Tuesday, December 23, 2008

La Mer Fluid Tint

I finally caved early last month and bought the La Mer Fluid Tint due to the convincing reviews from Fei, Fuz, and Pink.

Photobucket


The saleslady said I would match the 02 Light so thats what I got. However I find it a tad too dark. I thought it being a tinted moisturizer it would blend in anyway but it doesn't really. Maybe I need to add some finishing powder on top to set it, as it may be oxidation that makes it go darker.

Besides that I find the shade too pink on my olive-yellow(?) complexion. Aside: I've noticed my skintone is extremely yellow! Almost all foundations I've tried turn out too pink on my face when compared with my neck :( I'm planning to get some yellow-tinted finishing powder from Silk Naturals to see if that helps.

Oh well. Anyway, the product comes in a handy tube so its sanitary and easy to apply on the go. (A pump would be even better but with this you can get every drop out). I liked that box came wrapped in plastic, so that you know it hasn't been opened or tampered with.

The product is somewhat thick and spreads nicely even on my skintype. Background on my skin: I never use tinted moisturizers or liquid foundations because they just don't spread evenly on the drier areas of my skin. Even Giorgio Armani's LSF doesn't work for me :( Until now the only thing that works is actually mineral foundation, because the powder smooths out the uneven areas. With La Mer though, its the first liquid coverage product that covers my skin without emphasizing the dry areas!

The coverage is sheer enough to look natural but much better than Laura Mercier's Tinted moisturizer which didn't do anything for me. It doesn't quite do the job for FOTDs, because of my ginormous t-zone pores, but for a quick natural look it works great.

Before
Photobucket

After
Photobucket


As you can see its not perfect coverage, you can still see the redness on my chin from old breakouts. However the redness and blotchiness around my cheeks are evened out. Pores are also minimized, though not completely.

Before
Photobucket

After
Photobucket


After some blush, eyeliner and mascara :P

Photobucket


The La Mer Tint does have drawbacks though. For instance, I find it tends to make my face a bit shiny. Maybe its just glowy and I'm not used to it, but in daylight it definitely looks a bit too shiny. Kinda obvious when you compare the neck and face area :/ Again, I probably need to try using some finishing powder on top to help with the shine and make it blend better with my skintone.

As for the SPF - this contains Avobenzone. I don't see any stabilizers like Octocrylene listed, so I don't think its photostable...I would apply a separate sunscreen under this if I wanted extra sun protection. If someone can tell me otherwise that'd be great, as I hate the fact it costs so much yet they couldn't be bothered to put proper sun protection in it.

Another thing I don't like is the heavy scent. It seems they went overboard with the fragrance when they formulated this product. The smell literally just hits you every time I use it. Good thing is after a while it fades away, or maybe I just stop noticing it.

The worst part of this product - the obscene Canadian price. Yes US $65 is expensive, but what about CAD$90*? Thats the difference being across the border makes :( . Buying this was really painful, so I'm definitely considering alternatives once this tube is done.

Overall
Great product but expensive. Buy only if you have drier skin and nothing else works for you, or if you have the cash to spare.


P.S. A very cheap tinted moisturizer I've tried is the Wet N Wild's version. I actually hated the colour match, it was way too pink/orange for me so it still sits in my traincase. Also it does contain mineral oil. However the few times I used it the pore coverage was simply amazing...I just wish they'd do more shades and replace the mineral oil.

13 comments:

iamgrape1119 said...

...YOUR SKIN IS ALREADY BEAUTIFUL THOUGH!! It's not fair!!!! LOL! I would LOVE to just throw on some TM and call it a day, but unfortunately I need some SERIOUS coverage.

Thanks for this very thorough review hun! Happy holidays!

Anonymous said...

That tones down the redness/rudiness of your skin. That looks like the right shade to me-- 01 is for really pale alabaster skin. you could even go a tad darker to blend in with your yellow undertones.

Anonymous said...

yow! its 90 canadian? but then again i shouldn't be so surprised because the cremes are expensive~
love the comparison of the before and after though. if i had your skin, it would totally make me ignore the price and get it!
i didn't know that WnW made tints. interesting...i have seen some products i have never seen before on blogs...but haven't actually looked into it at drugstores.

anyway how are you holding up in this weather? can you believe all the snow we are getting?! lol
merry christmas or happy holidays :)

AskMeWhats said...

I did see a GLOW!!! I think it has a good coverage base on photos.. :)

MiuMiu said...

holy crap that's expensive! did you buy it from holt renfrew? damn their mark ups
how about bb creams? have you tried those?
great review!

Anonymous said...

ooh another la mer review
i am so back and forth on this stuff XD

fuzkittie said...

Eh can't expect great coverage from a TM.. but it doesn't look bad on you at all. I think the color matches quite well too.. at least from the photos. I wouldn't go without a proper sunscreen any day no matter how great of sun protection my foundation has.

cheryl said...

hi blu, happy holidays! milan did get some snow earlier, but it didn't stick...
thanks for this review. my mom has this tinted moisturiser. i remember swatching it on the back of my hand and didn't feel like i needed to purchase it right away. but i can see it really smoothed our your skin. are u gonna keep this?

Grayburn said...

It looks like light coverage but great for wintry days and less makeup days. Ouch, the price with La Mer products! I do love the cream though!

Merry x'mas!
Grayburn

Angie said...

I think it looks great on you! I love using this when I'm in a hurry or I don't need as much coverage. I find it works quite well in the summer time. I have combo skin, and honestly, all foundations and TM get oily on me. So this is just about the same as others for me.

Light 02 is my match too. I think it seems to match you quite well!

I always use sunscreen under this.

mayaari said...

maybe the camera flash is too bright, but from the photos it looks like the shade is a good match. your cheeks do look more even :) and using a tinted powder on top to set it/balance out the pink would do well to even out any spots that the TM wasn't able to really cover.

Bombchell said...

ive never tried anything la mer, i guess ill add it to my to try list

♡ Nic Nic ♡ said...

thanks for the review!! i dont think ill be rushing out to buy it... the tag is still a little too high. I think it look naturally good on your skin tho!!

Oh yeah the disney face powder... i saw it on asos one time... then i went back it was gone... then i rechecked another time, and it mysteriously came back! very weird!! i only bought it last week though. are you sure it's not there??? yeah they dont sell it in Japan anymore, just the newer season which is a shame really!

ill def create a look with that palette!! :D

Blog Widget by LinkWithin