Skincare has always been an important part of my daily rituals and routines. Over the years I have found what my skin likes and what it doesn’t like. I’ve learnt that my skin can be senstive and dry whilst still having the occassional breakout and oily t-zone. I occasionally suffer from some rednesss from time to time too, particularly around my nose and cheeks. However, as soon as I think I’ve mastered a routine that has my skin looking it’s best, my skin adapts and doesn’t like it anymore. So, especially now that I’m closer to 30 than 21 I’ve taken it upon myself to try out new routines every so often so my skin doesn’t have time to get too used to products.

The nourishing oat cleanser has a gel like consistency, which I actually like. It makes it less messy to apply and feels soothing to massage into the skin. I usually apply my cleansers to slightly damp skin so that I can really ensure the product is applied and absorbed evenly. Upon washing the product away with handfuls of warm water, I must admit my face didn’t feel as clean as I would have liked. So I went ahead and cleansed again. This seemed to do the trick. I am usually a double cleanser - so it didn’t suprise me that I felt like I needed another round of cleansing. After cleansing for a second time my skin did feel truly refreshed and ready for toning. The soothin oat toner lotion also had a gel like consitency which I wasn’t really expecting. Usually my preferred toners are more fluid. Nonetheless I squeezed the toner out onto some reusable cottons pads and wiped it all over my face. Due to the texture I found it a little bit difficult to apply it evenly with a cotton pad. However once it was absorbed into my skin it felt smooth, free of redness and honestly quite pleasant.

Because my skin is senstive I am always conscious about harsh ingredients and intense treatments. I tend to opt for “sensitive” skincare ranges or products that don’t have a high concentration of ingredients. So when I got the chance to try out Aveeno’s calm and restore range I couldn’t say no.

The triple oat serum was exactly what I expected from a multi-purpose serum. The texture was less gel like and more fluid which I prefer for my serums. I used just two pumps, rubbed it between my fingers on both hands and then patted it all over my face. I find tapping in serums to be more effective than rubbing. After applying, again my skin felt soothed, smooth, free of redness and plump - just what I want in the morning. However, if you have more specific skincare needs then I’d suggest adding in a specific serum to combat this and not rely on this serum alone. After all, the Aveeno serum is only designed to calm and soothe sensitive skin - not to help with aging, pigmentation, acne or texture. Once the serum was given ample time to absorb I went on to moisturising. The oat gel moisturiser, as its name suggests has a gel like consistency which for a moisturiser I really love. It makes it easy to apply. I also find that gel moisturisers always do a good job of soothing my skin with a slight cooling affect. I am not sure if there is any scientific reason for this (I am not a dermatologist) but is sure does feel nice, especially in the morning.

I must admit the Aveeno calm and restore range is defintely enough for my skin to feel bouncy, hydrated and clear right through to my nighttime rountine. I really love how this entire range made my senstive skin feel smoother and look less red during the day. I think the calming ingredients are perfect for those of us who suffer from redness and irritation from higher concentrations of skincare ingredients. However, I would always reccommend adding in more products depending on your skins specific needs and wouldn’t rely on just these four products for the entirity of your moring skincare routine. Although they are definitely a brilliant base to build upon or for someone who is just getting started with skincare.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Aveeno they have been in the wellness market for 70 years. They produce skincare products to nuture and balance your entire body - from arms and legs through to face and hair. The calm and restore range is specifically created for sensitve skin by combining prebiotic oatmeal to restore and feverfew, a plant known to soothe instantly.

The range compromises of four products - a cleanser, a toner, a serum and a moisturiser. All of them contain the all important combination of the oatmeal and the feverfew. I started off by testing all of the products as part of my morning routine. I’ve found that my current daytime moisturiser was too heavy for the morning - so I was happy to replace it with the Aveeno one. As an entire morning routine, I think these four products cover all of your basic skincare needs. They could even be the only four products you need to use in the morning. The only other products I added on to my morning routine along with the Aveeno calm and restore range were an eye cream and of course some SPF. Not all of the products claim to be “fragrance-free” but I couldn’t really smell anything from any of them when applying to my skin. This is a bonus for those of us with sensitivites as I find heavily scented skincare products can cause redness and irritate my eyes.