Filorga fans, gather round – the French brand’s released yet another serum and it’s a goodie, promising instantly perfected skin that then improves over time.

The nitty gitty is as follows:
Refined skin texture with fewer lines
Tightened pores and a matte appearance
A healthy natural golden glow

Ready to break it down?

As the serum contains a mix of natural exfoliators derived from things like lemon, orange and sugarcane, it can gently speed up your skin’s cellular renewal process, keeping it flake-free and brighter-looking. Then there’s something called Neurobiox. I have no clue what this is but Filorga’s press release says it’s something derived from yarrow which helps to thicken/plump your skin from the inside out which in turn diminishes the look of fine lines. (For the record, retinol does much the same thing and is known as one of the best ingredients for this specific need, so if you can’t afford products containing Neurobiox don’t worry too much about it.) The company who makes it, however, describe it as being more like glycolic acid, another great exfoliator, that can help reduce the appearance of your pores over time. To be clear, however, please note that they’ve used the word ‘appearance’. This means that by keeping your pores clean and clear, they may appear smaller – but the brutal truth is that you can’t truly shrink your pores without the help of a laser. For more on that, pop on over here.

On the subject of pores, Filorga’s serum also makes use of mastic, a natural astringent with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can temporarily constrict your pores.

The serum also contains mattifying/perfecting PMMA sphere’s. They’re used in many primers and are kind of like teensy, tiny thermoplastic bolletjies that help diffuse light to create the illusion of a matte-looking, lineless, pore-free skin.

As far as creating a healthy glow goes, Perfect+ contains something called Colza which acts like a gradual self-tanner. The more often you apply it, the more you can build up your tan. Then there’s another optical diffuser in the mix that Filorga call ‘white sapphire’ which creates an instantly radiant complexion.

So, all the tech aside, how does it look? How does it feel? The answer is, great! The ever so slightly pearly-looking serum has a light, silky, silicone-like texture that glides over your skin. In a way, it feels a lot like Estee Lauder’s Idealist Pore Minimising Skin Refinisher and has similar instant-perfecting effects and gradual exfoliating benefits. Where it kicks Lauder’s ass, however, is that it doesn’t look muddy an hour later. To explain, when I’ve worn the aforementioned in the past, as well as many other primers, it’s always looked good initially but then turned ‘muddy’ once my face starts to produce oil that sits trapped underneath it. With Filorga, however, I can wear it on top of a light moisturiser and then add a foundation (should I wish) and it still feels ultra-light and freshly applied.

As far as the promises go, yes, it definitely does instantly minimise the appearance of pores and fine lines and yep, it does give your face a lovely radiance. I haven’t used it long enough to know if it’s thickening up or plumping out my skin but am not too concerned as I rely on retinol for that. As for the self-tanning, I can use it three days in a row and still now really see a difference. I find I get better results in that department by using something like Clarins Liquid Bronze. In my mind, I view this as an awesome primer that instantly makes my skin look ‘perfected’ and works well with my oily-combo skin type. (Those with drier skin type should have no problem using this, provided they apply it after their hydrator of choice.)

Want it? You’ll find Filorga Perfect + Perfect skin serum at selected Edgars and Red Square stores going for R865 for 30mls.

Love, love

Leigh