I’ve been working my way through some new foundation launches and today I have a review of the new Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation ($48 for 1 oz/30 ml) along with her Translucent Loose Setting Powder in Glow ($39 for 1 oz/29 g). The new foundation is probably my favorite that I’ve tested this year. Both the powder and foundation are crazy good for a flawless luminous finish and I find both are still suitable for normal/combination skin even with the luminous finish. The powder launched last year but I never did a dedicated review (you can see it on the face in this post with a full makeup look). Several of you have been asking for more swatches so I have it in today’s post for you!
To date my favorite Laura Mercier foundation has been her Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Foundation. Looking back at the archives I’ve been using this for almost 2 years now and it’s one of my favorites for humid Florida weather. It’s natural full coverage with a matte finish. Finding a good matte finish is hard for me because my skin tends to look better in something with a little glow. The Flawless Fusion is long wearing, matte but not flat, and the color range is pretty good. The new Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation by comparison is a lot more luminous. Coverage is medium but buildable to full for me. It definitely has a more hydrating luminous feel to it but isn’t too dewy and has no greasy feeling. For me her Tinted Moisturizers simply don’t work well in Florida humidity (it’s too dewy and too luminous). The Flawless Lumiere has a natural finish with a lot more coverage compared to her Tinted Moisturizer.
Shade options come in C for cool, N for neutral or W for warm. I’m normally in the W range for yellow tones but some of the options are a little too yellow and I find N works best for me. On shade matching the Laura Mercier team sent me my normal shade Buff 3N1 and one lighter color Cashew 2N1 as press samples. One was too dark and one was too light so I went to the counter to shade match myself.
For shades across different formulas I found that the new Flawless Lumiere runs a bit darker than the Flawless Fusion. In the matte Flawless Fusion I wear Buff 3N1, but in the Flawless Lumiere I wear a lighter shade Latte 3N1.5 – by this naming convention it would seem like 1.5 should be darker than 1, but in both formulas if you swatch them side by side for some reason you’ll find 3N1.5 slightly lighter and more yellow/gold than 3N1. At the store I did a couple more side by side comparisons between formulas and it seems most of them run darker in the luminous formula but I’m not sure if this is the case across the entire shade range. I could have also gone with one of the W colors like 2W1.5 in Bisque, but it was just a tad too light.
Swatches of the Flawless Fusion Foundation, Flawless Lumiere and Flawless Concealer (all colors of concealer swatched here):
For application I find the Laura Mercier bases work best with her primers. In general I try to match the brands foundations with their primers because they’re often formulated to be compatible with each other. Laura Mercier has a wide range to suit different skin types. My favorites are her Radiance and Primer Protect with SPF 30.
They also sent their new Flawless Finish Sponge which I was really excited to try. It has a really nice bouncy squishy feel but I found the shape really awkward to work with. It has a shape designed to help you work with the contours of your face or get foundation into detail areas. No matter how I held it I found it hard to apply. I really hands down just prefer the classic beautyblender.
A look at her three of her loose powders. OG Laura Mercier fans will remember she used to have tinted loose powders I used to use Beige and her Stardust. She also had some lovely mineral loose shimmers which I was sad to see discontinued. I’ve loved her powders for years. Her Translucent Loose Setting Powder comes in two colors, clear and deep. I use the white/lighter option and it doesn’t leave a white cast. Last year she added two shades of Translucent Loose Setting Powder Glow in Translucent and Translucent Medium Deep. These can be used any way you want. I tried it all over as a setting powder and found it too glowy for all over the face or even under the eyes. As a highlighter it adds a luminous sheen much like a liquid luminizer but in powder form. The lighter option has a soft yellow gold champagne pearl and deeper is a soft bronze. I love both with the Glow Powder Brush.
You can set with a regular powder brush or puff. I have found myself reaching for her Powder Brush and Powder Puff frequently. I also love the Cle de Peau puff which I find slightly fluffier and softer in finish. For those curious about other setting powders I’ve done a few roundups of the best ones I’ve tested. My most recent Best Pressed and Loose Powder review is here.
Swatches, I also added her Face Illuminator to show how soft the shimmer is in the loose powder compared to her highlighters. With the Glow Powders there’s no flash back in flash photography, it gives the skin a soft glow.
Before and after application of Flawless Lumiere Foundation in Latte, set with her Translucent Loose Setting Powder, and full natural makeup look, wearing:
- Base – Laura Mercier Radiance Primer
- Foundation – Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation in Latte 3N1.5
- Powder – Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder set with Cle de Peau Puff
- Glow – Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder Glow
- Bronzer – Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Bronzer Shade 02
- Cheeks – Laura Mercier Cheek Color in Peach
- Eyes – Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Sticks in Sand Glow, Copper and Burnished Bronze layered
- Brows – By Terry Brow Mascara in #4
- Liner – Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero
- Lips – Pat McGrath LUST Gloss in Belladonna + Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Sparkling mixed
- Top – Nation LTD Dakota Tank
Overall a solid thumbs up for the new Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation. It’s a winner and I’m happy I was able to find a shade match. Lasting power is very good, I do need a touch up on warmer days mid-day, but it lasts long on my skin and I love how natural it looks. It gives that glow from within kind of finish and has good medium buildable coverage – enough to cancel redness and dark under eye circles on puffy eye days.
I have a few extras that I’m giving away! ONE winner will be picked within 48 hours and emailed to win: 1 Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder (winner can pick color), 1 Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder Glow, 1 Powder Puff, 1 Glow Powder Brush, 4 Caviar Eye Sticks in Copper, Rosegold, Beam and Rush. Open internationally to 18 years and older. Enter through the widget below. Giveaway will run through March 27th, 2019, 11:59 PM EST. Note the first option is MANDATORY to qualify for this giveaway (you must subscribe to my newsletter). Not sponsored or affiliated.
You can find the Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation out now. Available at Laura Mercier, Nordstrom, Sephora, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and all other Laura Mercier counters.
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All Laura Mercier items featured are press samples except the foundation in Latte which was purchased by me.
