I was SO excited to try this product. Granted I am acne-prone and have had sensitive skin issues for a while - but I read the reviews here up and down and there were many glowing reports from fellow acne-prone girls like me. Anyway this thing is damn pricey but I coerced my SO into buying it, which he did faithfully, and couldn't wait to try it. At first it felt luuuurrrvely. I think it's the hyaluronic acid mainly, soon as you apply it your skin drinks it up. It feels hydrating and although the skin is somewhat sticky for a few minutes it soon absorbs and leaves your skin baby soft. I would top it with either my regular moisturiser or jojoba oil to seal all the supposed anti-oxidant and repairing goodness in. My motive for using this product was to repair the scarring and redness my past acne had left behind and generally strengthen my skin. Anyway, I used this religiously for two weeks, during the day as well as night because I was so excited to see results. I.e. glowing healthier skin, more clarity, even tone, reduction in signs of ageing or fatigue. I waited patiently, and admittedly overdosed on this, applying about 10 drops all over each time! So I would then massage the excess down onto my neck too.

I analysed my skin every morning as soon as I woke up but saw no difference. Then about a week into usage I noticed a few more whiteheads and general bumpy texture. This was accompanied by small red bumps everywhere, occasionally a slight itchy feeling on my jaw (but not to the extent of allergy) and a blotchy complexion. My blackheads on my t-zone seemed to have tripled. Okay this is NOT what I was hoping for, but I assumed I'd been exfoliating too much and also had been using my clarisonic twice a day which was more than usual (in the hopes my serum would absorb better) so I thought it could be due to something else.


Now 3 days ago, the inflammation started. I wouldn't just get those regular tiny whiteheads (that I hoped was just a sign of my skin detoxing) - now I was getting slightly more pronounced zits, and they hurt like a ****!!! A whole lot more redness and painful zits. Then suddenly 3 lesions appeared, sort of under the skin. Not quite the size of cysts, but a flaming tomato red colour and extremely sore and painful. Almost as if they were growing out of my veins. I thought my previously battled acne (of which I was victorious) was making a sudden return and it must be my hormones. But the give away? 1) Im nowhere near due for my time of the month and more importantly 2) One of these lumps appeared on my NECK where Im never acne-prone, and where I'd recently been applying this serum.


I've tried hydrocortisone cream on the lumps (not recommended but I took the risk) to bring the pain and inflammation down. The size has somewhat decreased but the lumps are still really painful and haven't come to a head yet, don't know if they are planning to and Im totally unfamiliar with this sort of acne. So I guess something, or maybe a few things, in this serum really really disagreed with my skin. I feel really sad because I thought this was going to give me that celebrity-like glow lol! Silly naive me. But all the progress my skin had made the past 6 months had suddenly deteriotated! The condition of my skin was getting worse, so I don't know what the rave reviews were about. If you're acne-prone you MAY be able to tolerate it, but the results after 2 weeks were nothing, my skin gradually worsened, so if you DO try this.... proceed with caution. I'm now trying to recover from this. My skin feels rough and sore, constantly dry even though I was oily before, more blackheads and redness, and no foundation seems to sit on my skin nicely, everything starts showing up flakey and cakey. Good luck for anyone thinking of trying this. Money down the drain.....

I do not normally write reviews, but I felt I had to warn women about this.This stuff is potent !! do not be misled by the "recovery" promise that makes it sound like it is very gentle, it is NOT gentle at all. I kind of have mixed feelings about this, on the one hand I can see it making the skin smoother and softer, but on the other hand this has caused me to break out in small bumps and caused tiny red spots everywhere, especially on the forehead and sides of my face. It is also VERY drying, and I have combination not dry skin. So basically this gave me very dry and blotchy looking skin. I don't even know what to do now to make my skin recover and go back to the way it was before :( I wish I never got misled by the glowing reviews here, and even worse are the reviews on the EL website that try to convince you that the 500 women who tried it, all gave it 5 stars !!!! come on

I never had issues with my skin. I wanted to try a new regimen and was told by a Rep at Estee Lauder that this product in addition to 6 more (moisturizers and washes for day and night) would make my face look young and flawless. After two days of use I started breaking out badly to the point where I eventually had to see a dermatologist. After using prescription differin gel and others, my face is finally back to normal. I will never use their products again. I was disappointed because I spent close to $200 on their products. Switched to Neutrogena. My husband continues to use Estee Lauder without a problem.

