Laura Geller • Balance-n-Brighten • Powder

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ohudsono on 5/31/2012 10:30:00 PM more reviews by ohudsono

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I'm in love! So far my fav powder. I have this in the lighter shade and use it daily. For a light natural look I apply over TM. It has enough coverage to even out skin tones and cover spots without looking cakey. I also use it over foundation as a setting powder and may touch up once a day if I'm going out after work. There is a lot of product in the compact and a little goes a long way. My only complaint is that I prefer to apply with a brush, which makes this powder something I keep at home instead of throwing in my purse.

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VitaminLove on 4/27/2012 10:14:00 AM more reviews by VitaminLove

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I got this in medium from the Toast on the town kit. I vary from a NC25-NC-35 (I tan) and like every kit this is in a medium. I agree with other people the color tone does change a little as you use it because of the swirls. I use it with the spackle and its a great powder foundation. Comming from severe acne to now at a light-medium break out, this does a wonderful job covering up most of my scars that i have. I also have oily skin and this deosnt slide off my face. This has lasted me quite awhile, because i change my foundation a lot, and im usually a liquid girl but when I need a matte finish, and a tanner look minus the sparkly bronzer i grab this. When I need a fuller coverage I use a sponge (and I hate sponges) but when i use this as a regular powder on a liquid foundation i use my MAC 187 (it did stain my brush but its a MAC lite so i dont really mind) overall for the price i would buy it again and im suprised i liked it so much because im 18 and i figured LG was a "older" brand lol but it is quite expensive but it lasted me 6 months so far.

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anabelbalt on 4/21/2012 3:57:00 PM more reviews by anabelbalt

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I have combination to normal skin, fair with freckels.
After watching a youtube review about a few Laura Galler items I knew I wanted to try this product very bad. I was able to get my hands on this until 3-4 days ago and could not be happier.
The good:
1. Looks so natural yet so flawless. Deff.. gives your makeup a final fabulous touch.
2. It has a shine to it but it is very minimal, looks like you are glowing within.
3. It really balances things out, I use color correctors because of my dark brown spots, occasional redness, and even under eye circles and before I started using this product I could kind of see, specially under natural light, the areas I decided to color correct even before my foundation and had a sort of uneven look when it comes to color. I apply this even after my loose hd powder and can really see a difference.
4. When I feel like giving my face a day off from heavy make up all I have to do is apply this and it gives you very decent coverage with the same glow and polished finish.
The 'not' so good:
1. All I can see so far is that it may not be as favorable for people with super fair skin(although I believe they have this in 'fair') as for people who's skin color is more on the med skin color.
2. People with lots of freckels (my case), once you have concealed or color corrected your brown spots and setted this with powder,I can see that they kind of pop up again to be more visible after applying this. What I do is after applying balance n brighten I go back with a yellow corrector powder and go over my freckeled areas which is under my eyes around my cheek area and nose!

I will be buying this again!

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*TOP REVIEWER* heathermrm on 4/16/2012 11:23:00 AM more reviews by heathermrm

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

In my ongoing quest to replace one of my HG foundations (EM pressed powder in Fairly Light - the version in the white plastic compact) that has been d/c which sucks!! I have emailed the company several times over the past 6 months and while they say they do plan on bringing it back, they don't know when.....sigh....


I decided to give this much higher priced pressed powder foundation a whirl in addition to a few others (Palladio, NYX, Avon Smooth Minerals - see separate reviews)


I am NC 15 (for those of you not familiar w/ EM). I purchased in Fair at Ulta for around $30.


The bar to be met is VERY high: I am looking for highly pigmented (to cover my slight/blushing rosacea), non-drying, easily blendable, reasonable $ (this product fails here), long lasting/wearing. This meets all my criteria EXCEPT the price and the fact I need to perform 2 steps for best application (see below). Also as w/ all my mu, I do set w/ Urban Decay All Nighter (f/k/a Skindinavia Dance!) and w/ this, it does last 12 hours, but I haven't tried w/out the UD All Nighter = I cannot comment on how long-lasting it is w/out. I may try this in the near future tho and if so, will update.


