Presenting: THE FILE’s Beauty Sleep Awards. In honour of sleep, we took it upon ourselves to tirelessly vet products that claim to aid sleep in any way, shape or form. So tirelessly, in fact, we stayed up late with pen and notepad swatching lotions and burning candles and spritzing pillows all in the name of Sleep Week  (an irony that is not lost on us for a moment). Here at THE FILE, it was all in a hard day’s work and a good night’s sleep. The verdict? It was totally worth it for we’ve found a round-up of products that not only make our skin beam but that also taught us to incorporate nurturing rituals into our PM routines. Stay tuned over the course of the week for the full reviews. And of course, sweet dreams to you all.

It’s Sleep Week here at The File, and you can’t celebrate slumber on a beauty site without talking about Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Recovery Complex II. It’s probably the law, or if it isn’t it should be.

I love any product with ‘advanced’ in the title. It gives me an entirely misguided sense of achievement no matter what the actual context is. It’s possible I wasn’t validated enough as a child. Anyway, I was more than happy to try Advanced Night Repair, something I’ve been meaning to do for a while.

Advanced Night Repair is found on almost every best or best seller repair serum list and much lauded by beauty media and bloggers. Every one of my skincare obsessed friends have preached about it and I kind of suspect it might be some kind of magic elixir that’s made them all join a secret cult – a beautiful, hydrated, wrinkle-free cult.

I’ve long wondered if it’s worth the hype and it’s possible my chronic aging denial has played a part in my purchase inertia. But to be honest I’m just inherently lazy and had simply never gotten around to it. Until now.

Dear readers, I’ve joined the cult. I’ve been saved. I’ve been found. I’ve seen the light and the light is reflected off my radiant, smooth, youthful-looking skin. I denounce all other Gods (Dev Patel, Timothée Chalamet, Cher) and pledge allegiance to Estée Lauder, that glorious sassy bitch.

I love the slightly alcoholic smell of it; I love the light, cold feel of it; and I love that you use a dropper to apply it so I can pretend for 10 seconds a day that I’m a super-smart scientist researching cures for things that need cures. Also, the packaging says “Take advantage of the restorative power of night” and I’ve even considered taking long naps so I can use it more. Please don’t question my logic.

I’m hugely skeptical about the abilities of individual products to improve skin, but I honestly believe my face looks and feels fresher and younger since I started using Advanced Night Repair. It seems its “exclusive repair technology” has done such glorious things for my skin that I regret not getting my slack arse – well, face really – onto it sooner.

Words, Nadine von Cohen. Styling, Alicia Sciberras