I’ve heard great reviews from some fellow beauty editors and friends about the Laura Mercier Foundation Makeup and wanted to test it out for myself. As a pale skinned natural redhead, I’m usually the lightest shade in most foundation brands, and always make sure there are no yellow undertones which make me look sallow.
In looking on the web charts of both foundation types, the Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Foundation and the Flawless Lumiere Radiance-Perfecting Foundation, I saw that I would be color ICO Cameo in both. I really appreciate when brands keep the same color codes across different foundation finishes. In looking at photos of the bottles above, I realize they don’t look like they’d both work for the same person…but they do.
Which finish to use? Putting them to the test.
In looking at the swatches, you can see that the Ultra-Longwear (left) is cooler and the Lumiere Radiance (right) is warmer. When I saw them side by side, I immediately assumed that the Longwear (cooler) would work better with my skin tone. But when I tested on my jaw line I was pleasantly surprised at how they both blended well with my skin tone. So I proceeded to fully try them out and applied the Long wear on the left side of my face, and the Lumiere on the right and get people’s opinions. My husband liked the cooler Longwear better, as he liked the matte finish. We then went to dinner at a local neighborhood restaurant where they know us well, and I asked our favorite waitress her opinion. She said she liked the Radiance (warmer) side better because she thought my skin looked dewier and warmer, and she said it covered up my undereye shadow better than the other one. This is most likely due to its light reflecting formula. I asked two of the waiters and neither one could see any difference.
My verdict? Both! Here’s why.
Both foundations go on beautifully and look natural, so it really depends on which kind of finish you prefer. Both formulas are medium to full coverage and are long lasting. The Ultra-Longwear is oil-free, and because my skin is dry, I’ll use a heavy duty cream moisturizer with this one. With the Lumiere-Radiance formula I can use a lightweight moisturizer. I’ll be wearing them both. In cold weather, when I always use a heavy moisturizer, I’ll wear the oil-free Longwear formula and enjoy the matte finish which is a bit more polished looking on me. I prefer that look with heavier winter clothing. Once the summer rolls around, I prefer lightweight moisturizers and I’ll wear the Lumiere-Radiance which gives me a warmer and dewier complexion which I prefer with summer fashions.
Try both these formulas in your color and let me know what you think.
