little white truths

I've been using this powder every day for months and I've kept meaning to review it, it's just that I kept forgetting about it.

But I edited the photos yesterday and that meant it was top of my drafts list, so when I saw it sitting there this morning I knew it was the post I needed to write today.

Yes, it's the fabled Laura Mercier setting powder. Yes I like it and yes I can see why people rave about it, but it's not my favourite and I wouldn't buy it again. More on that below.

Laura Mercier claims/product details:

• Cult favourite and winner of multiple major awards
• Pros love the super smooth application, which goes on evenly, blends effortlessly and provides great wear
• Sets makeup for 12 hours without adding weight or texture
• With a touch of sheer coverage and a lightweight, matte finish
• Doesn't settle into fine lines and never looks cakey
• This no-flashback formula is perfect for photos and creates a soft-focus effect to subtly blur the look of fine lines and imperfections
• Available in Translucent (for fair to medium and tan skintones) and Translucent Medium Deep (for medium-deep to deep skintones)
• Oil-free, non-comedogenic, non-caking and dermatologically tested
• RRP $62 AUD for 29g

You'll see the holes in the cap below. 

There's quite a few of them and they're also quite large, so I wouldn't travel with this unless you can seal the cap with the original plastic sticker or with a powder puff - otherwise the product will spill everywhere.

Verdict

This is a good product and I can see why so many people like it, although I wouldn't buy it again because I prefer Coty's offering (I've reviewed that here), which is also significantly cheaper so it's a bit of a no brainer in terms of which one I would buy again.

It's a translucent loose powder with no scent. It's super finely milled so you can get a really thin coating with this if you want to, and it feels smooth and silky to the touch - if a tad dry.

It applies and blends well, and I agree that it isn't detectable on the skin. It also doesn't sit in fine lines or wrinkles, and I agree that it doesn't look cakey or announce itself as powder on the skin.

I also like that it has a blurring effect so it smooths the look of pores. Do note, though, that it's not as effective at smoothing out the look of pores as the Coty powder, which is one of the reasons why I would opt for the Coty over this one. Yes this airbrushes, but the Coty is in a league of its own.

Other things I prefer about the Coty are that it adds a little more coverage with less product and that it also knocks the tacky finish off my tinted moisturiser with less product. So the Coty will boost my tinted moisturiser and make the coverage a touch stronger while Laura Mercier's offering doesn't do that as much, and I also find that I need to add more of the Laura Mercier than I do the Coty if I want to make my base less sticky so that my blush and bronzer will blend better over it.

On the claims: yes it goes on evenly and blends well; no I don't think it sets makeup for 12 hours (I get oil-breakthrough with this by lunchtime, although admittedly it's summer so it's hot); yes it has a matte finish but it's not a flat matte (there's some life to it); yes it's finely milled and lightweight; yes I agree that there's no flashback; and yes it has a soft-focus effect so it blurs the look of pores and other imperfections.

Overall I think this is a great product and I recommend it. While I wouldn't buy it again because the Coty is my HG, I still think it's good and I can see why so many people love it: it sets makeup without looking cakey; it's finely milled; it applies well; and it blurs the look of imperfections.

Worth trying.