We Tried the $7 Foundation With a 25,000-Person Wait List

By now we’re guessing you’ve heard about that foundation with the 25,000-person wait list. You know, the one that costs less than $7? In case you’ve been living without Internet access for months, we’re here to fill you in: It’s a big deal. The Ordinary has grown its cult following over the past few years thanks to its affordable and effective skin care products. (Think $10 retinoids and $6 HA moisturizers that honest to God work.) So when the brand announced it was taking its first steps into color cosmetics with two new foundation formulas, fans went kind of crazy and the wait list stacked up—fast.

Even for us it’s taken a while to get our hands on it. The Ordinary announced that in addition to its 25,000-person wait list, it received orders for 250,000 units of foundation in just the first week of its launch. Yeah. The excitement even crashed the brand’s servers, Kylie Cosmetics style.

Loading

View on Instagram

https://twitter.com/deciem/status/858424502807658498

Aside from its cheap price tag and luxury payoff, The Ordinary founder Brandon Truaxe credits the success of the foundation launch to the brand’s transparency. Its foundations come in a wide variety of shades (21 to be exact), and they’re free of parabens, sulfates, and a bunch of other ingredients, oh, and they’re cruelty-free.

So the question you’re probably wondering: Is the hype worth it? We had our staffers try the two different formulas—the lightweight Serum Foundation and the more pigmented Coverage Foundation—to give their honest opinions. Here’s what they thought, along with proof of how well it holds up throughout the day.

Erin Reimel, beauty assistant

Shade: 1.0P Serum Foundation

Thoughts: When in doubt, I always pick the lightest option and this foundation shade is described as “very fair, pink undertones”—that’s me in a nutshell. My foundation routine is pretty minimal, and I avoid anything with a ton of coverage because I hate feeling it sit on top of my skin. This serum foundation almost just felt like skin care. I applied it with a damp beauty blender, and it evened out my complexion without making me feel like I was covered in makeup. It lasted even longer than the seven hours I tested it for. I just added a little concealer under my eyes to make myself look more awake. I also tried the Coverage Foundation off camera, and I’m so in love with both.

Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer

Shade: 1.0N Serum Foundation

Thoughts: I liked it! I’d already put my name on the crazy-long wait list, so I was excited to get to test it out. The coverage was nice, and it felt good when I applied it with my L’Oréal Artist Infallible blender, which I love for its smooth finish. My skin is very dry and has some redness, so I like a really moisturizing formula I can top with powder for maximum longevity. This felt slightly powdery at first but was even and very blendable. Even though it wore off on the oilier parts of my face by the end of the day, a little extra blending brought it back to life.

Irene Hwang, fashion assistant

Shade: 2.0P Coverage Foundation

Thoughts: This was smooth, moisturizing, light, and not cakey at all. I applied it with a brush, and the coverage was so good I didn’t even need to apply concealer. But it still gave me a dewy finish. I found the right shade on my first try, which never happens. At first it looked way too light, but as I blended it in, it was the perfect match. Rare moment. I usually wear designer foundations, but the fact that this is only $7 and such good quality sold me. I only needed to touch up a little toward the end of the day. I’m so in love!

Alix Henick, associate director, audience development

Shades: Mixed 2.1P and 2.0N Serum Foundation

Thoughts: I never wear foundation, just concealer and tinted SPF, so this was new for me. I used a Sephora Collection Pro Liquid Foundation Brush and beauty blender to layer the 2.1P on. It was a little too dark, so I mixed it with the 2.0N. Then I just dabbed a damp beauty blender over the top for a natural finish. It felt smooth and light and looks like natural skin which I like, but did get a little oily on me by the end of the day. It didn’t convince me to start using foundation every day, but I could see it becoming my go-to product for when I do want full coverage for wedding or some other event where I’m in a bunch of photos.

Anastasia Walker, fashion assistant

Shade: 3.1Y Coverage Foundation

Thoughts: Normally I spritz my favorite face mist on a beauty blender and then just apply concealer on the parts of my face that need some coverage, but this foundation worked as well as my normal concealer. My skin looked more even without looking unnatural, and with so many options it was super easy to find a shade that worked for me. That’s kind of huge. Throughout the day it wore off a little, but I still felt good in my skin.

Related Stories:
-Maybelline’s Fit Me! Foundations Are About to Get a Lot More Inclusive-6 Reasons You’re Always Returning Your Foundation-Janelle Monáe on Representation in Beauty: “I Felt Left Out of the Conversation When It Came to Cosmetics”