Want glowy skin like this? Image: Kiko Mizuhara
THE CLAIMS: Your standard brightening serum this is not. What sets Shiseido’s Bio-Performance Glow Revival Serum apart from the piddling products peddled on the market? For starters, it hones in on a most unexpected constituent of your complexion: The capillaries beneath your skin.
There’s a fair bit of sciencey jargon to break down, but essentially, Shiseido’s contention is that these tiny blood vessels are of the essence when it comes to “lighting” up your skin, which is both ingenious and intuitive when you think about it, really.
Why? Your living, breathing skin needs all the nourishment it can get from said network of capillaries, plus which Singapore kid hasn’t had bitter black brews foisted upon them by fretful Mums insisting that the mystery mixtures would do their blood a world of good, right?
Enter the Japanese cosmetic giant’s new Multi-Capisolve 1124 complex, a concentrated botanical broth said to bolster weakened cell walls for better blood circulation and all the concomitant beautifying benefits a brisk capillary network can do for your complexion.
Throw in a potpourri of pore-tightening glycylglycine and brightening vitamin C and you’ve got yourself a souped up serum that promises a delightfully delicate, lit-from-within luminescence.
WHY I LOVE IT: Not-so-humble brag: I’m blessed with the sort of glowiness most girls would kill for. Thanks to Shiseido’s Bio-Performance Glow Revival Serum, I think I may have stumbled upon the secret to my good skin: I have good capillaries.
Now for the capillary-boosting product at hand. Perfect score for packaging: The good stuff is ensconced in a curvy chrome contraption that’s extremely cool and ergonomic to boot. Twist off the top and the capsule reveals a nifty pump dispenser that divvies up just the right dose each time. (Press thrice if you’re kiasu like me, although half a pump should be plenty for the entire face and neck.)
As for the product proper, this superbly silky salve is suffused with a subtle sheen that’s very fetching indeed; if you have a good canvas to begin with, this ought to be able to double up as a pearlescent primer. No complaints on the fragrance front, either: The crisp citrusy notes are energising and just evanescent enough not to overwhelm.
Results-wise, I’ve given this a good two months to work its magic, and am so happy to report that the trace ruddiness around my nose has all but dissipated.
As for the Bio-Performance Glow Revival Serum’s central claim of well, reviving your skin’s glow? I’m leery of light-reflecting optics when it comes to skincare stuff – this sort of instant gratification is sadly usually short-lived – but I’ve scrutinised my naked face post-cleansing and can confirm that the new-found milkiness in my mien cannot be explained away by surface shimmer.
If I’m sorting this into baskets of gotta-haves and want-to-haves, I’ll plonk the Bio-Performance Glow Revival Serum firmly in the first category. So yes, will repurchase in a heartbeat!
GET IT AT: Shiseido Bio-Performance Glow Revival Serum, $130 for 30mL, is available at all Shiseido counters. For more information, visit www.sg.shiseido.com and follow the brand on Facebook.