Laura Mercier Loose Powder Review

When the Laura Mercier loose powders first came out, I was excited about them just as I am with any new makeup release. But when a product gets so much hype as this did, it makes me step back a little bit and think that it might not be worth it. These are not very affordable powders and after thinking it over, I didn’t see that they were necessarily worth such a high price and decided I was fine without it. They just released their new Glow version, along with its own brush. Influenster sent these to me in a VoxBox for this release and I finally got to see what I’ve (maybe) been missing.

Let’s start with the original, the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. I only have the travel size which is listed at $23 for .33 oz of product. The full size comes with 1 oz and retails for $38. However, the travel size comes with a mini velour puff. I believe when you purchase the full size, you have to buy the puff separately for an extra $15. I do really think the puff makes a huge difference in application, but I also think there’s other options available that aren’t as overpriced.

There are a lot of powders rumored to be dupes of this, but the one I’ve stuck to for years is the Elf HD Powder. It’s much more affordable coming in at $6, although it does have a lot less product -- only .28 oz. It’s always looked gorgeous on the skin and left me satisfied enough to not look for a replacement.

This powder claims to set the makeup without adding any extra weight or texture. It’s supposed to absorb oil and control shine for 12 hours. For best application, they suggest gently pressing and rolling the powder into the skin with the puff. I’ve tried many different application methods with this powder and I can say that pressing and rolling definitely provides the most flawless finish.

What stood out to me the most about this powder is the shade. It claims to be translucent, but I do notice the slightest amount of yellow to it. However, it does completely set into the skin without adding any color. It leaves behind the most beautiful finish and I have noticed it keep my face more matte longer than other loose powders that I’ve used. A little bit does go a long way, so I’m hoping to stretch this little bottle of it as much as I can.
Their new Glow powder comes in at the same weight and cost of the original Translucent Loose Setting powder. They have a lot of the same claims, just with a luminous finish instead of matte. Y’all know I want to make my oily skin self look as matte as possible, but seeing how impressed I was with the original powder I felt brave enough to give this a fair shot.

I tried this with a few different application methods, including their new Glow Powder Brush. The powder brush retails for $38. Not only would I never pay such a price for a brush, but I also just don’t really understand the design of this one. It wasn’t horrible because I was still able to get the product on my face and it did feel really soft. But I have other brushes in my collection that were only a fraction of that cost and they worked just as good.

This powder had the same consistency as the original and I could see that it helped to blur my pores, but the glitter was so distracting. If it’s applied in a very light layer, I could see where this might be able to provide a nice natural glow to the skin. But I found it difficult to get that perfect application, so my attention was drawn to the glitter specks it left all around my face.
Below you can see a comparison between the two powders. The original is on the left and the new glow version is on the right. They are noticeably different in color, but don’t appear that way on the skin aside from the different finishes they leave behind. It’s hard to capture the glitter in a photo because it’s so fine and has to catch the light in just the right way. They both have the same consistency and feel identical on the skin.
Overall, I can’t say that I would recommend the glow powder because I feel like it has a bit too much glitter in it. I could see it even being too much for someone with dry skin. It’s just not as natural and effortless as I was hoping it would be. I was also kinda hoping that I wasn’t going to like the original version either, but I fell in love with it and now I’m stuck paying $38 for a powder because it’s so beautiful. It leaves the skin looking absolutely flawless! It’s almost impossible to explain, it’s just one of those things that you have to experience to fully understand.

If you can find the travel size of the original powder, I’d definitely recommend picking it up. It doesn’t take much to make the skin look perfect, so I can see this lasting a very long time even though it doesn’t come with as much product. I also really appreciate that it came with a mini puff because it definitely makes a huge difference!

If you found this review helpful, please feel free to share it using one of the buttons below. If you have any other questions, leave them for me in the comments! Have you tried this new glow powder yet? What is your favorite loose powder?

~Mani Monday~
Since we just entered into Fall, I’m wearing one of my favorite jewel tones on my nails this week. It’s by Revlon and is called High Stakes. This line of polishes does have a slight curve to the brush, which is nice, but it’s still almost too small of a brush to notice any real difference during application. I only own one other ColorStay Gel Envy polish and they are pretty good, although I don’t notice any difference with these having a ‘gel-like’ formula compared to regular polishes.
What’s on your nails this week?

~Christina~

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