Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum Honest Review
Selling roughly 22 bottles a minute, the iconic Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum has a lot of hype. But is it worth it?
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When it comes to iconic beauty brands, Estée Lauder has to be up there. Even more so, their over forty-year-old Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex Serum.
ANR, as it’s affectionately known, is the brand’s number-one serum and works to hydrate, restore and make the skin look radiant.
In this oversaturated beauty landscape where it feels like every day a TikTok beauty influencer is telling us about a new product set to transform our skin, there are a few timeless picks that rise above the noise. ANR is one such product.
First launched in 1982, this cult serum has some seriously dedicated fans who to this day claim it as one of the best serums on the market. The proof is in the stats: around 22 of these best-selling bottles are sold every minute.
But at $242 a pop, it can be hard to rationalise such an expensive beauty buy. Is the price really justified or is it simply another overpriced buy?
Dozens of beauty journalists swear by it, so I thought it was about time I put the famous little brown bottle to the test.
NOTE TO READER: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex is currently 20 per cent off at THE ICONIC.
1-MINUTE REVIEW: ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SYNCHRONIZED MULTI-RECOVERY COMPLEX SERUM
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex Serum
What You Need To Know:
After trialling it for a couple of months, I’m happy (but also somewhat sad) to say it is 100 per cent worth it. This miracle in a bottle is unlike any other hydrating serum I’ve used and seriously lives up to the hype.
If you’re only going to use one serum, this is the one to use. Key benefits include line-reducing, firming, evening tone, strengthening, hydrating and radiance boosting. Hydration and extra radiance were the two I noticed the most improvements in. I received so many compliments from friends and family saying that my skin was “glowing” and asking what I was using.
HOW WE TESTED ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SERUM
At news.com.au checkout, it’s our mission to help you make informed shopping decisions. To ensure you buy the right product at the best price, we rigorously test products so you don’t have to.
To see if it was really worth it, I tested ANR for over two months. I applied it every morning and night and with other skincare products, under makeup and exercising.
HOW WE EVALUATED ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SERUM
FULL REVIEW OF ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SERUM
Despite newer serums coming to the market seemingly every minute these days, beauty fans haven’t strayed from their beloved ANR.
Read on for my full review where I’ve broken down everything you need to know about the best-selling serum.
THE FORMULA
The lightweight, almost gel-like serum is aimed at revitalising dull or dehydrated skin. Featuring the brand’s Chronolux Power Signal technology, and no powerful acids or vitamin A, B or C, the instantly absorbed formula is suitable for everyone.
Also, despite the gel like consistency, there was no tackiness or greasy residue left on the skin like other hydrating serums.
The Chronolux Power Signal technology, which features a one-in 60 million peptide, is so revolutionary that it has actually been patented until 2033.
“(ANR) addresses all key signs of ageing, as well as firming, pore minimising and providing overnight radiance,” Gemma Rogers, ANZ Estée Lauder National Education Manager, tells news.com.au checkout.
In the past, I had mistakenly thought of ANR as being only for more mature skin. It’s “youth-generating” properties were something former me, who struggled with acne and very oily skin, stayed far away from. Oh, how wrong I was. In actual fact, it is oil-free, non-acnegenic and will not cause breakouts or clog pores.
WHAT DOES ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SERUM DO?
Like other hydrating serums, ANR gently nourishes and cares for the skin while combating signs of ageing and leaving it feeling plump and refreshed.
“While you sleep, it helps optimise the skin’s natural nightly repair process,” says Gemma.
“Plus, 72-hour hydration helps create the perfect environment to optimise the skin’s natural repair process.”
On top of all that, by wearing it every day and night, you will see a significant reduction in the appearance of every key sign of ageing, says Gemma. This includes lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, dehydration, firmness and visible pore reduction.
HOW TO APPLY ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SERUM
Apply morning and night before moisturiser. If you’re using a more active serum as well, apply ANR after that. Otherwise, apply on slightly damp skin.
Gemma also suggests trying the Estée Lauder signature Heart Ritual application for the best results. This involves warming one dropper of serum between hands and massaging it onto the face in a heart shape.
Using all four fingers of both hands, start at the centre of your face and move out to ears down along the jawline, to the chin. Next, trace a larger heart from the middle of the forehead out toward the temples. Glide down the sides of the face to the jawline and close the heart again at the chin. Continue gliding both hands down the neck. Gemma says this motion helps to rid the skin of toxins.
ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SERUM: MY RESULTS
I can’t talk more highly of the positive results my skin has seen since using ANR. I was somewhat hopeful that perhaps it wouldn’t be all that great and I wouldn’t need to justify spending that much on a serum but I have been happily proved wrong.
First up, my skin looks so much more radiant. Colleagues at work have all commented on just how glowy my skin was looking. I’ve only recently stopped taking acne medication and while my skin has (finally!) cleared up, it did leave it feeling quite dry and dull. ANR drastically turned that around.
With this in mind, my extremely tight skin relished in this super hydrating serum. It seriously saved my skin. With key ingredients designed to boost the natural production of collagen, I noticed my skin looked so much more plump and felt a lot bouncier too. It was an almost instant glow up.
I also loved how quickly it absorbs into the skin. I didn’t have to wait around for ages for it to dry before applying moisturiser. It also sat super well under makeup and helped my skin maintain that sought-after glow throughout the day.
HOW MUCH DOES ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SERUM COST AND IS IT WORTH IT?
PRICE
30ml: $135
50ml: $190
75ml: $242
Like me, I’m sure you were hoping that the answer was no, but I’m sorry to say it is worth the cost. I have never seen such drastic improvements in my skin from a regular hydrating serum.
While of course, other more affordable options do work well, in my opinion, this has got to be one of the best on the market. This is because it is so much more than a regular hydrating serum. Not only does it boost hydration through the hyaluronic acid but it also improves line reduction, increases skin firmness, strengthens the skin barrier, boosts radiance and provides antioxidant protection. It truly is a jack of all trades.
Plus, the bottle lasts quite a long time. I’ve been using it for over two months and still have a fair amount left.
AFFORDABLE DUPES OF ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SERUM
If spending $242 isn’t in your price tag, here are some alternatives that we love:
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 – 30ml, $15.90 at Adore Beauty
This recently reformulated water-based serum gets the tick of approval from news.com.au checkout Deputy Editor, Melody Teh. Melody says the reformulation of the cult serum is a “game changer”.
“It’s more lightweight than the original, making it more easily absorbed and therefore leaving none of that sticky residue,” she says.
Much Plumper Skin, $48 at Go-To Skincare
This is a hydrating serum I have repurchased multiple times. While I don’t think it holds up to the Estée Lauder ANR, it is still packed with amazing ingredients including peptides, provitamin B5 and four types of hyaluronic acid to really plump and hydrate dehydrated skin.
Hada Labo Lotion No. 1 Super Hydrator 150ml, $35.95 at Adore Beauty
This is another one loved by Melody. It sells once every two seconds so you know it must be good. This one is a bit of a hybrid because it also contains retinol and collagen to help with anti-ageing.
“It’s also fast absorbing so while it feels a bit sticky when you first pat it on, it soaks into your skin quickly and doesn’t leave a sticky residue that I find happens with other hyaluronic acids,” says Melody.
“Best of all, it comes in a huge 150ml bottle which will last you forever.”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE THE MAIN INGREDIENTS IN ANR AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
With over 40 years of night-time research, it’s no wonder ANR is now the industry leader in night-time repair and has a pretty impressive track record when it comes to results.
Gemma told news.com.au checkout about three key ingredients and their powerful results:
1. Exclusive patented ChronoluxTM Power Signal Technology
- Jump-starts the skin’s natural repair from daily environmental assaults.
- Helps the skin boost its natural production of collagen and renewal of fresh, new skin cells.
- A potent peptide ferment and plant-derived ingredients power the ChronoluxTM Power Signal Technology.
2. High levels of hyaluronic acid
- A high level of hyaluronic acid helps lock in moisture for 72 hours. The hyaluronic acid acts as a moisture magnet, drawing moisture into the skin to help create the perfect environment to optimise the skin’s natural repair process.
3. Eight hours of proven antioxidant action
- Helps defend and protect skin against the visible effects of free radical damage from environmental assaults like pollution, ozone, daytime blue light, infra-red, UV and micro dust.
CAN I USE ANR DURING THE DAY?
Even though “night” is literally in the name, it also has some pretty powerful benefits when worn during the day. Gemma says that it works to “defend and help protect the skin from environmental assaults”. This, she says, is thanks to eight hours of “comprehensive antioxidant protection”.
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