So, how did this hydrating gel perform? Marvellously. Seriously, I was really impressed. Compared to the other hydrating gels I have used, the difference is night and day. The first couple days did not bring about much difference, but I started to notice texture differences by mid-week. My skin had this wonderful bounce that reminded me of my glory days in my mid 20s and was silky smooth to the touch. Some of you might say, "Hold on, wouldn't it just be the mattifying effect of the gel?" I would have said "yes", if it wasn't for the fact that I did not use the product for 2 days, and my skin was still in tip-top shape. You know those little dimples you get on your skin as you age because there just isn't enough collagen like before? I even started to see improvements in those areas as well. Crazy, right?

In terms of the mattifying effect of the gel, I would say it performs better than most gel products I have used. It gives you a glowy finish that borderlines on dewy. One problem I see in this product’s mattifying prowess is that you can't use it as a stand-alone product during the day, due to the lack of SPF (duh). By itself, the mattifying power is not significant, but still noticeable. Pair it with a SPF lotion on top and it pretty much defeats this product’s purpose as a skin mattifying product.

I love this stuff. For $55 CAD, it is a very economic buy in the world of luxury skin care. I have been searching for a good base moisturizer to compliment the rest of my routine and I think I have just struck gold.