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

January 24, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

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

La Mer The Bronzing Powder Review + Swatches

May 10, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello guys! Happy Thursday to you all. My apologies for being kind of MIA lately. I’ve been down with a pretty strong cold and I didn’t wanna risk writing a review while being heavily medicated. LOL. God knows what I might have said, right? Anyhow, I got this really interesting La Mer product that I wanna talk about. It’s been released recently and it’s a limited-edition. The last time I check, this particular product is almost slowly getting sold out. Now that’s something. The latest La Mer The Bronzing Powder ($85) is a sight to behold. A vision in soft powdery pink and champagne waves embossed on a matte tan bronzer and encased inside a beautiful rose-gold pearly white compact. The packaging looks glam and luxurious though it can feel a bit delicate. The top half/cover of the compact can be used as a mirror since it’s quite reflective even though it actually houses a real mirror underneath once you flip it open.

According to La Mer, this bronzing powder is meant to feel like a silky pressed powder that is infused with their famous Miracle Broth and is designed to give you that sun-kissed glow. According to my first impression, this bronzer gave me some mixed feelings. When I tried it at my local La Mer counter, I noticed that it had a very pleasant scent that’s typical of most La Mer skincare products, but this bronzer has some strong powdery notes to it, which I actually love and I could have just purchased it just for the scent alone, but I wanted to check if the product applies as beautifully as it looks on the compact. The La Mer S.A. gave me two brushes, one was a powder brush and one was a brush with more dense bristles. I first used the powder brush and swirled it around this bronzer which contains three shades; a slightly shimmery light baby pink (looks more like a blush), a shimmery champagne shade (a highlighter), and a matte tan or light brown shade (bronzer). After swirling all three shades, I then applied it underneath my cheeks. Much to my surprise, the product didn’t really show much on my face. It’s too close to my skin tone and by using the brush powder, there wasn’t much to see. I was a bit disappointed, but then I tried the dense powder and I finally I did see a light peachy sun-kissed glow on my face. I admit I still didn’t like this bronzer much even after trying it, it took me a couple of swatches and several glances at the mirror to realize that this bronzing powder really does show up my face. Also, the store that I was in had some really bad lighting, so that’s something to consider.

Fast forward, a few weeks later, I found myself really loving this La Mer The Bronzing Powder. For the record, I wasn’t really a bronzer fan, to begin with, and what little collection of bronzers I have, they’re mostly quite more pigmented than this La Mer. But, I’ve been really loving the sun-kissed beachy-look vibe lately, which calls for a slight application of bronzers, peachy blushes, and golden highlighters, so this La Mer Bronzer fits the bill. It really does give a sun-kissed glow without looking too contoured or overdone. Once all three colors are swirled, the effect looks quite peachy but still very light. You can build the shade but it still won’t be too pigmented especially if your skin tone is light-medium to golden-warm. If you’re fair or light in complexion, then you’re mostly going to love this, but with my NC25-NC30 skin, this looks very subtle.

I also tested the Lip & Cheek Glows from La Mer, but I skipped on those, I thought they looked so ordinary and they don’t warrant the price. Also, they could probably be easily dupable. What I did get as a sample from purchasing this La Mer Bronzer is a mini La Mer The Moisturizing Cool Gel Cream. Just to give you an overview of this gel cream, well, this doesn’t feel cooling at all, but it’s indeed lightweight and great for sensitive or oily-prone skin types. However, this isn’t so different from the La Mer Soft Cream in term of its lightweightness and texture, and you may have to use a lot of it to get enough coverage on the face. I still suggest using the original Creme de la Mer as it will give you the best bang for your buck.

Overall, if you like sheer bronzers and you have a fair to light-medium skin tone, then you’re gonna love this La Mer The Bronzing Powder. It will give you that subtle sun-lit glow while it defines and contours your face. With that being said, the sheerness of its pigments is not for everyone.

The La Mer Bronzing Powder is currently available at Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Harrods, Bloomingdale’s, and Selfridges.

Samples of The Week: Kerastase, Tatcha, Aveda, Philosophy, Sisley Paris, Acqua Di Parma & Chanel

June 23, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

It’s Friday again guys and here are some products that you may want to hunt over the weekend. A lot of these samples are really interesting and some of them are the products I’ve been eyeing for quite a while now, but I wasn’t exactly sure if they’re worth it. Thank God for samples, now I know more or less which product I may want to test.

