Monday, October 20, 2008

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

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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:

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When blended it illuminates the skin:

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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:

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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).

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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

18 comments:

fuzkittie said...

Hehe, yes I did try it! I received it as a gift, and it looked okay on me. But I'm not a big TM person.. I stick to my liquid foundations. Never tried mixing it though..

I agree, the primer doesn't do much. I didn't get the oil free one, but it's still not hydrating enough to use without moisturizer. I think some smart person made up this "primer" thing just to make a load of money off of people who think it'll do something... hahaha. Man, I bet he's a billionaire now!! Though I do find primers that correct skin tone to be at least somewhat useful.

Unknown said...

I've always wanted to try LM but now I'm kinda glad I haven't, lol.

OOOOH the Clarsonic brush...!

AskMeWhats said...

awww this is perfect timing, I was just wondering about this and reading about Laura Mercier wanting to buy this, thanks for your review :)

Unknown said...

Oh boy oh boy! You have got me lemming that Tinted Moisturiser! Laura Mercier is so blooming expensie here!!! Argh!

Who know so much about all these ingredients!! You are a brain box!

Ling said...

Thanks for the review!

I thought it was gonna be a great product! But looking at your review, I think there are better products out there.

All in all, this was really helpful!

Thanks again!

XPPINKXX said...

THANKS FOR THE REVIEW

that is how i feel about all her products the whole line actually!!!..
i think her line is crap! horrible! and so EXPENSIVE for crap makeup!...and i will tell you why...when i was 1st looking for a tinted moisturizer i went to LM because i heard such raves about it...when i was home and went to go use it...it was so thick and gooey and it just was crap! that is why i went over to la mer and bought their tinted moisturizer instead (which i LOVE)

Then i wanted to try the concealer...the palette that has the two shades....IT WAS SO dry...it dragged on my skin!!!..and i have oily skin...

so bad....

The Faux Fashionista said...

LOL, nothing doesn't look good on Fuz! Woot I've been lusting after the Clarisonic but the price tag is ouch~! Looking forward to a review :)

cheryl said...

wow sounds like the return policy in canada's really good. i bought this 1 compact powder that i really hated but i couldn't return it cos the lady said she could tell that i went over the product with the sponge. WELL OF COURSE i did, otherwise i wouldn't have known that the product didn't work! anyway...u can see i'm still mad about it lol!

Tracy Roa said...

Thanks for your reviews! I've been contemplating on getting a tinted moisturizer now that the weather's colder and my skin is drier, so this was helpful. I recently purchased a Clarisonic, too, and I've been using it for about a week now. So far so good. I mainly wanted it b/c my skin was flaking and peeling really badly, and it seems to have helped with that. I'm still breaking out from other things, so I'm waiting to see if this will actually help with that.

Anonymous said...

a lot of overseas asian people seem to like LM, but guess its more cause of the name, and not for the product itself? or maybe it works for them over there? more humid...

Anyway I got the mascara today~ thanks again for sharing the code!
haven't tried it out...but excited to :P

sugabum said...

Woo hoo, you bought the Clarisonic! When you do the review, can you compare it to exfoliating with a toothbrush, that is, if you've done before? Looking forward to the review! The LMTM broke me out.

Angie said...

Awww sucks that both didn't really work for ya. I'm not a huge fan of Laura Mercier either. I only like her secret brightening powder.

YAY! I had a feeling you would end up buying it hehe. My mom does the same thing! She tries to not open packages and then she caves! I hope you do too =P.

jewels said...

I hope the OJ stain came out in the wash.

actually in those circumstances, b/c its good formal clothes, I'll be so mad the whole nite.

esp at weddings, there's alot of ppl, you gotta look presentable.

Anonymous said...

too bad they don't work out well for u. same case here, i can't handle anything tinted on face :(

Rae // theNotice said...

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Check my blog for details :)

Unknown said...

awwww i actually love the Laura Mercier Primer - well mine is the regualar Foundation Primer. It does me good =( Im sorry it didn't work out for you.

alien man?! said...

Despite the whiteheads, I def found Monistat to be a more effective primer than Laura Mercier. It didn't smooth out my skin or anything but I did feel like it gave me a protective layer of.. something sticky. I agree that you need to apply a moisturizer first. Good call on that one. It pulls at your skin when it dries.

Have you tried their oil-free foundation yet? It's the only liquid foundation that ever worked. The only thing is you HAVE to apply it with a wet sponge or it won't spread evenly. However, that definitely helps a little go a long way.

I'm thinking maybe I should minor in Sociology b/c it looks like I have a lot of making up to do so I might as well make the best of it ^^; Blargh, I need to talk to the advisor again -_- zomg hate it. That last meeting turned out just as bad as I thought it would - short of telling me to give up haha. Well, I dug myself this grave, so I might as well either lie in it or fill it back in. Wish me luck :)

Anonymous said...

I've never tried anything by Laura Mercier. Perhaps I should eh? :) Thanks for the reviews.

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