Avon ANEW REJUVENATE Night Sapphire Emulsion review

This one goes on my list of intriguing beauty products, for sure! I’m more of a moisturizing cream gal myself, so the thought of an emulsion doesn’t really cross my mind too often. But how can you resist something that actually sparkles? Avon’s ANEW REJUVENATE Night Sapphire Emulsion sparkles aplenty, but that’s not all. I like to think of this facial skincare product as a cross between a serum and a moisturizer, with it’s gelatinous consistency and moist feel. But the other trick it has up it’s sleeve is kind of different…

It’s meant to refine the appearance of enlarged pores and smooth the skin’s texture—while hydrating it too. Pretty nifty, huh? But did it work?

Here’s what Avon says:

Day 1: Pores look smaller and more refined.
Day 5: Dramatically smooths, softens & refines skin texture.
Day 10: 81% of women agree, virtually erases the look of pores.*
Day 14: Skin looks up to 5 years younger.
*Based on those who expressed an opinion in a consumer-perception study.

And I say:

After 21 nights of continued use, I can confidently say my skin does not look years younger. But I can say that after night 7, I started to see an improvement in the clarity of my skin. My pores didn’t appear as clogged, which definitely contributes to enlargement. The cleaner the pore, the more of a chance it has to appear smaller, which then makes the skin look and feel smoother. The Sapphire Emulsion definitely helped with that, so in that area I would consider it to be a success. But this product will take some getting used to and there’s a little bit of a learning curve involved:

It might be tempting to scoop out a decent amount of the product since it’s a gel—but less with this is definitely more.

With just lightly tapping a finger on top of the emulsion, that small amount spreads very easily and is enough for about half of my face.

For a gel, it’s interesting because it kind of sits on top of the skin (it doesn’t sparkle once it’s on though) and has a little bit of a sticky texture that might take some getting used to.

You’re going to bed with this product on, it’s not meant for daytime wear due to the amount of alpha hydroxy acids in it—so keeping that in mind, you probably won’t want to pack this for a hot date weekend getaway! The stickiness eventually became an afterthought for me.

It has a lot of fragrance to it.

If you’re sensitive to perfumes you might want to skip this one. I don’t notice the fragrance a few minutes after it’s applied, but at first, it’s definitely there.

I did start to experience some very slight flaking after night 3 from the glycolic and salicylic acids.

The combination of alpha and beta hydroxy acids is what’s doing the dirty work on those pores with this product. What I experienced however was nothing that was out of the ordinary. It’s pretty common for AHA’s and BHA’s to cause a small amount of dryness or tingling when you first start them—as long as it’s not anything uncomfortable. You may need to adjust your usage frequency or skip it if you have especially sensitive skin.

You have to check out this sparkle!

The REJUVENATE Night Sapphire Emulsion is probably best for those in their 30′s like myself. It contains a polypeptide (peptides act as tiny messengers to help make ingredients more effective) along with it’s exfoliating ingredients to help strengthen the skin’s structure, which is an important first line of defense in those earlier anti-aging years! Avon also has a formula for skin in it’s 40′s, the ANEW REVERSALIST Night Sterling Emulsion which focuses on skin firmness, while the ANEW ULTIMATE Night Gold Emulsion Extra-Rich is probably best for ages 50 and up which addresses youth proteins and skin hydration. Your skin isn’t exactly going to blow up if you use Gold in your 30′s for example, but these emulsions were created with those age-specific concerns in mind and are geared towards addressing them as they become an issue.

My final thoughts:

This is the kind of product I would expect to pay about $65 for at a large makeup counter (think of one of the oldest with a popular cosmetic matriarch that’s known for their anti-aging products), but it’s only $30 through Avon. It’s not for everyone, but it is something I would use for a few weeks at a time; a few times a year to help boost my skincare routine during a rough patch. I personally can’t exchange this for my beloved nighttime cream habit, but it was a nice change of pace. Plus… it sparkles! I know, I’m such a girl.

Check out more in anti-aging product reviews