Kerastase Nutritive Bain Magistral (80 ml: $20.50, 250 ml: $41) – A Glamour-awarded shampoo for dry to severely dry hair. It’s meant to make the hair smooth, supple and shiny. Also, it promises to remove impurities and nourish the hair from within. I find this shampoo to be very moisturizing but if your hair is on the fine/straight side, and you don’t wash your hair the next day, well, this might weigh it down. It’s really great if you tend to have dry hair or even dry scalp because this shampoo will make it look shiny and healthy. I also love that the scent is non-irritating and it smells like iris and sunflower seed.

Tatcha The Water Cream (1.7 oz $68) – I’m so excited to try this newly-released gel cream from Tatcha since I love Tatcha beauty and skincare products. They have such innovative and interesting products that will really spark your interest. They also make their packaging look sophisticated and pretty like this moisturizer, which is SO good. It feels really light but it moisturizes very well. The moment I applied this, I felt like all the stress, pain, arthritis, and even the evil spirits went away, lol. This feels cool on the face and the light floral scent is just divine.

Sisley Paris Black Rose Cream Mask (2.1 oz $162) – Been dying to try this mask since this is basically a 5-star cult-favorite in France and in the US. Lots of people are raving about it even if it has a steep price. Even Emma Stone’s makeup artist used this on her when she attended and won the Oscar for Best Actress. I managed to score a sample at my local Nordstrom Sisley Paris counter and immediately tried it upon arriving home. I have mixed feelings about this mask. It doesn’t seem like a mask to me, instead, it’s more like a moisturizer since it’s really creamy. It’s meant to be used on the skin for 2-3 times a week, leaving it on for 10-15 minutes, wiping off excess product thereafter. In my experience, it’s true that my skin did absorb this quickly and there’s not even any excess. It’s really hard to treat this as a mask, but it’s easy to see this as a moisturizer instead, even though Sisley Paris has recently introduced the moisturizer version of this, seen HERE. So I used this as a moisturizer and left this on my skin overnight. My skin indeed looked luminous and well-hydrated, but I feel like any good moisturizer could do that. Even La Mer could do that, and compared to La Mer’s scent, this Sisley Paris Black Rose Mask has a strong rose stem/cucumber scent. A little too much for me. I don’t know, but I feel like it’s kind of hard to be so impressed by this, especially upon seeing how small the regular size is with respect to its price. I do feel like this cream mask is good for traveling or when your face had gone through extremes temperatures and harsh elements because this is really very hydrating.

Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Creme (1.7 oz $98) – Here’s a gel cream that feels great and smells great. It so lightweight that it feels like slightly thickened water and it hydrates the skin like no other. It kept my face hydrated overnight and even the whole day. I also love the Camellia scent which is fresh and very irresistible. This would have been perfect, but the only caveat is the price.

Kerastase Resistance Bain Force Architecte (80 ml: $20.50, 250 ml: $41, 500 ml: $60) – A reconstructing and repairing shampoo for brittle and damaged hair. This hair care product is meant to rebuild every strand starting from the roots, and it’s supposed to prevent the hair from breakage and split ends. This shampoo lathers very well and it smells like citronella with a bit of tamarind. I love it.

Aveda Hand Relief Moisturizing Creme (1.4 oz: $9.50, 4.2 oz: $24) – This hand cream truly delivers what it’s meant to be, an intense therapy cream for those with seriously dry hands. This really made my hands look like human hands and not Neanderthal’s, lol. The only thing that sort of bothers me is the strong sweet citrus/grapefruit scent. Other than that, this is a great handcream.

Acqua Di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Mirto Di Panarea Eau de Toilette Spray (2.5 oz: $105, 5 oz: $160) – This scent smells really great at first, like a fresh burst of lemon and bergamot with the smell of the ocean, but it dries into something slightly musky for me and I could sense the faint traces of basil. I definitely think that this is more masculine even though it’s meant to be unisex. I like it though because it reminds me of the sea even if it doesn’t last long.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple, 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face & Eyes a.k.a Philosophy Eye Cleansing Gel & Makeup Remover (7.5 oz $23) – This is a mild gel cleanser for the eyes and face. It doesn’t irritate and it feels very gentle. I don’t think this completely removes all my makeup, but this seems good as a daily cleanser because this won’t dry your skin, although I feel like I have to wash my face twice with this whenever my skin feels too oily.

What do you think of these? Is there anything here that sparks your interest?

Have a wonderful weekend everyone,

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