Armani Luminous Silk Liquid Foundation Archives

Hello Friends! Several weeks ago, I stumbled upon a sample of the La Mer Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation and I was really impressed with it. Before that, I think I may have only tried a few La Mer products, like their famous Creme de la Mer and their Moisturizing Soft Cream (reviewed HERE). But when it comes to La Mer makeup, the last one I’ve tried and reviewed was the limited-edition La Mer The Bronzing Powder (read HERE), after that, I don’t think I’ve talked about La Mer items lately until I tried the amazing Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation sample which was kind of life-changing for me.

I wasn’t really on the market for new foundations but since trying the La Mer Soft Fluid Foundation, I felt like I’ve got to have more of it. Since then, I also got curious about their Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation and have read good reviews about it. So, here’s a side by side comparison and contrast of two of La Mer’s bestselling foundations.

The Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation SPF 20 + Refill in Warm Vanilla ($120) – This cushion in Warm Vanilla is definitely meant for light skin with warm undertone. On my skin, I don’t find it to be very warm or too golden, but more like a subtle one. The cushion itself has the same scent as the Creme de la Mer but perhaps slightly milder. It has a really lightweight feel on the skin, to the point that it almost feels like not having anything on the face. It has has a natural to dewy finish that doesn’t make your face look flat or cakey. Also, there is no need to dip the sponge applicator that hard on the cushion because there is a lot of product in this sleek compact. Since the coverage of this foundation can go from medium to full, you only need to lightly tap the sponge applicator to your face. I really love the no-mess fuss-free application of this, and I find the finish to be very complementing on my skin, it’s kinda like a second skin that lasts the whole day without giving me any breakouts and I get lots of compliment whenever I use this cushion. Most of the feedbacks I typically get are from people saying they like the way my skin looks, or that it looks more even and almost poreless and flawless. Can you imagine? LOL! I also love the fact that it’s so easy to take this cushion to my travels and it’s perfect for a quick foundation application or a retouch. On top of that, it’s great to use as an everyday foundation for that minimal “no makeup” makeup look, and though it’s pricey, I’m glad that there’s a refill and an additional sponge applicator included in its packaging. Overall, this La Mer Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation is definitely now in my holy grail list, but I feel like I also wanna test the Cle de Peau one which I heard is also good, and I’ll be giving you my two cents of the La Prairie Skin Caviar Essence-In Foundation (seen HERE) when compared to these two high-end cushion compacts. In fact, since I’ve been loving the cushions lately, I’ll be reviewing my favorite cushion foundations both high-end and drugstore pretty soon here on the blog. So stay tuned for that guys.

The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation SPF 20 in Shell 11 (1 oz: $120) – The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation sample shade that I’ve tried several weeks ago was called Natural 12 which really fits me well, but it did kinda pull a little too warm on me, so I got the regular size in Shell 11 shade which is meant for light skin with cool undertone and this shade seems perfect on me. My skin right now tends to have a neutral to cool undertone although I can still pull a mildly warm undertone like the Warm Vanilla shade of the La Mer cushion above, it just all depends on the product’s pigment, its tendency to oxidize with time, and of course the season. So far, with these two La Mer foundations, I haven’t noticed any extreme oxidation, and if there is, it’s probably very light. So back to this Soft Fluid Foundation, I find this to be very liquidy and very light, which kinda reminds me of the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (reviewed HERE) or the Dior Forever Perfect Foundation (seen HERE). These are the type of foundations that are weightless, set well, and almost feel like second skin. The La Mer Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation doesn’t settle into fine lines and doesn’t make you look like you packed on a ton of makeup. It has a soft luminous glow to it, kinda like a lit-from-within finish yet still very natural and the packaging is really luxurious with a heavy weighted glass material. The coverage of this foundation is medium and can be layered. I really don’t need to apply much of this on my face and I only dab a little bit of setting powder on top of it just to set the foundation well. My top favorites for setting powders are HERE. In total, I find this foundation to be very long-wearing and it stays on my face throughout the day without making it look too oily. However, this does have a weird alcohol scent blended along with its typical La Mer cream fragrance which really doesn’t seem to be so enticing to my senses, but apart from that, this foundation gives a nice youthful finish to the skin, giving you that “your skin but better” effect, blurring all the fine lines, blemishes, pores, and some other imperfections.

Final words, I love both of these foundations, but I think I may be slightly biased towards the Luminous Lifting Cushion because it’s easy for traveling and it’s perfect for a mess-free foundation application. As for the Soft Fluid, I adore its skin-perfecting effect, but the smell can be too much at times and it’s not ideal for traveling because of its heavy glass packaging. Both foundations are expensive but they’re totally worth it for their natural luminous skin effect or that effortless lit-from-within glow that lasts the whole day. They don’t slide off the face and they are definitely long-wearing. Because of these reasons, I think these foundations might be the best I’ve tried so far.

Have you tried these already? What do you think of the La Mer Makeup line in general?