Sorry, I really wanted this to be the HG of treatments, but it does absolutely nothing for me! I've been using it for over 6 months and see no difference in skintone, evenness, etc. I don't mind the scent but don't like it either. I find the gel-like consistency very sticky (but that may have to do with humidity) and not moisturizing at all. And, worst of all, it breaks me out! Considering the pricetag and also the glowing reviews I was expecting more from this product. Not wasting more money on this, there are $10 products more effective than this one (case in point: Lacura multi intensive serum)

This is seriously an amazing product and worth the price in my opinion. I use this every night after washing with Cetaphil and before my moisturizer. I would never have tried this if my friend didn't work for Estee Lauder and urged me to try this, but I am so glad I did. I didn't notice anything until I seen a picture of me 6 months ago. My skin has definitely changed for the better and I am positive it is because of this. I have very uneven, acne-prone skin that is only hidden by a good foundation application. However, up until recently I have gotten compliments about how much my skin has improved. My acne scars, uneven skin tone. . almost gone. The bottle is very hygienic and there is no fragrance which I love. This isn't a product you see results immediately with, but after awhile you will definitely see an improvement! I put it on a burn scar I have on my arm and sun damage on my chest and it makes everything heal so much faster. I love it. . and the fact that it's an anti-aging product.

This is an amazing product! I use it sparingly because the price is outrageous. I have really good skin...but this product makes it perfect plump and moist especially in the winter months. It is a serum and sinks into the skin effortlessly. I use the back of my hand so I can feel if my skin is dry underneath. I use the whole skin care line, but I do mix a few other drugstore brands so I can save money. I will definitely repurchase.

Okay, so after a year with the No7 Protect and Perfect, I felt like I wanted to try something new. I sprung for the $63 bottle of ANR -- my first EL product (and it came with a great GWP -- yay!). Have been using for about two weeks. I like it. Reading some reviews here, I almost expected coworkers and friends to come up to me and ask what my secret was, but unfortunately, that hasn't happened :)
Anyway, it's good, you only need a bit. The hard part for me is getting used to the nighttime routine, as I am more of a morning person. But, yes, my skin is looking quite supple and if things carry on like this, I will probably repurchase.
Many reviewers have commented on the smell. Unusual for a beauty product, yes, but it doesn't really bother me. Certainly not a reason to not use it.
Price-wise, it is worth it.

EDIT: A few months later, I upped my rating to five stars. I used to have occasional adult acne, with stubborn pimples that took forever to get rid of. Ever since I started using this, I haven't had a single breakout! When I bought it they told me my skin would improve, and I thought it was just a sales line, but this really has made all the difference. Try it!!!

My skin was in horrible shape when I bought this (horrible for me, anyway). I was noticing numerous age spots and lines starting to form. After wearing this for the first night, I was elated. I woke up with plump skin. This serum made a noticeable difference in my age spots in a short amount of time. However, that effect has faded and I think that is all down to the packaging, which I rated as the worst. EL packages all of their other serums with a pump, so I don't know what they were thinking with this one! Also, I found that this really helped with my "monthly" breakout. Since using this, I didn't get one anymore. I gave it a 5 because I love it, but -1 for the packaging and -1 for the price.

I bought this a couple years ago (when the old formula was around) and it definitely improved my skin--it was the few products where I actually bought it the second time around and the third but afterwards I decided to cut down on my budget and that included cutting this out too--BIG MISTAKE! Especially since I work in a lab and the conditions in my lab is extremely harsh. Since then my skin suffered a lot.

I finally bought the new serum and see visible improvements. I swear this product has some sort of supernatural powers because I tried EVERYTHING to get rid of my acne, dry skin, and scars.

To make your dollars stretch because it's not cheap, buy during gwp or buy the gift sets!

This is my first serum and it's my 3rd week on it. So far I have nothing but good things to say about this. My skin is combination but has been suffering moderate acne for a couple of months. I feel this serum has calmed down my skin and I don't break out on my cheeks anymore. I don't know if it's because of this serum alone, but I'm starting to feel good about my skin again. I use 4 drop every night after toner and before moisturizer. I also put in a few drops of jojoba oil from acne.org to my cerave lotion. I go to sleep with a good thought that I'm gonna wake up with clearer and glowy skin!:)