little white truths

I bought this powder and also one of the Coty powder foundations from eBay a while ago because I'd heard so much about the formula.

I haven't used the foundation much yet so I can't comment on that, but I have to say that the reviews of this translucent powder are spot-on. It's amazing. Yes it stinks unbelievably, but gosh it does incredible things to the skin. More on that below.

Do note that while you can buy this in the US for around six dollars at full-price, in Australia the lowest price I've seen so far is $20 AUD - and the highest is closer to $30 AUD.

I mean, that's not good enough. We're talking over three times the cost here (at best) and five times the price at worst.

I don't know why the mark-up is so huge for this powder but it's something to be aware of. At least you're getting a whopping 65g of product so it's good value in that sense and it should last you ages.

• Featuring an exclusive microspun formula where loose powder particles are spun and swirled until they reach a cloud-like softness
• This ultra smooth powder hides tiny lines, wrinkles and blemishes, and gives a new softness to your skin
• Gives your skin a smoother look
• Offers lightweight and lasting coverage
• Helps correct uneven skintone
• Use to set makeup or as a foundation
• Dermatologically tested
• Original formula
• RRP $20 AUD for 65g, but do shop around

The product comes with a cheap powder puff, which I immediately gave to my daughter to use in artwork (the quality is awful).

Note also that my powder arrived with the plastic seal slightly loose so I had powder everywhere (see below). I didn't bother to complain about that or ask for a replacement because mine was sent from overseas (too much hassle) and I was also able to use the product that had spilled into the lid so it wasn't a huge loss.

Verdict

This is an amazing product and I'm so glad I found it. It's just as good as Laura Mercier's offering (if not better) and it's also significantly cheaper, so I really don't think you can beat it.

It's a flesh-toned loose powder with a very strong, perfume-like scent. The smell is bloody awful (I can hardly bear it), and even though I'd heard that it smelled strongly before I bought it, I was still surprised when I first opened it. Man it's pungent.

Indeed, the scent is so bad that I reckon it's the only reason not to buy it. I can smell it on my face after I've used it and my brushes smell of it. Do note, though, that you can buy a fragrance-free version so all is not lost. I also think that the smell of mine has faded slightly over time. Thank golly.

The reason why I've been able to cope with using something that smells this much is, very simply, that it performs so unbelievably well. It smooths out my face so that my fine lines and pores seem to vanish into thin air. It's quite incredible. Even if you didn't want to wear makeup, I can see that you might want to throw a dusting of this over your face because it has such a huge impact.

I also agree that it adds a tiny bit of coverage. Yes it's translucent so it's undetectable on the skin in terms of colour, but I think the airbrushing effect does boost the coverage of whatever you have on underneath it so you look more perfected. For this reason I've been applying less of my base, because I don't want to look too flawless (I prefer to look more natural), so it's making my foundations and tinted moisturisers last longer because I'm using less of them.

Overall I think this is a remarkable product and I recommend it. It's not too expensive (even by extortionate Australian standards), it all but eradicates the look of pores, it gives a perfected but not 'makeup-y' look to the skin, and it lasts well throughout the day.

Love. I've given it an HG tag.