Review: Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Day and Night Moisturizers

I don't review a lot of skincare products on my blog because, quite frankly, they take a lot of time to test (how can you know if a skincare product is working if you only use it for a week or two?). But when Neutrogena contacted me about trying their new Rapid Tone Repair moisturizers, I jumped at the chance because I absolutely loved their Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer SPF30 (click here for my review). Since I just turned 42 last week, I need all the help I can get with my skin and having a clearer, smoother tone is a prospect I find very, very attractive. 

I started testing both of these products on October 1st of this year, and concluded my testing on December 1st (I'll be showing you before and after photos at the end of this review). So let's get started:

Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Moisturizer SPF30 (daytime)

Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Moisturizer (night)

(retail: around $19.99 each, 1.0 oz)

Apologies for the state of the boxes--they got a little bit dinged up in shipping.

Keep reading for my full review...

Let's start with the daytime moisturizer:

The nighttime moisturizer:

As with the Rapid Wrinkle Repair moisturizer, you might experience some redness or irritation when you first start using Rapid Tone Repair but as indicated above, this is to perfectly normal. For the record, I did not experience any redness, flaking or stinging while using these products (I did when I first started using Rapid Wrinkle Repair, though).

The main difference between Rapid Wrinkle Repair and Rapid Tone Repair seems to be the addition of Vitamin C which, by the way, does not have good photo-stability when it comes in contact with light, so I appreciate that Neutrogena put these products in opaque glass bottles and they also suggest that when you're done using each product you turn the pump nozzle to the closed position to maintain the integrity of the product itself.

Neither of these formulas is thick or heavy. They're both pretty light in texture and they apply quite easily to the skin. I found that I needed 2-3 pumps of product to cover my entire face and neck, and even though the bottles are small, I still have not finished either bottle and I've been using both every day and night for over eleven weeks now.

Both products have a clean fragrance with a bit of a fruity, sweet undertone. I find the fragrance to be mild and it hasn't bothered me once during application. In fact, every time I hop into bed after my usual evening routine, Mr. G says, "Aaaah, your face smells so good!"

I used these products as directed from October 1st through December 1st. I did not use a separate eye cream with either product--I applied the daytime and nighttime versions to my undereye area as well as the rest of my face and neck every day and night for nine weeks straight. Here are some before and after photos:

I tried my best to recreate the exact lighting scenario in the second picture as I did in the first, using the same camera and holding it the same distance away from my face in both photos. So let's talk about the differences:

First of all, the first photo was taken while it was still quite warm here in San Diego, so there's more noticeable shine to my skin.  Aside from that, I think you can see that the sunspots/age spots on the left side of my cheek have noticeably faded, and some of the redness in my skin has faded as well. I think my pores appear a bit smaller/tighter, and the fine lines under my eyes also appear less pronounced.  What did not change for me is that the dark circles under my eyes have not diminished, and the broken capillaries in the middle of my cheek look just about the same as before (to be fair, I wasn't expecting these products to do anything about either of those issues so this is in no way a disappointment to me). I do think that the general tone of my skin looks much improved, as promised.

FINAL VERDICT: These products did exactly what they promised. With consistent use, they gave my skin a smoother overall tone, diminished redness and faded some dark spots. They also made my pores appear a bit smaller/tighter and helped diminish the look of my fine lines. They did not help with my dark circles or broken capillaries but I was not expecting them to do so (nor do they claim to help with those issues). For my oily skin, I find that both the day and night versions provide the perfect amount of hydration, and I find the daytime moisturizer absolutely ideal for me to wear underneath my makeup (it does not add to the oiliness of my skin whatsoever). If you have dry to very dry skin, I think that these moisturizers may not provide you with enough hydration in cooler months, so I would suggest using a heavier moisturizer at night and using the daytime version of Rapid Tone Repair in the day. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the results after my nine week testing period and would most certainly purchase these products in the future (definitely the daytime moisturizer--this one's the real star of the show for me because I just love that it keeps my skin hydrated during the day without causing my makeup to slide around).  If you're looking for a more even tone and help with fading dark spots, I think these products are worth considering.

Are you a fan of Neutrogena skincare? Have you tried Rapid Tone Repair? Thoughts?

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.