Beauty ponders

In the past I've already talked about my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer which I still love and use today, highly recommended product. Due to my enthousiasm on this one, I'm really keen on trying more products by LM, especially her make-up range. Some time after buying and using the TM, I bought her Setting Powder in the colour Translucent which costed 34$.

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder is an extremely lightweight, sheer and silky setting powder that contains the finest French "cashmere" talc and a unique light-reflecting ingredient that creates a "soft-focus" appearance for fine lines and imperfections. Sets makeup to prolong wear - Adds a velvety finish to any makeup or a bit of colour and coverage when foundation is not worn- Looks natural & never cakey or powdery- Oil-Free - 1.0 oz./29g

The thing I liked most about its claims is that it never looks cakey or powdery which persuaded me into buying it - along with good reviews I've read about it. Because of my dry skin I have to be really carefull when using powders, they always tend to look bad on me. It comes in the same silver box as the TM - loving the color, a nail polish sporting that colour would be great-, the powder itself has been put in a plastic jar.

The cover of the jar is a blackbrownburgundy colour with her name on the side. When opening it you see the special lid on top with tiny holes in it. I like this system as you won't put too much on your brush. If you look closely you can see that on the sides there's also some product as I sometimes turn it upside down whilst looking for other stuff in my stash - bit of a turnoff, you'd expect that this won't happen when the jar is closed but it does.

When putting the product on the brush you can see it's white. I use my Sigma large powder brush to apply this product after I have finished my make-up routine (I usually take a bit more than on the picture), tick it off on the jar, I dab it on both sides of my cheeks and forehead, then I start spreading/blending the product and I'm good to go.

Here you can see the white (translucent) powder on my hand and blended in. To be honest when first opening the jar and looking at the powder I was a bit scared I would make me look too pale but safe to say that isn't the case. You don't see any white colour on my hand...

I've had this product for several months and used it a lot. The main reason to use a setting powder is to make you make-up last longer or in case of oily skin reducing shine. As I don't have oily skin I can't really comment on that part. It does help my make-up last longer, especially my foundation/tinted moisturizer. The thing I liked most about it that it doesn't give me a cakey or powdery finish, as the product promises, this is a huge advantage for me. It's not a cheap prodcut at 34$ but not insanely expensive either, you get 29g for this price so for me it's a fair deal - I'm willing to spend this on a good product.

The goods: great for dry skin (no cakeyness), doesn't make you look pale, make-up lasts longer

The bads: product cloggs on sides of jar, for some people the price

Overall, I like this product. It's not revolutionary or something like that, just a good product that fulfills it claims and that I will continue to use with pleasure... Which other LM products do you use?

I have a hard time finding a foundation that suits me... I've already tried several but there always seems to be something wrong. For reference, I have dry and sensitive skin. My problem with most foundations is that when applied they look gorgeous but after an hour or so, they get all cakey/powdery on me, horrible... And when I'm lucky enough to ran into one that doesn't have this effect, I get spots from using it. Don't you just hate that?

Then I read about Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer, having great coverage for a moisturizer. Surely this would be great for my dry skin. Nothing to lose so I went and got it...

The color range isn't great, 7 shades available and most of them are very dark. Picture from karlasugar.net, great site for swatches.

The product promises:

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer is a sheer, lightweight moisturizer with SPF 20 & a hint of color that can be used in place of foundation for a natural appearance while adding a healthy glow to your complexion. Moisturizing formula hydrates skin, softening & easing fine, dry lines. Leaves a natural, dewy finish. Features an antioxidant vitamin complex that acts as a free radical scavenger to protect the skin from even the most aggressive effects of the environment. Extremely long-wearing, stays colour true & wears evenly. Add SPF and sheer finish to the skin by mixing 50% Tinted Moisturizer into your Foundation (1.5 fl. oz./40ml)

The product comes in a tube, love this, is simple and yet sophisticated like all Laura Merciers products. Getting product out of it is an easy job but don't squeeze too hard or you'll end up with too much of it. The scent is ok, not too artificial but I can't recognize anything in it.

Product itself is very runny (what did you expect otherwise) and applies easily. You can use a brush or your fingers, it's all the same. Just make sure you blend enough or you'll see the streaks of your fingers/brush.

The product leaves a dewy glowing finish which I'm very fond of. The coverage is good, it covers my minor flaws and a bit of redness as well... It can be compared to a light-medium foundation coverage which is a big plus for me. It doesn't cover freckles (pic underneath). Add some concealer on certain spots for a more evened out tone.

In the morning I use my regular moisturizer, once that has sunk in I apply Laura Merciers just as I would apply foundation. This product is perfect for me: the color suits me, it covers the things I want it to cover, it doens't get cakey on me, it has an SPF of 20 and best of all I don't break out from it... I've been using it for a couple of months now and this is my HG product for summer... I give it a 5 star recommendation!

Price range is around 40$, available in several stores but you can also purchase it online. There's also an oil-free version available if you have combination-oily skin.