Review of Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15 by dollbird
My skin type
Oily, hormonal-chin-acne prone, large pores on T-zone. Have gotten clogged pores from Lauress, EDM, BE. No clogged pores from JI, Alima, LM. I can't seem to pinpoint the offending ingredient.
When I first saw the list of shades, I was surprised there were only 5. I brought my Alima down to the LM counter and tested all shades next to Alima, and none were as yellow as my Alima W3. Fortunately, my MA who was Asian and had the same warm yellow-toned skin, said she was using Real Sand. As it looked great on her, I tried it and what do you know, it blends into my skin perfectly! I noticed that a lot of other people who bought this also got it in Real Sand, so it must be pretty universal. One word of caution though- since i'm a medium/light and the lightest shade is spot on for me, very light/pale skinned girls might not have much luck with this, since Tender Rose is just as dark but with more pink in it. As for which MMU matches me better, I would say both are equally good, just that Alima erases the red in my cheeks better since it's more yellow-toned (but then again LM's coverage is better so no contest here).
Price
Cdn$42 + tax at Holt Renfrew, US$35. Same pricepoint as Jane Iredale.
Ingredients
Active Ingredient - Zinc Oxide. Ingredient: Pearl Powder. May Contain (+/-): Mica (CI 77019), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499).
Pros- Surprisingly few ingredients for a commercial-brand MMU. Proper SPF rating of 15 and pearl powder!!! The pearl powder keeps my oily skin in balance, and is good for skin too, since it is packed with amino acids.
Cons- Bismuth Oxychloride, for those who are allergic.
Packaging
The sifter design is genius. There's a plastic cap on top that you could twist to reveal the sifter holes (just like some salt and pepper shakers), and then twist it shut when not in use. It's great knowing that powder won't spill everywhere if i pack it in my makeup bag. Another feature I like is that the cap is big and wide, which means I don't have to transfer powder into a separate bowl to swirl my brush in.
Texture & Finish
After wearing this for about a week, I have to say I'm just blown away, by how finely milled the powder is, how it goes on with a creamy satin finish, making my skin look so soft and ethereal. It is more glowy than Alima, which is great for me, because I love a subtle glow. Alima is matte on me, and I had to use a separate glowy finishing powder on top (Pure Luxe You Glow Girl, which is great by the way). With LM I can skip this extra step entirely. It is also less dry than Alima, it somehow just looks more creamy. I am a fan of the glowy radiant look, and LM gives me the right amount of glow, not sparkly, just a hint of shimmer under soft lighting. You can't see the glow under natural light, which is good because it looks natural and you don't get the tin-man effect that plagues BE users. However, LM does cling on to flakes, which is characteristic of any powder, so moisturize or use a good primer underneath. The coverage is very good for a MMU, the best I've actually tried. It's not enough to cover acne and scars on its own, but with concealer underneath, my blemishes are virtually undetectable, even under natural light. The coverage is extremely buildable and it takes A LOT to look caked on, but you don't need to do that as the coverage it provides needs only one layer. Heavier coverage can also be achieved by using a primer underneath, enabling the powder to cling to something to spread uniformly (I use LM's oil-free primer which is excellent). Since it is so finely-milled, it looks completely natural, and has the been the least 'powdery' MMU i've tried. Since I always use a primer to maximize my coverage, I don't have the pooling-into-pores-look problem. Also, it doesn't highlight lines (I get those around my mouth when I smile), unlike Youngblood.
Skin Reactions
I have no skin issues with this- did not clog my pores or break me out.
Lasting Power
I test lasting power by seeing how my face looks at the end of the day, how it looks after a hot bath and after blotting with blotting paper. Both held up equally well. Of course when i blot with blotting paper it removes a good amount of makeup off my face, but the amount of touch-up I have to do is less than say, Everyday Minerals which blots to nothing. I have also experienced no change in colour as the day wears on.
Conclusion
5 stars for this, since it outperforms all the other mineral makeup brands i've tried in terms of coverage, packaging, ingredients, and finish. I am very happy with this and I'm sure there will soon be many very satisfied LM users once they get a color-match.
EDIT: While I love how this looks on my skin, I had to give up on it because it just melts off after blotting. I need a longer lasting foundation and found it in Guerlain Parure Extreme.