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