Product Review: Per-fekt Skin Perfection Gel

Little Miss (Not So) Per-fekt.

I love trying new products. Who doesn’t? And it’s just as fun for me to try them as it is to tell you what I think. Because if I recommend a quality product for you–or save you money by not buying an ineffective one–I feel like I’m doing my part as a conscientious pro makeup artist.

I tried the Radiant shade of the Per-fekt Skin Perfection Gel a few years ago, and loved it. Don’t believe me? Here’s my proof.

Even though I loved it, it for some reason took me this long to try it again. It’s been on my list of Things to Buy for Myself for a while, but that list always gets pushed aside for Things To Buy for My Business. So I did what I do every November: I emailed my Things To Buy for Myself list to my mother, with the subject line “Christmas List.” I don’t expect her and my father to get me everything on the list for Christmas, but I figure it’s a good resource if they don’t know what to get me. (But don’t worry, my father always gets me some kind of “safety” gift. Flashlights, survival kits, other things I can’t remember because I lost them, etc.).

I know I sent my mother the correct link, but it looks like the Radiant shade became out of stock after I emailed her, so I ended up with the Translucent version. I specifically wanted the one that adds color to the face, so I was bummed when I realized this a few days after Christmas. (Not your fault, Mom!)

The Translucent Skin Perfection Gel can be worn alone or under makeup and claims to even skintone, minimize pores, control shine, reduce redness, smooth, prime and per-fekt. I’ll go ahead and give you my take on how well I think it does all of those things.

1. Skintone Evening. Negative. Evening out the skintone requires pigment that will either blur or conceal imperfections. This product has no pigment, so I don’t know how they can make that claim!
2. Pore Minimizing. This does minimize the appearance of pores, but I don’t think it works as well as my favorite, Benefit POREfessional.
3. Shine Control. I did notice that my t-zone shine was minimized when I used this. I think MAC Oil Lotion is a better mattifyer with those who get really oily, but this product is good for the moderately oily folks.
4. Redness Reduction. I don’t have much redness in my skin, but I sometimes get a little red around my nose. I tried this on that area on a day I noticed redness and saw no improvement. Products that reduce redness contain a green color correcting ingredient, so I’m skeptical of any clear product that claims to color correct.
5. Smoothing. It’s a gel that has almost a silicone feel to it so yes, it feels smooth after you pat it on and for a little bit after. But I didn’t find it to have the same smoothing effect as a good moisturizer, hydrating mask or serum.
6. Priming. This does work as a primer in the way that foundation applies nicely over it. It also seems to make my face makeup last longer, which is the other important job a good primer will do. I’ll test this again when my combo skin is more in its oily stage to see how well it works as a primer that extends face makeup longevity.
7. Perfekting. Huh? Nonsense talk.

As you can tell, I’m not into this product. It doesn’t do everything it claims to, and I wasn’t blown away by how well it did the few things it does do. The blue and white packing is nice and it doesn’t have a strong or unappealing scent, so there’s that.

My overall take is that this product doesn’t do too much. I would rather use Benefit POREfessional and MAC Oil Control Lotion to minimize pores, control shine and prime. And if redness is an issue for you, I recommend Make Up For Ever Camouflage Cream in Green or Algenist Green Color Correcting Drops. Smoothing is best done with skincare products likes exfoliators, hydrating products and moisturizers.

I much prefer to write positive reviews, so I’ll be back with one of those soon.

Have a beautiful day 🙂