'I'm a beauty editor. This is one serum I recommend to every skincare newbie.'

I've been a Beauty Editor in some form or another for 15 years now.

Aside from how alarming it is that it's been FIFTEEN YEARS, what this really means is that I know my stuff. I've tried it all: the $500 moisturisers, the $1,000 facials, and the $10 cleansers.

If it exists in the skincare world, I've probably put it on my face at some point. 

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I often have friends (and family, and acquaintances, and people in my DMs) ask me for skincare advice, especially if they have just been on a cleanser/moisturiser roundabout using whatever is on sale at the supermarket. The main question I get is about serum recommendations — which ones do I need? Where do I start? How much do I need to spend? 

It's a loaded question, and I'm certainly not a dermal therapist who is going to give you the best assessment for your skin type — another recommendation from me is to see one at least once in your skincare journey. But I do have one serum I believe will never fail anyone.

Why do I think that? Because it's never failed me, and my skin is pretty temperamental.

Drumroll, please. It's Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Multi-Recovery Complex.

Image: Supplied.

I first tried this serum around 10 years ago. I felt fancy as hell — it's got that iconic brown bottle, the gold dropper lid, and the brand Estée Lauder in general screamed "rich b***h" to me. It oozed luxury, and the price point reflected that.

So I was expecting big things, but at the same time, I've tried plenty of expensive beauty products that just didn't hold up to their price at all. Sometimes, it's all bells and whistles and no results. But this serum surprised me — and continues to do so.

I recommend it to everyone, especially skincare newbies, because it's simple yet effective. In a world of intense active ingredients, some of which will be right for your skin and some that definitely won't, it's inoffensive yet still gives results.

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According to Estée Lauder, the key hero ingredient is their exclusive and patented Tripeptide-32, which helps reduce multiple signs of ageing with seven key repair actions. Think reduction of fine lines, the evening of skin tone, strengthening of the skin barrier, 72-hour hydration, radiance and antioxidant protection.

The brand says that in testing, they found that Tripeptide-32 also assists with the natural renewal of skin cells and boosts collagen while you sleep. In layman's terms, this means it'll improve the look and feel of your skin overnight, and over time.

I know a lot about skincare ingredients, but I don't recommend this serum because of what's in it, necessarily. Yes, peptides are great for skin — they help reduce inflammation and support the skin barrier, so they're perfect for people with sensitive skin, and they can help with collagen production, which depletes as we age and is why you might feel like your skin isn't as plump and youthful as it used to be.

The serum also has hyaluronic acid, which is great for skin hydration, and often, I find people notice a reduction in fine lines and an improvement in skin texture just from using products with HA in them, because, fun fact: dehydrated skin will make fine lines more prominent. 

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No, I recommend it because, in my experience, it's such a universally effective serum. It's never given me a skin reaction, even when my skin has been freaking out thanks to shifts in weather or just because it's in the mood to. People with oily skin don't find it heavy. People with dry skin don't find it dehydrating. It just works for everyone, which is excellent for a newbie skin product.

I have never not finished a bottle of this serum, and I am like a distracted puppy when it comes to skincare, because I often have new, shiny things crossing my desk that demand my attention. I'll switch some days out for other, newer products for sure. But I always — ALWAYS — finish a bottle of this serum. People I've recommended it to say the same. They repurchase. They use every last drop. They may move on to other skincare that's tailored to their skin type, but they never regret buying Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Multi-Recovery Complex.

That's major, because the price is no joke. This isn't a supermarket serum, sadly — I do have a few of those I love, too, but not for first timers. It's a department store serum, a luxury buy. The smallest bottle, 30ml, will set you back $139. Still, I would say that using it sparingly will see you through a couple of months, if you're using it nightly.

It might be an investment, but it's a worthwhile one. Like I said, I've used expensive beauty products before that just did not live up to the hype, or felt like nicely-packaged, well-marketed versions of something I could pay $20 for somewhere else. This serum is different. 

I notice the improvement in my skin over time, without the need to take breaks from it, which I often have to do with highly active stuff like retinols. There isn't the risk that you'll spend the big bucks and it won't be used because your skin freaked out, something that's common with highly active serums. Yes, they can really work, but you have to use the right one for your skin type, and you have to ease into it. That can be a lot to ask of someone new to skincare.

But Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Multi-Recovery Complex? As a first-timer beauty product? I'll die on the hill that it's the best possible serum for anyone who's clueless about skincare.

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