“She’s not wearing makeup, so her face just looks like skin.”  – Chuck Palahniuk

I’m someone who lives by that quote as I prefer using products that have a sheer coverage since I don’t like the weight of foundations on my skin. On some rare occasions when I actually do use heavier coverage foundations, my skin feels like its unable to breathe. So, I steer clear of such products and am always on the lookout for lightweight products.

I recently got to try out some fab Laura Mercier products – Foundation Primer, Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Oil-Free and Face Illuminator Powder which claim to give you a no-makeup makeup look. Did they live up to their claims? Read on to know more about my experience.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTS

The Foundation Primer claims “Just as a painter primes a canvas, Foundation Primer – The Original – was created by Laura Mercier in 1995 to prime the skin. A lightweight, vitamin-rich gel that prepares the skin for makeup application, it creates an even, invisible layer that acts as a buffer to outside elements and expertly holds foundation. This water-based formula keeps makeup staying fresh and colour-true for hours. Visibly skin smoothing, vitamin-enriched Foundation Primer is ideal for all skin types.”

The Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Oil Free claims “Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer – Oil Free is a perfect blend of skincare and makeup. This lightweight formula helps control oil breakthrough and gives a sheer hint of color for a healthy, natural glow. It provides ideal protection from the sun’s harmful and damaging rays with Broad Spectrum UVB/UVA SPF 20 Sunscreen, Perfect for all skin types, especially sensitive or oily skins.”

The Face Illuminator Powder didn’t have any claims in particular on the packaging.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH LAURA MERCIER FOUNDATION PRIMER, TINTED MOISTURIZER AND FACE ILLUMINATOR POWDER

FOUNDATION PRIMER

The Foundation Primer was packaged in a beige squeeze tube and had a very pale pink color. It also had a mild powdery kind of fragrance. It was amazingly lightweight that I instantly thought “it feels so much like a gel moisturizer.” Had it been packaged or labeled as a moisturizer, I could’ve easily got misled. The primer went on to my skin very smoothly, got absorbed by the skin quickly and surprisingly moisturized it while leaving behind a nice cool feeling. My skin felt almost like silk as it did a great job at smoothing it out. It is unlike other primers – non-greasy and light and didn’t feel like an extra layer on my face! It does create the perfect canvas for makeup!

TINTED MOISTURIZER BROAD SPECTRUM SPF 20 – OIL FREE

I tried out the Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 – Oil Free in the shade 2C1 Blush. The product caters to a wide range of skin tones as they have about 15 shades in total – from Porcelain (for very fair skin tones) to Mocha (for deep complexions with a balance of yellow and red undertones). The shade matched well with my skin tone and it had a great coverage for a tinted moisturizer. You can choose to have a sheer coverage or even build it up to some extent if you want. It was packaged in a black squeeze tube and had a mild powdery kind of fragrance just as the Foundation Primer.

On application, it blended in effortlessly and I loved how it felt. It was extremely lightweight and gave my skin an awesome smooth texture. It seemed like a great product to use during summer or on extra humid days. Since I wanted just enough coverage to even out my skin tone, I applied it using a beauty blender. Apart from the hint of tint, I loved that my skin looked naturally flawless and didn’t feel like I was wearing any makeup at all! There was some amount of oxidation after a while however and it turned a tad orange (don’t worry, it doesn’t make you look like an Orangutan) but it wasn’t too bad for me to write off the product. The look lasted me for a good 5-6 hours without any sort of touch-up. This version of the Tinted Moisturizer was Oil-Free, so it didn’t clog my pores or end up breaking out my sensitive skin. The additional SPF was also a great bonus but it’s a little on the lower end for people looking for higher SPFs.

While it won’t cover your spots, freckles or acne too much, it’ll still make your skin look like skin and give you a dewy glow. If you don’t shy away from showing off a bit of your blemishes and are looking for the perfect no-makeup makeup look, this might be your go-to! And on days you’re feeling exceptionally lazy and are short on time, it could be your superhero (you can imagine the cape around it ?).

The only negative that the product had was that it contained parabens. With a lot of brands becoming ‘cleaner’ these days, I just wish this one didn’t have any.

FACE ILLUMINATOR POWDER

It was love at first when I opened the compact case. I thought the powder looked absolutely gorgeous! Don’t you all agree?! Call me insane, but I was actually contemplating using it ‘coz. I didn’t want to ruin the way it looked.

The product is available in 4 shades – Addition, Devotion, Seduction and Indiscretion. I got the shade Indiscretion which gave a very pretty rose gold highlight. I felt the shimmer in the powder was just right – not very intense and not too subtle at the same time. The product had a great velvety texture too. It gave the perfect amount of shine for a very natural glow-from-within kind of a look and didn’t appear fake by any means. You can, however, build it up, but it won’t give you the kind of shine that you’d be spotted from space! 😀 It does have a bit of fallout but hey, that’s characteristic to most of the powder highlighters. Just set it with a powder or spray and shine on!

THE GOOD

Foundation Primer

• Extremely light-weight
• Very moisturizing

Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 – Oil Free

• Extremely light-weight
• Time-saver
• Gives a very natural, no-makeup look
• Great for sensitive skin

Face Illuminator Powder

• Not over-powering, just the perfect amount of shimmer
• Gives a natural, glow-from-within look

THE BAD

Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 – Oil Free

• Contains Parabens
• Oxidizes to some extent (might be a deal-breaker for some)

OVERALL VERDICT: 4.5 / 5

PRICE:

Foundation Primer – $38 for 50 ml / 1.7 fl oz

Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 – Oil Free – $45 for 50 ml / 1.7 fl oz

Face Illuminator Powder – $44 for 9 g/ 0.3 oz

WHERE TO BUY:

USA

All your big box retailer stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor and the likes. Amazon, Sephora and www.lauramercier.com

India

Amazon and Flipkart (please read buyer reviews to ensure that the product is genuine)

DISCLAIMER: I\We received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. This, however, has not affected my/our opinion any way.