly recommend.

This Swimsuit Marianne Loves
"Stuff I Like" is not supposed to be about clothes but Marianne just bought a swimsuit she really loves and that's worth it's weight in gold, so I'm telling you about immediately. It's not inexpensive but good swimwear usually isn't. Her description: "Great boob support without looking like the prow of a ship and not all compression-y with weird ruching or anything. Just a nice suit!" I've linked to it on Zappos and I also found this version which has two knots and is slightly less expensive. (Also here on Amazon.)

This Season of Fleabag That Is Unhinging Us Both 🦊
Have you watched Fleabag? Have you WATCHED SEASON 2? It came out a little while ago and Marianne and I both watched it recently and we are COMPLETELY OBSESSED and basically it's all we've been texting about. We can't even post our convos because SPOILERS. So please watch it all real quick-like so we can post about it. It's devastating and hot as hell and hilarious all at once. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the genius hero we needed and definitely deserved.