avene freebies!

how i've been blogging for almost five months now and haven't mentioned one of my favourite skincare brands i do not know! i was introduced to avène by my local pharmacist. for some reason before i went on holiday a couple of years ago i decided to buy a really strong and scented cleanser and ended up coming home with a sort of red bumpy rash/breakout - yuk! he told me to try the 'rich skin recovery cream' and the rash soon went away.


following this, i started trying some of their other products, namely their moisturisers and their 'extremely gentle cleanser' and have since been convincing friends and family (and pretty much anyone else who will listen) how great this brand really is. 

i then came across the avène website which not only has an informative (and quite cheesy) video on it about avène water that you can watch here, but it also has a skin diagnosis area where, if you register, you can complete a form about your skin type and they will send you samples that are selected specifically for your skin type. freebies, yay! here are the samples i received and have been using for about a week now...

 

this is the gentle gel cleanser and is similar to the extremely gentle cleanser in smell and texture - i'd say a combination between a gel and a cream, but thinner in consistency than you'd expect - but is formulated for normal to combination skin as opposed to sensitive skin. it works well at removing make up and feels really gentle and soothing. after using this for just a week my skin hasn't had any flare ups or blemishes surface. 

 

i've been using the gel cleanser combined with this light hydrating cream that is also spf 20. this moisturiser is very light and usually i prefer something heavier just because i like the feel of it but really i don't think i need it. like i said, my skin has been blemish free for about a week and doesn't look like it's going to break out any time soon so something must be working! ideally, i'd like to use this as a day cream and then the rich hydrating cream for nighttime.

although i wouldn't say avène is pricy at all, especially for what you get and how long it lasts (it ranges from about £5-23) i urge anyone who hasn't already to fill in the skin diagnosis form and at least try the samples... trust me, you'll be a convert before you know it!