La Mer Perfecting Treatment: Is it worth the $370 price tag?

Rushing for time but don't want to compromise on your skincare or makeup routine? Time-strapped beauty junkies everywhere will now rejoice - luxury skincare brand La Mer has rolled out its first skincare-to-makeup product that is - you guessed it - both a skincare and a makeup item.

With its Soft Focus Filter Technology, The Perfecting Treatment is said to create clear, flawless skin by optically blurring the appearance of pores, fine lines and imperfections. This means you've got a skin-smoothening makeup primer on your hands.

But wait, it's not just a makeup item though; this is a skincare product. It contains a host of beneficial ingredients such as the brand's famed Miracle Broth (which harnesses the power of nutrient-rich sea kelp), their new Refining Ferment (which helps to strengthen skin and boost natural collagen), new Lucent Ferment (containing Porcelain Algae and deep sea Rose Algae that help to even skin tone) as well as lime tea concentrate.

How To Use It

• The Perfect Canvas: Smooth on before foundation and makeup application to get a velvety-smooth skin surface that allows subsequent products to glide on easily.

• Radiant Skin: Apply this as the last step in your pre-bedtime skincare routine and you'll find yourself waking up like one of those mattress-ad models - with bright, radiant and non-greasy skin that'll bring a megawatt smile to even the most non-morning person. Tip: You can even apply this over your foundation to create that soft-focus finish!

The Packaging

A heavy tub measuring 7cm across and 5cm tall with a screw-open cap that's relatively weighty. Now, I'm sure the mass of the gel product itself plays a part in the overall weight, but since the tub is made of glass, be careful when handling this.

The Scent

An awesome fragrance that has herbal hints in it, so it's both refreshing as well as enjoyable.

The Texture

It's a relatively thick gel that is absorbed quickly into the skin (give it a good massage for three to five seconds) and wait for it. Once it's fully absorbed, it sets into this superbly smooth and velvety finish. WOW. I am totally amazed. If I ever had the chance to (creepily) caress some celeb with really awesome skin (goddesses such as Jessica Alba, Song Hye Gyo, Song Ji Hyo etc come to mind), this would be the dream texture. There is absolutely no greasy/sticky afterfeel - just soft, smooth and velvety perfection.

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The Verdict

Now, I am very much aware that its price tag of $370 may put it out of reach for many (myself included), so it's definitely a luxury "want" item. That aside, it really is one of the best makeup primers I've tried - makeup glides on oh-so-smoothly to create a very soft, velvety skin texture. The plus point is that you can also use it as a skincare item (a pre-makeup skin treatment, overnight leave-on mask, etc) because of its host of very beneficial marine ingredients.

Even though it seems to be chockfull of goodness, it's not too rich and I haven't seen any breakouts thus far.

A little pearl-sized droplet of product is enough for the entire face, which means the entire tub could last you the entire year. After several months of usage, the level has only dropped a mere 1+cm. If you've got a huge favour to call in, or perhaps an upcoming birthday/huge bonus/an unfortunate victim to guilt-trip, this could be the mothership.

Former magazine editor Cheryl never wore Prada; she earns her daily keep as an English editor,and indulges her undying passion for writing and all things beauty-related at her blog (https://beautifulbuns.wordpress.com).