The La Mer Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation SPF 20 and The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation are currently available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Harrods, Selfridges, and Net-A-Porter

Pink Jade Roller is from Amazon
Fenty Beauty Foundation Brush 110 is available HERE, reviewed HERE
An Inspired Life Book Journal is from Anthropologie
My Favorite Essie Gel Couture Nail Colors are swatched HERE

Hi guys! A few months ago I did a roundup post of my favorite loose setting powders, you can check it out HERE. This post is a continuation of that, but this time, we’ll be talking about my favorite compact powders. Some of these powders may be meant as compact powder foundations or as pressed powders, but I tend to use them as my setting/finishing powder since I mostly rely on liquid or cream foundations for good coverage. Yet, there’s also a few that I really like to use which are good as worn-alone sheer everyday foundations for whenever I have good skin days.

Excited to see which products made it to my list of faves? Read below.

High-End

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Powder Foundation in #4.5 (0.31 oz: $62) – This is the powder version of the award-winning Armani Luminous Silk Liquid Foundation (reviewed HERE) and it’s as good as it gets. This may not have a full medium coverage as the liquid one since this goes a bit sheer, yet this is very buildable it can really stand as a powder foundation alone. This powder is so soft and smooth, oil-free, and feels really creamy and very weightless. I tend to use this as a setting powder and it does a good job at setting my foundation, especially whenever I use the Luminous Silk Liquid. The finish is subtly luminous and quite natural, and it doesn’t make my face look flat. It is pricey though but it’s worth having and it stays on for hours.

Giorgio Armani Neo Nude Fusion Powder in #4 (0.12 oz: $58) – I am absolutely crazy in love with this glowy finishing powder. It is great to use with just about any foundation to achieve that radiant look, and it’s also perfect to balance and set a matte foundation so as not to look very flat. If worn alone, this makes for a perfect glassy skin effect, which is sheer yet glowy, radiant and youthful but not super blinding and over-the-top. I love how this makes my skin look luminous for everyday makeup look.

Tom Ford Illuminating Powder in 01 Translucent (0.21 oz: $79) – I was a bit wary when I got this powder because it looks a little too bright and too yellowish for my taste, but this actually goes on as a true sheer and translucent powder with a brightening effect. It’s perfect for the undereyes or to set any type of foundation since this doesn’t leave any flashback and it feels super fine. The finish of this a bit matte so it does a good job of controlling shine on the face as well. The packaging is also TDF.

Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Matte Powder Foundation in 100 Warm – Been buying this for a long time and this has always been my preferred overall face powder due to its soft sheer consistency with good coverage and soft-matte finish that lasts a long time without making my face look flat and cakey. The packaging also looks luxe and elegant with a nice sponge applicator where you can apply this powder wet or dry. However, lately, it’s been difficult for me to get my hands on this since this compact has been sold out everywhere. I hope this gets restocked soon.

Chanel Le Teint Ultra Tenue Ultrawear Flawless Compact Foundation SPF 15 in 30 Beige (0.45 oz: $60) – This is one of those foundation powders that are just all-around so good in every aspect. This goes on as creamy and smooth and it smells divine. The finish of this is velvety-matte but it doesn’t make the face look flat, and it truly has a buildable medium coverage that feels weightless and simply blurring. It may be perfect as a worn-alone powder foundation, but this also does a good job at setting the makeup and controlling shine for hours while protecting the skin due to its sunscreen ingredient. This also has a nice soft sponge for a flawless application.

Drugstore

Maybelline Super Stay Better Skin Powder in 25 Nude Beige (0.32 oz: $10.99) – This is the drugstore dupe of the Chanel Le Teint Ultra Tenue Flawless Compact Foundation above and it’s also pretty good. I love how this powder incorporates skincare with its salicylic acid ingredient, and this is also oil-free, non-comedogenic with a natural to matte finish. This provides a pretty good sheer to medium coverage and this has a sponge applicator as well, but it’s not as soft as Chanel and it doesn’t wear as well as Chanel’s, so you’re still gonna need a blotting paper after 3-4 hours of using this if you’re the oily type. However, this is the next best thing to the Chanel Compact Foundation and this gets the job done whether as a stand-alone foundation or as a setting powder.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Pressed Powder in 30 Light-Medium (0.34 oz: $12.99) – This has always been my go-to drugstore pressed powder for just about anything, from setting my makeup to oil-control and frequent retouches, I couldn’t count how many times I’ve repurchased this ever since I was younger. This actually used to have SPF in it which I love but now it doesn’t, which is a bummer. I mainly use this as a blotting powder for my oily-prone skin and this never caused any breakout, though I still have to use blotting papers from time to time. I love how sheer and light this is and when used as setting powder, this never cakes. The new formula of this compact is now blended with antioxidants.

L’oreal Infallible Pro-Glow Powder in 23 Nude Beige (0.31 oz: $12.99) – This is a duo compact finishing powder with the top half being glowy and can be used as a highlighter, while the bottom half is matte-ish and can be used as a setting powder. When combined, they give a nice very subtle luminous effect to set the makeup. It may not have the same glowy and radiant-effect as the Armani Neo Nude Fusion Powder above, but this is a nice good affordable alternative.

When choosing between a loose finishing/setting powder versus a compact setting powder, I think I have my preference towards the compact ones because they’re less messy to use and they travel well. What are your favorite setting powders? Do you also prefer the compact ones?

Reviews and Other Stuff

Armani Luminous Silk Liquid Foundation

La Mer The Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation SPF 20 & The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation SPF 20 Review

Favorite Compact Setting Powders

reviewsandotherstuff