I have applied both using my EM flat brush and my slightly dampened BeautyBlender sponge. I find I get the best coverage if I use the EM brush first and f/u w/ the BB on my more troublesome spots 2nd.


I will continue to use this up, but due to price and the fact I have to use 2 steps to get the coverage level I want, I will probably not re-purchase.


UPDATE 04/21/12 - the more I use this, the less coverage and color pay-off I get - its weird. I'm finding the Avon to have a lot more of each now = I am going to return this and deducting 1 lippie now...

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*TOP REVIEWER* underage on 4/10/2012 2:09:00 PM more reviews by underage

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I have this product in the color tan. At first I did not like this product because I do not usually wear powder foundation. It does not offer a lot of coverage. I tried it over my liquid foundation and I love it! It smooths everything out and gives my skin a glowy look. I definitely prefer this product to MAC MSF. It looks so natural and not cakey at all. I'm not sure if I would repurchase because it is very expensive. I'm definitely going to check out more products by Laura Geller next time I'm at Ulta!

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cocoanlace on 3/23/2012 3:39:00 PM more reviews by cocoanlace

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I use the Balance n Brighten foundation in medium (or regular). I like the coverage and the flattering shade and find it comparable to the original Bare Minerals line by another maker. I was brushing B n B on over the Laura Geller Spackle and her Real Deal concealer which looked nice the first hour but later looked caked once the dust settled so to speak. (I use a magnifying mirror to see up close!) So I have recently begun to not use actual rubbing brush strokes to apply it. Instead, I pounce the loaded brush all over my face to distribute the foundation. I think that by doing it this way, the somewhat moist Spackle and Real Deal concealer layer is less disturbed and less likely to cake.

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*TOP REVIEWER* skelterhelter on 3/12/2012 11:42:00 AM more reviews by skelterhelter

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I bought Laura Geller's Balance & Brighten based on Emilynoel83's youtube review. I absolutely LOVE this product. It resembles a lot of mineral powders (think MAC's mineralized skinfinishes, except not like a giant glitter bomb). I swirl my MAC 129 brush in the powder and dust it on my face, focusing on the redness around my nose and cheeks. OK, a little backstory: I first tried out this product in Ulta a few months ago when I'd originally heard about the powder. The shade "Fair" was a perfect match and concealed all of my redness and imperfections, giving me a bright, airbrushed glow on my face. However, I didn't have the money to purchase, so I went on my merry way. When I went back to the store, tax return money in hand, the only shade they had left was "Medium". I tried a little on in the store and it seemed fine (damn that flattering lighting!), but when I got home and tried the product again it seemed too tan for my skin. Also, it doesn't seem to have the same effect on my skin. Hmm. So, to make a long story short, Medium really is a lot darker than you might think. I think I need to exchange. However, if you get the right shade for your skintone, you will be very pleased with this product. Fair is definitely a winner in my book :)

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rainbowj63 on 3/3/2012 8:40:00 PM more reviews by rainbowj63

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I have recently returned to this after using cream foundation for awhile and becoming unhappy with how it clogs around my crinkly eye area, and settles in my wrinkles. My skin is pretty good for my age but I forgot how good this product is, and the biggest plus is so much quicker, am looking younger since have gone back to it and no accentuating my crinkly eyes !!! Love it, no its not cheap unless you get lucky on ebay but it last ages cant recommend it enough my teenage daughter uses it too and her skin has improved no end since she began. Love it.

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jtg1968 on 2/22/2012 2:59:00 AM more reviews by jtg1968

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I ran across this powder when raiding my sister's makeup stash, and immediately went to Ulta to purchase my own. I'm NC25, and I chose the Fair shade, which matches nicely. I have used this both as a finishing powder and on its own as a foundation, the latter of which I prefer because I find it looks more natural--not to mention quicker. Using a primer underneath is essential, and Laura's Spackle works best with this foundation. I don't use her brush to apply--use a Real Techniques stippling brush--, but I find it lasts all day and doesn't feel like foundation (as all liquids do) or end up all over my vanity like BM. I put a little on a retractable blush brush to take with me for touch ups, but find I rarely need it. Even covers up the redness on my nose and doesn't settle into fine lines around my eyes.

