I've just finished my first bottle of this serum from Marie Veronique and I'm coming back for more. It's my first time dabbling with Niacinamide, which I purchased to treat my sensitive, fungal-acne prone skin (and possible rosacea). I discovered it on capbeauty.com (after receiving a gift card) and was wooed by the safe ingredient list and other glowing reviews.

This serum looks murky-brown and needs to be shaken before every use. It has no discernible smell and a smooth, water-like consistency that my skin absorbs quickly. I like that it's not oily like other serums tend to be.

I wash my face with a gentle drugstore cleanser (with added tea-tree oil) and apply 3 drops after misting with rose water. Next I apply a similar amount of Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 from The Ordinary and finish with a small amount of Eucerin Replenishing Face Cream with 5% Urea (this moisturizer doesn't aggravate my skin but has fungal acne triggers, so I play it safe).

This serum doesn't make "dramatic" changes to my skin, but I have found it effective and beneficial to my routine. After a month or two, I saw a decline in overall redness and my (genetically large) pores were suddenly cleaner — most notably shrinking and lightening the appearance of sebaceous filaments on my nose. It also seems to improve the texture of my skin, which has been consistently smooth while using it. Break outs are a thing of the past... I can't remember the last time I've had a pimple, when I would usually get 1 or 2 during my cycle.

Maybe I could chalk up my results to the 10% Niacinamide, but I'm won over by my confidence that this serum doesn't irritate my skin. That alone makes it a winner, albeit not exactly "priceless" because this product isn't cheap. One bottle has lasted me 8 months, using it ~once every 2 days (although the formula is suggested to have a 6 month shelf life). At least for the moment, it's worth the investment.