The Night Shift

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It’s no understatement that sleep is the most important tool at our disposal for living a long and healthy life. It not only benefits one’s complexion, but restores the mind and allows the body to repair itself from the day’s damage. Sleep also has a powerful, mythical significance in the collective unconscious – dreams can be powerful and incomprehensible, people can have visions of flashes of inspiration (Mary Shelley started to write Frankenstein at the age of 18 after a dream she had). If we’re stressed, anxious or if something isn’t quite right, it is reflected in our sleep, or lack of it – being one of the biggest indicators of our physical and mental health. And as someone who has suffered from insomnia since a child, every night of good sleep I get feels like a blessing.

But it’s not just health benefits that sleep brings – in beauty terms, the amount of sleep has a massive consequence on the condition of our skin and how we age.

Estée Lauder were among the first to discover that “night” (or the time while we’re asleep) is the optimum time of day for skin to repair itself from the day’s damage. Hence, the popularity of their flagship product Advanced Night Repair (ANR), which is over 30 years old and one of the first skincare products on the market to capitalize on this important time of day. The beauty market is saturated with night serums, but ANR, being over 30 years old, was the original and considered by many as the best.

The new version – Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II was born out of the company’s research into catabolysis – a critical repair process which peaks in cells at night and it pivotal to the skin’s natural repair system.

Using special patented ChronoluxCB Technology – ANR II incorporates extracts of algae and yeast, proven to support skin cells’ natural catabolysis process. This is combined with Chronolux Technology to boost the skin’s overall natural nightly renewal process. After four weeks 83 per cent of women said their skin looked healthier and felt fresher – after a week of usage I’m certainly feeling the benefits, waking up to a smooth and plumped complexion.

What’s more the company have added that this new version of Advanced Night Repair is tested and proven for every ethnicity, a promising sign of how far the beauty world has come in recent years.

Other serums we met and liked …

We’re big fans of the Skyn Iceland range for stressed out complexions. This latest serum contains raspberry stem cells – a powerful antioxidant to protect and soothe the skin. £40 for 25ml at Marks and Spencer

This hard-working concoction tightens and hydrates in one fell swoop with hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture and copper tripeptide to protect the skin, together with two blends of oat-algae extract and bamboo-pea extract to lift and firm. £49 for 30ml at Harvey Nichols

For skin that’s feeling particularly parched, this new oil from the cult French skincare brand is a godsend. It contains 12 hydrating botanical extracts including rosehip oil, rose otto, violet lead and neroli and will bring dry, distressed skin back to life. £51 for 25ml at Aesop