I was sent the Avéne Soothing Hydrating Serum* by ESCENTUAL after they put out a request on Twitter for bloggers to trial out one of the products that they stock on their site. I have never actually used a serum as part of my skincare routine, purely because I've never really seen the need to. I've always been reluctant to put too many products on my skin, partly because I don't really like layering them and, also, because I'd rather keep my routine as short and sweet as possible. When I was first sent this product, I really wasn't too sure how much it would help my skin, especially as I don't generally have the most dry epidermis out there.
The first time that I actually used this serum, I decided that I wanted to trial it out without actually using my usual moisturiser over the top. Why, you may ask? Because I know that my moisturiser works. I didn't see much point in using a hydrating serum underneath a moisturiser that I knew worked well with my skin, so I decided to trial it for a while without. And, you know what? This stuff made my skin feel so soft and smooth, I had to resist rubbing my fingers all over my face. It was really wonderful, and it didn't cause me to become a shiny mess, which a lot of hydrating products do to me.
It was a day or two after this that I noticed my skin starting to flake and dry out. I would like to note that it was definitely not the serum that caused this, as I had recently started to trial another product that is known for being extremely harsh on the skin and causing it to get as dry as the sahara desert. Since I stopped using that, it has started to recover immensely, and I do think that the Avéne Soothing Hydrating Serum has a big part to play in that. I was suffering with severe redness and, at some points, I felt like my skin was burning. After applying my serum, it immediately felt so much better and a lot calmer that it had before. I have been using this product for about two weeks now and I have noticed a massive improvement.
I would definitely recommend this product if you have got dry skin, or if you suffer with dry areas over your face. It didn't cause me to break out and it just made my face feel gorgeous and smooth, even without applying moisturiser afterwards. Once I did start using my moisturiser on top of this, I did find that it made my skin appear even shinier than usual, so I perhaps wouldn't say it's the best product for those of you that do suffer with a fair amount of shine.
If you would like to find out more about this product, check it out HERE over at ESCENTUAL.COM.
Have you tried out the Avéne Soothing Hydrating Serum? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below! I'd, also, love to hear about any other serums that you guys just couldn't live without!
* this product was sent to me as a PR item. All views are my own and have not been influenced by any third parties.
