Review: Laura Mercier Illuminating TM, Oil-free Primer

Okay I caved, I got the Clarisonic!

I still haven't opened it yet, just in case I change my mind...but I'm excited, haha :D I'll just let it sit in a corner for a few days...lol

I've been hauling quite a few other things lately so there will be some new items to play with once they arrive. Right now I should probably catch up on reviewing what I have at the moment...


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Reviews

1. Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer with SPF20




I got a sample of this a month or so ago in Bare Radiance. The shade is sheer enough that it matches well with my NC25-ish skintone.

You can see the shimmer in the product here:




When blended it illuminates the skin:




The coverage is very minimal in this product. I barely noticed any improvement in my skin after application. The shimmer looked nice on my arm, but I found the illumination a bit too much in a face product. I have large pores around the t-zone, and the shimmer only drew more attention to the pores, making them seem larger. I didn't like the look overall as I felt it made my face look oily. I tried taking a couple of pictures, but my skin just looked bad because the shimmer was highlighting whatever skin problems I had so I deleted them lol.

When I got the sample, the SA warned me that it may be too illuminating and that I should mix it with moisturizer or foundation. I thought that sounded stupid at first but now I have to agree...It doesn't even give me enough coverage on its own anyway, so I think the shimmer would work better if it was mixed with other products.

If you are familiar with Everyday Minerals' Original-glo foundation, this product gives a similar effect. Back when I had much nicer skin, Original glo worked just fine and I was happy with the luminous glow it gave. However my skin hasn't been doing well this year so I switched to intensive and matte formulas from other brands. I noticed when I tried using Original glo again that it didn't work for me anymore, and emphasized my pores instead :(


Active ingredients:



I'm not a fan of how the SPF isn't photostable. The active ingredients shown on the tube list only octinoxate and avobenzone. I'm no expert on sunscreens but from what I've read, avobenzone is not photostable unless enough octocrylene is present to stabilize it. The SPF protection isn't going to last very long if it isn't photostable, . As this isn't a product where you can easily reapply it throughout the day, I don't see the point of trying to market SPF factor then.


Complete ingredients:

Bare Radiance:Octinoxate 7.50%, Avorbenzone 2.00%. Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Xylitylglucoside, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Hexyl Laurate, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Ascorbate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), XYlitol, Copper Gluconate, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, Tribehenin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate. (+/-): Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Mica, Tin Oxide.


Overall:

I think the product could still work well for people with better skin / smaller pore. I know someone else (I think it was Fuzkittie) tried it and it looked great on her. For me though, the shimmer only highlighted my pores and made me look oily when used all over. It would still make a great luminizer though if mixed in with foundation or moisturizer. Also it'd make a great subtle highlighter if applied on top of the cheekbones.


Price: 2/5 Expensive
Packaging: 5/5 Good, sanitary tube
Effectiveness: 2.5/5 Depends on your skintype. Best if you already have good skin
Would (re)purchase: No


2. Laura Mercier Oil-free Primer

I bought this back in the beginning of September because I still hadn't found a good water based primer yet. Chose this one over the hydrating primer since it was still listed as being for sensitive skin types (which seems to apply to me).




Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Stearic Acid, Isodecyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate, C22-20 Alcohols, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Esters, Phenoxyethanol, Boron Nitride, Silica, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Allantoin Tocopherol Acetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hamaelis Viginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Cucumis sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Retinyl Palmitate, Dimethicone, Polyamino Sugar Condesate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Chlorphensin, Benzoic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Saccharomyces/Xylium Black Tea Ferment, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Potassium Sorbate, Green 5 (CI 61570), Yellow 5 (CI 19140).

The product does still contain a bit of dimethicone but it feels a lot lighter than silicone based primers. The consistency resembles a lotion so applying it feels like you're just applying regular moisturizer. I wouldn't recommend skipping moisturizer though if you have drier skin like me.

I used it under my mineral makeup (both Buff'd and Everyday Minerals). It didn't do anything in terms of prepping my skin for makeup. Neither did it make the foundation last longer than usual. I can't say whether it helped prevent makeup from clogging pores, as I didn't use it long enough to find out. I wasn't satisfied with the performance so I decided to return it after a few uses as it costs quite a bit (CAD$45)


Overall:

Disappointing product. A lot of hype, but it seems to be just a moisturizer, nothing more, and not even a great moisturizer at that.

Price: 0/5 Expensive
Packaging: 5/5 Sanitary tube
Effectiveness: 1/5 Moisturized somewhat...
Would repurchase: No