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Thursday, August 05, 2010

Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complexe Tinted Treatment Fluid


Let's start with the bad part. Peau Vierge, the magical tinted moisturizer from Le Metier de Beaute costs an arm, a leg and $125 (1 oz). Yes. Now, with that out of the way we can continue.

A few months ago in a meeting with the Le Metier de Beaute team it was hard not to notice all of them- office people and beauty specialists, men and women- were sporting a particularly great complexion. I asked what they were doing and wearing and the answer was the same- Peau Vierge. All of them had a story of what this treatment/tint has done for them, and I was impressed.

Peau Vierge sits on the line between makeup and skincare, and I guess that's why the price is so high. It has a high percentage of active ingredients including retinol, and uses a unique technology that claims to improve the efficiency of said active ingredients. I tend to be skeptical of the scientific babble on cosmetics boxes, but I do trust my eyes. My eyes are telling me that this stuff works.

According to Le Metier de Beaute's makeup artists you're not supposed to use a primer underneath Peau Vierge- it's an active skincare treatment, after all. Hearing that made me twitch a little. I've been priming my face religiously for years now and have come to expect my makeup to stay in place no matter what. But PV contains dimethicone, which is the main ingredient in many primers, so I guess they really thought about everything. It also contains SPF 20, which is a nice bonus.

As a foundation alternative Peau Vierge is a serious overachiever. I'm rarely happy with tinted moisturizers, but this one is just as good as my holy grail Chanel Vitalumier. It evens out imperfections and gives a decent light-to-medium coverage. I was highly impressed with the way it looked from the very first use, and was very surprised to see how well it holds even without a primer, as long as I set it with a good finishing powder. Still, when facing hellish weather and high water I reach for a primer first, especially if I need my makeup to hold from morning to night. The finished look is not exactly luminous, because the face looks natural and there's no artificial shimmer or glow. That's why it's so male-friendly. I saw PV on a man and you'd never be able to tell he was wearing anything. Yet, the light diffusing pigments are doing something- everyone's skin looks brighter and very even.

Peau Vierge only comes in two colors- light/medium and medium/dark. I use the light/medium as does everyone I asked from the Le Metier team, despite the very wide range of skin tone and ethnicity. However, a makeup artist experimented a  little with my face and showed me how by blending a little of the darker shade with concealer you can get some serious coverage and a flawless skin. I often buy two sades of face products and blend them together to perfection. However, at $125 a pop I'm sticking to one shade. It's more than good enough.

After using Peau Vierge for several months I can see a difference. Of course, I'm also a skincare zealot and employ other big guns, so it's impossible to attribute everything to just one product. But even as "just" an incredible base for my daily makeup this is one of the best products I've ever used. I received my first bottle from the company but have bought another one since then, so if you ask me "Is it really worth it?", my answer is emphatically "yes". However, I definitely understand how the price would keep many far away, especially if their skin case concerns are different.

Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complexe Tinted Treatment Fluid is available from Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, online and in store.

Photo by Paul Robinson- myvintagevogue.com

7 comments:

  1. I've just discovered that the lovely little make up store in my town had just added Le Metier de Beaute to the lines they carry (Mercier, Aucoin, etc). Is this a good thing? Well, at $125 a pop for this fabulous-sounding make-up/skin care combo, it may be a very, very bad thing. BTW, have you tried their liquid eyeliner pen?

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  2. I was in New York a couple weeks ago and decided, after all your excellent reviews, to visit the LMdB counter at Bergdorf Goodman.

    Well, I ended up going home with the PV and the Lip Creme in Fraise and Framboise. The lip cremes are like nothing I've ever used, but I think you know that :)

    Dustin (the main make up artist there?) did my makeup and used the PV and I was sold. I'm in my early twenties, but don't have the greatest skin - large pores, occasional acne, unevenness. This product had really turned everything around. Anyways, I've been eagerly awaiting your review of this product. Glad to hear you love it just as much as I do.

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  3. it sounds like the Korean BB creams.

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  4. I have a few samples of this floating around in my room. Dustin passed them on to me a couple of weeks ago when I met him - he said it'd be great for me to use since I'm having a gaggle of dermatological procedures done. I haven't used them yet thinking it was just a skin serum. It's a tinted moisturizer, what?! He didn't tell me that - just said "Joey, this would be great, just use it!" =) well hell, guess I have to go try it now.

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  5. Hi Gaia
    I am about to order Le Metier de Beaute Soft Touch Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 but I am very incertain concerning the color to order
    Have you tried this product ?
    Which color is darker : number 1 or number 2
    Thanks so much for your help and for your terrific blog
    Best regards

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  6. Anon, I haven't tried that one so can't comment. My advice would be to call the counter at Bergdorf and consult with them. The team there is the best- they know their stuff and are very (very!) helpful.

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  7. I absolutely love Peau Vierge even though Light/Medum is a tad dark for my NC20-25 skintone, it is great in the summertime for me:)

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