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*TOP REVIEWER* stephani99 on 2/21/2012 3:45:00 PM more reviews by stephani99

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Other, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

My hope was this would be like Smashbox Halo in pressed form, or perhaps similar to MAC MSFN without the Bismuth I'm allergic to. I have normal to dry skin and wanted something in that genre, an "illumnating or brightening" powder of sorts in a compact for touchups when I can't haul around that ginormus Halo compact.


I have this in Fair (@NC20) and it matches perfectly but needs to be applied with a light hand if you have dry skin like I do or it can run to the chalky side. EDIT: make that the 'extremely chalky side' to the point of making me look 10yrs older and settling into every fine line I have, which isn't even that many. Not pretty Laura, sorry my friend but this simply will not cut it and I am sad. I tried to use a brush to apply instead of a puff or sponge to alleviate this problem; nope. Looks the same, just a lighter coating of chalk :( It can also illuminate any dry spots you've got if you haven't exfoliated well first AND you don't blend this well when applying. Also, I think it oxidizes orange on me after a couple hours which also is not attractive. However, it gets one point because I used under my eyes without concealer, over a primer (the new Revlon Photoready Perfecting) and was amazed at how well it covered the bit of darkness I had there without caking which allowed me to skip concealer. As for the rest, it just doesn't look good on me no matter what I do, primer, no primer, brush or no brush. I'm just too dry I guess, bummer. I saw no brightening effect, but no breakouts or allergic reactions either at least. I now know it will not replace my beloved Halo as a setting powder nor is it the powder foundation I wish it was so I'm taking it back to Ulta and going back to my Mark Powder Buff which somehow, looks really good on my skin where others don't regardless of how much they cost. Go figure.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

RianneS on 2/16/2012 3:39:00 PM more reviews by RianneS

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I had extremely high hopes for this product, but I don't believe it works for my skin type. First, the color regular (which I bought) is a bit too dark for me, but the color fair is WAY too light. When I use this alone as a foundation it doesn't do much of anything for my skin. So I wear it after I apply my liquid foundation and concealer, and use it as a setting powder. To me it seems to do the exact same thing my cheap setting powder did. It doesn't brighten, or color correct my skin in any way. I certainly won't be repurchasing this product and only recommend this to those who don't need much coverage and have combination/oily skin, since it is very powdery, and I can imagine would accentuate any dry patches.

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midgetcoconut on 2/12/2012 11:37:00 PM more reviews by midgetcoconut

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I love baked swirly things (I'm an absolute sucker for MAC Mineralized Skinfinishes) so I was pretty excited to try this out. I'm perhaps a tad lighter than a MAC NC/NW20 and I bought this in Fair.

The coverage is great - never looks cakey or unnatural but covers up unevenness and if you stipple it over blemishes it pretty much hides them so when I use this I don't need a separate concealer. Depending on how much you apply, it can give a low to medium coverage. It does look "glowy", but in a nice, subtle way and not a "shiny disco ball" way.

In terms of staying power, it's pretty good. My face eats up makeup during the day and usually gets reasonably oily on the T-zone by lunch time. When I removed this with a makeup wipe at night, a lot of it showed up on the wipe. My T-zone still gets a tiny bit oily with this on but a quick blot at lunch time with oil blotting paper does the trick.

The only complaint I have is that the colour is slightly too dark and ever so slightly too yellow for my skin (which has neutral undertones). Porcelain (the lightest colour in the range) looks almost white so I think it will be too light for me. I've been trying to remedy this by sweeping my Laneige pressed powder on top which seems to adjust the colour just enough for it not to look noticeable.

