Olay Retinol24 Night Serum: A full in-depth review with before and after photos of my skin
*This article is in partnership with Olay, however, all opinions are mine.
Back in February, I shared a post about retinol and how I incorporated it into my skincare routine. Now I’m back to share a full review of the Olay Retinol24 Night Serum. Before we dive in, if you want to learn more about retinol, head to my last post! It’s a full rundown of what retinol is and how to use it. Consider it your official cheat sheet! 😉
My Skin Story
I had a really bad period of cystic acne in my early twenties, which left some significant scars and hyperpigmentation. It might sound silly to some, but when you have bad skin, your confidence tanks. I’m not talking about a small pimple here and there. I’m talking about red, bumpy, and sometimes very dark-coloured pimples. It was painful, uncomfortable and no amount of foundation could cover it. After overhauling my diet and updating my skincare, my skin started to heal. The flare-ups/ breakouts calmed down and now I was on a journey to heal the acne scarring and texture on my face. Truth be told, I wasn’t always the most disciplined with my skincare routine. Some nights I’d have a lengthy routine and others would be the use of a makeup wipe and call it quits. I would say I got much more into the habit of keeping up with my skin’s needs in my late 20’s.
Even though I was using ALL the products, I still wasn’t happy with my skin- I wanted that glow and smoothness. I turned to friends, asking for advice on prescription retinoid. I was surprised when botox was amongst the suggested solutions. Truthfully, the process and price are what totally threw me off. After many failed attempts at a drugstore and high-end retinol products, Olay came my way and I couldn’t resist giving it a go!
The first night that I used the Olay Retinol24 Night Serum, I was pleasantly surprised. It left my skin feeling soft and hydrated. There was no sticky residue, it absorbed into the skin quickly and I was able to layer other serums and a moisturizer over top. Having very sensitive skin, I’m prone to breakouts and mostly do when products have fragrance in them. Thankfully, the serum is formulated without it, so I was able to take to the product right away. Not only did I use the serum, but some weeks I also incorporated the Olay Retinol24 Night Cream and Eye Cream. What’s great is that you can use all three products from the line at the same time, two or just one.
The serum is quite thin and spreads very easily, so you will not need to use a lot of product. I also want to mention the bottle. When you pull the dropper out of the bottle, it comes out clean. No mess or excessive amounts of product coming out with it.
The Results
The first change I saw is the redness and lightened up scarring. My skin tone looks more even and has a little glow to it. I also see a huge difference in the texture of my skin. Whether I apply foundation or concealer, it goes on a little smoother, which in turn has actually made me wear less makeup.
Aside from the look of my skin, I’ve had far less breakouts since using the serum. When I do get a pimple here and there, it goes away rather quickly and doesn’t leave a scar or hyperpigmentation.
Final Thoughts
After using Olay Retinol24 for one month, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop! It’s one of the first skincare products that I’ve used in a long time that I can actually SEE results from. It’s affordable – one bottle lasts about 3 months for me. As I mentioned earlier, you don’t need a lot of serum to spread evenly on your skin and see good results.
I would absolutely recommend, 100%!
What do you think? After seeing my before and after photos, would you want to try the Olay Retinol24 line?
Visit Olay.ca for more information!
