Enter Slowvember: Why Beauty Editor’s Favourite The Ordinary is Reinventing Black Friday and offering a month long discount

Team Marie Claire are all for a bargain - and Black Friday offers up plenty of fantastic ones. But the accompanying frenzy can be a bit overwhelming, prompting FOMO or unwise purchases for some. DECIEM, parent company to brands such as NIOD and The Ordinary have decided for the fourth consecutive year to take a stance against hyper-consumerism by instead offering a month-long discount of 23% which they’re dubbing Slowvember. The aim: to encourage their audience to slowly, intentionally and sustainably make purchases across their brands.

This also means a transaction-free day on Black Friday and they’ll instead send out a full day schedule of Slowvember TV, offering a tour of DECIEM’S at-home Lab, along with expert advice on how to build an effective regimen of their products. That way, consumers can shop consciously for their specific concerns and needs after the day has concluded.

Onto the products themselves. You may have by now noticed that beauty insiders and journalists are partial to DECIEM’s brands and the reasons are threefold: they’re affordable, they’re science-driven as the result of extensive in-house lab research, and the quality is brilliant. DECIEM refer to this marriage of integrity, transparency, and scientific formulations as Clear Beauty - and education is paramount, hence Slowvember TV. 

That said, if you want to know which products beauty insiders rate, here are some staples in my routine which I’d recommend looking into as part of your prep, treat, and seal regimen and, if you feel they might be right for you, earmark for the discount period:

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

This The Ordinary serum is a brilliant way to target hyperpigmentation and dullness in one. Oh and I found the zinc worked wonders when I had a spot on the way out.

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser

Cleansing off make-up and grime is crucial to having good skin, and if you don’t do that prep step, the others simply won’t do their job. I love this Squalane cleanser - it’s gentle and never leaves my skin feeling dry.

Niod Fractionated Eye-Contour Concentrate

Looking for an eye product which targets signs of ageing while adding hydration? I find this Niod Fractionated Eye-Contour Concentrate great at the job, and use it morning and night.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

You’ve probably heard people talking about the barrier function and its importance by now and it’s well worth paying attention to it. This emulsion helps to support barrier function with a cocktail of bolstering and hydrating ingredients including ceramides, fatty acids, and amino acids.