Despite spending years testing products from a variety of brands, I always come back to The Ordinary. With its fuss-free skincare and affordable prices, some of my favourite skincare hails from the brand, including the moisturiser and multi-peptide eye serum. So after hearing about The Ordinary’s caffeine 3% + escin 1% face serum launch, I was keen to give it a go. Designed to combat signs of tiredness on skin, such as dullness, wrinkles, and tone and texture changes, the serum is billed as an energising formula. It includes lab-created caffeine and escin – a popular ingredient in Asian skincare that is essentially a group of molecules found in horse-chestnut seeds. The Ordinary claims its new serum can visibly reduce redness in four hours and improve radiance and hydration after just one use. I spent a week testing the formula to find out whether it can deliver the refreshment it promises. As a busy mum, I know a thing or two about tired skin, with dullness appearing during busy days or weeks, so I look for skincare that offers a brightening boost. Can the formula deliver? I found out. Read more: Best anti-ageing day creams, reviewedThe serum contains key ingredients to help improve radiance and hydration (Helen Wilson-Beevers/The Independent)Read more: Best anti-ageing serums, tested