Olay Super Serum ($34.99)
Allure's Best of Beauty winners were released and when asked which products you were interested to get a review on, this was the most requested! The claims are pretty incredible. Olay says this serum beat the #1 luxury serum on the market. The serum utilizes 5 main ingredients to smooth the skin, improve tone, and provide long lasting hydration: vitamin e, niacinamide, vitamin c, AHA, and collagen peptides. I wasn't surprised to see the first four, but it's well known that topical collagen does not drastically influence collagen production, but it's a buzz word and their marketing team know it would help it sell. I rarely review products this soon as it generally takes a 3+ weeks of use before seeing results, but my opinion was solidified within the first use.
My first impression in store wasn't great. When I walked up to the display, I was shocked at the branding. The pinky-purple iridescence on the bottle and the font choice made me feel like I was buying a pre-teen's bath product. Olay's target market is generally 30s+ and this branding did not correlate with that. Maybe they were hoping it would be more desirable to a younger consumer, but something about it looked cheap and cheesy.
I try to not let bad branding influence me, but my first impression bled into my first experience. The serum is also iridescent with a pinky-purple hue. Again, giving strong pre-teen's body wash from Bath & Body Works vibes. After my eyes took in the color, my nose got to experience the fragrance. It smelled exactly like a candy inspired body wash scent from my youth, but I can't pin point which. I was truly shocked. Why do we need iridescent shimmer and fragrance in our serum?! Those two things immediately eliminate anyone with sensitive skin.
The serum's viscosity was like most serums and it absorbed quickly into the skin which was nice. I was hoping the serum would deliver hydration immediately, but it did not. I really tried to keep using it, but by day three I could not get past the sight and smell.
I had such high hopes for this product given its award status and price, but unfortunately its first impression was too much to get past.
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