Review: Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF15

There seems to exist a great divide between foundation wearers: the 'liquid-only' types and the 'mineral-only' types. Personally, I stand above the chasm; I do love both kinds and everything in the murky, shark-infested waters between the two (cream, cream to powder, creamy powder...) but I'll tell you this: most days, it's mineral foundation. Just because it's quick, it's invisible, it doesn't cling to dry patches and it blurrs enlarged pores. What's more to like? Which is why, when my trusty old pot of mineral goodness came to its end last week, I dug into this beauty: Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF15 in Tender Rose ($36 for 0.34 oz).

According to the brand, Mineral Powder SPF15 is 'a finely milled powder composed completely of natural elements with 15 active amino acids to promote radiant skin, diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles'. According to me, it's a buttery smooth illuminating mineral foundation with light to medium buildable coverage; look, it has crushed pearls in it! Compared to other mineral foundations I've tried, Laura Mercier Mineral Powder has a lot less dry and creamier texture that evens out imperfections while giving a rather radiant finish to the skin; matte lovers beware!

On my combination skin, the effect is just my skin but better; the product is nearly invisible on the skin but gives a healthy glow overall. On my T-zone, I do wish sometimes it looked a bit less glowy but I could fix that with some blotting powder if I really wanted. In terms of lasting power, it's on the further end of the spectrum for me, along with other powder foundations, and it doesn't break down or go patchy towards the end of the day. I obviously still need to use a more heavy duty concealer on my spots and hyperpigmentation marks as the coverage is not the highest but I do prefer to do a bit more detail work if it keeps my foundation looking natural and subtle.

In terms of color match, I think Tender Rose is a great match for fair skin with cool/pink undertones. Weirdly, when I was swatching it on my arm, the shade oxidized in the middle to a darker, more orangy color but this does not happen on my face at all - I wonder if maybe rubbing the product in too much caused it to oxidize? I had similar experience when swatching the Everyday Minerals Jojoba Base (far right), another creamy mineral powder, and again it doesn't seem to oxidize when it's actually on my face... Interesting.

L-R: Laura Mercier Tender Rose, Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation in Translucent Light, Everyday Minerals Jojoba Base in Alabaster

Overall, I'm really glad I decided to purchase the Laura Mercier Mineral Powder and I've already worked it into my everyday foundation rotation. The product also works beautifully as a radiant setting powder for more matte/flat foundations, and I do like the more luxurious feel of the packaging, even though it'd be a pain to travel with. Have you tried Laura Mercier Mineral Powder? Are you a 'liquid-only' or 'mineral-only' type?

PS. There will be some colorful liner looks coming very soon to a blog near you featuring Laura Mercier Mineral Powder on mah face, if you'd like to see what it looks like on!