With it being the middle of February, there are two things on my mind when it comes to skincare — nourish dry skin and prep it for the spring.

I try out a lot of skincare products, both drugstore and prestige, and there’s a few things I look for when trying something new.  Does it break me out?  Does it leave my skin looking clear and radiant?  Do I get dry patches?  I’m a busy girl that is always on the go. Whether it be at my nine-to-five or the gym or doing my makeup for this blog, my skin goes through a lot.  Plus, the fact that I live in a climate where -40C in the winter is the norm (counting the windchill, of course), I need something that holds up.

I got the chance to try out the new Aveeno Fresh Essentials line recently, and I’ve been using them non-stop morning and night for the past two weeks. The line is comprised of three products: daily moisturizer SPF 30, a night cream, and a daily exfoliating scrub. All three products contain Southernwood, which creates a natural barrier that helps to lock in what’s good for your skin and keep out what’s not.

The morning moisturizer is enriched with vitamins A, C and E, which nourishes and protects the skin. Best of all, it’s formulated with SPF 30, so it protects against sun damage. The night cream infuses fortifying antioxidants and vitamins into the skin while you sleep. Finally, to round out the skincare routine, the scrub is enriched with natural luffa and coconut pulp to gently remove dirt and make-up from the pores. It’s super lightweight, so it won’t scratch your face.  I use a Clarisonic every night, so I didn’t use this particular product that much since I didn’t think I needed it, but the few times I did try it I noticed how smooth my skin felt.

I’ve tried Aveeno products in the past and have found they were good on my skin.  Did I get compliments on how radiant I looked?  No.  But, I did enjoy the consistency and texture of these products in particular, and best of all, there was no breakouts and my face felt moisturized. Although I didn’t use the scrub that often, I would say it’s my favourite from the three since I feel like a lot of facial scrubs are quite rough on my skin, but this one has ultra-fine particles, so you do feel the product, but it’s not irritating.

Do I recommend the other two? As a drugstore moisturizer they did their job, but they didn’t wow me.  Yes, I recommend them if you are looking for something relatively inexpensive and does the trick.  With that being said, I really did like the fact that the day moisturizer contained SPF, which is super important for your skin.  Sure it’s winter now, but your face is still exposed to the sun.

Have you tried Aveeno’s Fresh Essentials line?  What were your thoughts?

Please note, products were sent by PR. All opinions are my own.

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