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ppannacci on 2/12/2012 7:42:00 PM more reviews by ppannacci

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I've never really had the urge to write a review... until now. Wow! Do I love this foundation! I'm 41 years of age, with combination/acne-prone skin, STILL! At 41, needless to say my 'glow' is not what it used to be. But with this foundation powder, it's back!!! And without looking oily! It's the next step following my sunscreen. And following a day of wear, I still look great!, if I do say so myself! ;) I'm encouraged to try more of her 'baked goodies!' :) Drats, that HSN!!! Hope it works for you, too!!! :)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

MissPeony on 1/23/2012 12:13:00 AM more reviews by MissPeony

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

The color of this foundation was just off for me (I'm NC30 and I used the regular balance-n-brighten). I have fairly oily skin that tends to get shiny in the middle of the day and I could see the foundation deteriorating as the day progressed. It looked better after a layer of Mally's face defender but for $30+ I expect a foundation that will perform better. This product went back.

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ErikaP3 on 1/18/2012 4:34:00 PM more reviews by ErikaP3

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I use this peoduct every day. I have pretty fair skin and don't need a lot of coverage. I take a wide powder brush and swirl it all around face. Its is enough coverage to make me look awake and brigthen my skin tone. This is a great product.

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ADPang on 12/23/2011 11:22:00 PM more reviews by ADPang

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

For the price I am probably not going tp repurchase. It's okay, it is very light but it'a soo light that you really can't see a difference. Does it balance? NO Does it Brighten? NO. I have red on my cheeks and around my nose and it didn't even out the tone of my face. I use it as a setting powder. The good thing is . . this product didn't break me out or look cakey over the other products.

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*TOP REVIEWER* JChrisBee on 12/6/2011 10:57:00 PM more reviews by JChrisBee

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I tried the balance & brighten in medium that came with the Toast of the Town Kit (you can see my review for that). This powder matched my skin tone perfectly and did not cake on me at all. In fact, I layered it on under my eyes, and this is where most mineral powders will really accentuate any lines under my eyes and make me look 10 years older. Those are the pros for this powder. The major con is that it wears off very quickly. We're talking two hours and that's wearing it over LG's Spackle. At the end of the day, my skin looked naked and hardly ANY color came off on my cleansing cloth. The blush in mimosa also wore off completely just as quick.

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hotpa2d on 11/14/2011 11:21:00 PM more reviews by hotpa2d

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Went in to Ulta today because I had been wanting to try this forever. I am fair skinned, oily most of the time, and I religiously use Jergens Natural Glow facial moisturizer, which gives me a nice, slight color. That being said, I think the Fair color matches very well. (If I didn't use the facial tanner, I think this color may be a bit too dark for me) I really love how this powder/foundation is chalky and airy when applied. It really does give me nice coverage, and I can control how much coverage I want in different areas. I use it with my favorite Revlon ColorStay powder in Light/Medium for a very polished look. I am very impressed with this product, and wil continue to use it.

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vswirl07 on 11/11/2011 12:35:00 AM more reviews by vswirl07

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I love this stuff and I love that its made in Italy and not China. It lasts FOREVER. You dont need alot and it buffs great into the skin. I will continue to buy this!

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jessadores on 10/29/2011 4:49:00 AM more reviews by jessadores

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I had really wanted to try this for a long time and finally gave in. I usually use BE matte foundation, which is good, I just wanted to try something new. I got the shade fair and I am about a NC25 and its a perfect match for me. It might be too yellow for people with different undertones. The powder is very fine which is nice, but then there is a lot of fall out, which is not nice. It comes in a dome shape because it baked and there is already a dent in the dome and I've only been using it less than a week. I've worn it for up to 9 hours and it still looked pretty good and I have combo skin. If I had better skin it would be great, because it really does balance. I did not notice any brightening effect. However I have hyperpigmentation and this just does nothing for it. I understand that its not going to be full-coverage, but some days I want a lighter foundation (and I'm in a hurry) and use powder. So in comparison to BE matte and even a Milani powder foundation I have, it does not stack up. It has very little coverage for something that is supposed to be a foundation. My Mac MSFN and Physicians Formula powders, not foundations just powders, have more coverage than this. To sum up, the fall-out factor, little coverage and high-price makes this not worth it (For me at least).

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