Reviewed by Karen

I couldn’t be happier when I found out I was going to review a full-sized sample of Avon’s new star product, ANEW CLINICAL Derma-Full X3 Facial Filling Serum  — it meant that one of my dreams was going to be fulfilled. That’s right, it meant I could take Avon down. I figured it was only fair after years of abuse: the wee monthly catalogs neatly affixed to my doorknob with a rubber band, the Sweet Honesty perfume, the yard-sale relics of oddly-shaped collector cologne bottles that no one wanted.

Had Avon changed? I had to know.

I eagerly opened the package that arrived and opened the product box. Inside was a squat futuristic pump tube with smart silver accents, the clear center revealing an ocean-blue double helix. That’s right, somehow Avon squeezed elegant yet functional design, and this time not in the shape of a cowboy boot, into a product.

So I love the look of the packaging, but as we all know packaging isn’t everything. How does it perform?

Ingredients:  Sad to say, most of the ingredients on the label are a mouthful of unpronounceables (the full list follows). The key ingredient here, of course, is injectable-grade hyaluronic acid, aka the stuff that’s in Restylane. The idea is to create a fuller, more youthful appearance.

Scent: Like many people, I’m sensitive to scent. Some would say over-sensitive (I can tell you from across the room whether you use dryer sheets when doing laundry for instance), so if a product has a heavy or undesirable scent I just wont use it. Anew Clinical Derma-Fill has a mild perfume-y scent that I choose to ignore. In other words, it’s not my favorite (it’s a little on the synthetic side), but I can deal.

Pump: I like this container; you can carefully dispense only the amount you want, and when you’re paying $54 per ounce every little bit you can conserve for later helps. I have complete control with this container and never over-dispense. To give you an idea as to how little you really need and how long this lasts, I’ve been using it for about 2 months now and the bottle is still about 2/3 full.

Using the Product:  After dispensing, there I am with a slightly-sparkly (what’s not to like about sparkly?), not-quite pea-sized pile of a gel-like substance in my hand.  That amount will cover my entire face and most of my throat; with one or two fingers of my other hand I simply pick up the amount needed for a portion of my face and it glides right on.

Feel:  One of the aspects I dislike is the way this product feels. It reminds me of silicone. It feels okay on my face and leaves my face feeling and looking quite moist, which I don’t view as an issue; on the contrary I like how it looks. But I find the sticky, silicone-y feel on my fingers annoying, so I always wash my hands afterward. A small thing, really, but I’m reminded of it every night so I have to mention it.

Performance. Can I gush now? I was so skeptical when beginning this trial — after all, this is Avon we’re talking about — but I absolutely love this product.  I love how it makes my skin look (soft, moist, and younger somehow), and the results were almost immediate, certainly within a week or so. (I tend to give up on products that don’t have an immediate payoff.)  And since the annual cost of using Anew Clinical Derma-Full X3 Facial Filling Serum seems only to be about $100 a year, it seems well worth the cost.

Bottom Line:  I would buy this product and continue using it; I highly recommend it. My only disappointment is that Avon remains unscathed.  Good for you, Avon.

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Ingredients List:
Water/eau, glycerin, cyclopentasiloxane, propylene glycol, glycolic acid, thiodipropionic acid, trioxaundecanedioic acid, ethylhexyl salicylate, sodium hyaluronate, phytol, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) fruit extract, palmitoyl oligopeptide, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, peg/ppg-18/18 dimethicone, dimethicone crosspolymer, butylene glycol, carbomer, ammonium hydroxide, caprylyl glycol, polysorbate 20, parfum/fragrance, phenoxyethanol, disodium edta, may contain: mica/ci 77019, titanium dioxide/ci 77891, blue 1/ci 42090,red 4/ci 14700