Reviewed: This Serum Promised to Repair My Skin Overnight, So I Had to Try It

I’ve got a confession to make. You know how the end of January is when most sensible people put an end to the indulgences of the festive season: late nights, margaritas and all of that holiday food? One year I just… kept going. By April, my skin was seriously showing the effects of too much junk food and not enough sleep. Dull, uneven, spotty, reactive and with some fine lines in my forehead deepening. Just delightful.

By the time I eventually re-joined the real world with a more balanced diet and regular exercise, my skin was still looking sad. Thankfully, I’d just decided to re-evaluate my skincare routine when the beauty fairy godmothers at Estée Lauder asked if I wanted to try the new formulation of the cult favorite Advanced Night Repair serum. The promise right there in the name that it would repair my sorry skin was all the convincing I needed to give it a go.

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The Product

Given that this iconic product is a bit of a classic (it has been around since the 1980s), it’s crazy to think that I’d never tried it before. Fun fact: at one point is was the number one selling serum in Australia. The updated Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II is specifically formulated to support the skin's natural night-time repair process through deep hydration. Plus, it delivers a super-dose of antioxidants to neutralize the free radicals that wreak havoc on our faces daily.

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The Trial

To see what ANR Synchronized Recovery Complex II could do, I put myself on a strict, but simple nightly regimen for two weeks (yeah, I’m impatient):

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1. Double cleanse, first with Bioderma Sensibio H2O ($15), followed by Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser ($8)
2. Apply a generous slather of Advanced Night Repair
3. Allow to sink into the skin, then apply a rich moisturizer. Weleda Skin Food ($12) is my go-to as soon as the weather starts to cool

The Verdict

I can’t endorse the hydrating effects enough. ANR feels like liquid silk and immediately makes my face feel more supple—I’d love it for that alone. But that's not where the results stop.

At the end of my two-week experiment, my skin felt completely transformed. It looked much less tired and dull, and every morning after continued use of the serum I wake up to plump, hydrated skin and a much brighter complexion. Plus, it’s comforting to know that I’m boosting my skin's defenses against environmental damage and the signs of aging. It's never too early to start with either.

ANR has won a permanent place in my skincare routine, as it already has with women around the world. And if this review hasn’t convinced you, maybe a make-up free selfie of my revived, glowy face will help?