In Glow vs. Glow, I’m pitting two known glow-givers against each other. It all started when I noticed that the Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Tinted Complexe is THE SAME PRODUCT as the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector—or is it? At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss them both as liquid highlighters, but it’s not quite the end of that story.

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal

I purchased and reviewed the ubiquitous BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in 2013 (click). Described as “a sheer, crème-liquid that perfects skin with ultra-fine light-reflecting pearls for a soft, natural glow,” the SSP can simply be described as an illuminating product. It was popularized by makeup artist extraordinaire, Lisa Eldridge, who favored it for that lit-from-within look.

It’s a multi-use product (spotlighting, all-over primer, mixed in with the base, et al.) that has a little bit of skincare built into it, too, like vitamins A, B, D & E, avocado oil, witch hazel, and aloe extract. It’s also lightweight and gives a sheen to the face without looking like a glitter ball threw up on you. In other words, it is magic in a bottle.

Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Tinted Complexe in Shade 2

I received this in the LMdB Beauty Vault VIP September 2014 Box (click), which really excited me as I had wanted to try this for a long time but never took the plunge because of its horrendous price tag ($175, 2oz). Rachel from The Beauty Professor swears by it and has used it pretty much everyday, even with her slew of base products, since 2012.

The PVAATC (whew) is more of a “tinted treatment” that works in a similar way as the SSP, but also works towards a more long-term improvement in skin quality. It’s not quite as luminous as the SSP, but it has a subtle glow to it, too. This tinted complexe has SPF 18 to protect against UVA/UVB rays, and employs Syntoc Actif, a patented delivery system of key ingredients such as retinol (an effective anti-aging ingredient) to stimulate collagen cell rejuvenation and work with your skin to bring back its elasticity. If the SSP is magical on a surface level, the PVAATC works behind-the-scenes, too.

Here are some swatches of both products, side-by-side. The more obviously glow-y one is the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector, which really makes it the perfect candidate for highlighting your face:

In terms of sheen and glowiness, the SSP has the PVAATC beat, for sure. But I do think that it’s worth it to pay the extra bucks for the tinted complexe if LMdB’s Peau Vierge line works for you. It works really well for me, personally. Do I prefer one over the other? Not really. I mean, I like the price tag of the BECCA SSP way more ($41, 1oz) but they really work differently and serve different purposes than what I initially thought.

Just to compare, here are photos of both on my face.

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector under Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint

Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Tinted Complexe under Ellis Faas Skin Veil

Obviously, both were taken in different lighting situations, but trust when I say that the glow comes out more with the SSP. I think the look of that is better for the summer, especially with that toasted golden look of Opal, but I love that there is SPF 18 in the LMdB PVAATC.

No one ever said you couldn’t wear both at once, though. 🙂

What about you? How would you pick between the two?

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