Lumiere: Another Great Mineral Makeup Brand

Lumiere in French means "light". I see this as an apt name for another great gem of a company. It is currently reaping the sweet fruits of its labor and great customer service through word-of-mouth. Lumiere made others see the light on how great mineral makeup is for the skin and how it can be easy on the pocket as well (less dermatologist fees!). Lumiere is also part of an impetus that is slowly changing how women look at beauty and cosmetics, a view that not all products in fancy bottles and gaudy department store packaging are the best or even good for their skin. I believe it's simply the inevitable course of human nature: if a company sells top-notch quality products for a very affordable price and the owner personally takes care of her customers like they're her personal friends, then people will be satisfied, raves and accolades will abound, good reviews will reverberate over the internet boards and through word-of-mouth, and buyers will flock. This is the case of Lumiere Cosmetics and Kim, the company's uber-helpful, accommodating and ever-pleasant CEO. When I first asked questions via e-mail, I was surprised at how fast Kim responded, as if all my concerns were hers as well. I was even more surprised at how cheap she was selling her stuff which was on sale at that time. I just bought one measly pot of foundation because I wasn't sure of the quality of her products. I was surprised when she sliced my shipping fee in half because she said she could not bear to charge me that much when all I bought was a 30g pot of foundation. That got me to think that she was probably one honest, excellent seller. She was. Now if only her products were half as good as her customer service, then I'd be a fan for life.

Kim's foundation did not disappoint. I used it wet and I was amazed at how flawless my skin looked, and she recommended the perfect shade for me: Light Medium Warm. I didn't see any demarcation line between my jaw and neck, it looked amazingly even. This turned me into a Lumiere fan through and through. I was still amazed with the fact that she was selling her inventory at 60% off the retail prices because she was getting rid of her old pots bearing her old company name. She could have just sold those empty pots on Ebay and still would have made a profit, yet she chose to share her products with her customers (note: huge amounts of products and not merely samples) at an outrageously low price. I ordered foundations and kabuki brushes for my sisters-in-law as Christmas gifts, and they were amazed with the results as well. They kept asking me where I got it, and I could only smile. Word-of-mouth is a powerful tool, it can make or break a company. In Kim's case, her products and service are the main reasons why people love her brand. I hope these do not change.

The Lumiere experience also made me get most of the eye shimmers and blushes that the label has to offer, and I don't regret it. Coverage is beautiful, colors rich and highly-pigmented, and last quite a while especially when used wet. Here are some looks using Lumiere foundation, eye shimmers and blush. I didn't use a lot of mineral blushes before because it faded on me even before mid-day. However, it got me to think that if I can use the foundation wet, why not use blushes damp as well? I used the blush wet and I was stunned with the result. I used an angled blush brush, spritzed MAC Fix+ on it, swirled a small amount of the blush in a small bowl, applied it on an angle on the cheek and blended with my fingers. I used my finishing powder to set it and I was floored. It lasted the whole day and looked prettily flushed all the time. I just love mineral makeup!

Lumiere products used are emphasized:



Eyes:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base
MAC Juxt e/s inner third
Lumiere e/s in Cat's Eye mid lid used wet
Lumiere e/s in Deep Forest Green outer V
MAC Humid e/s crease and outer V
MAC fluidline in Shade
Maybelline Volume Express Turbo mascara
MAC Ricepaper e/s on browbone
MAC fluidline in Blitz & Glitz to fill brows

Face:
Pureluxe cream eraser
Valerie Beauty foundation in W3.0 used with MAC Fix+
Mary Kay undereye concealer in Ivory
BE Well-Rested over Mary Kay concealer
Monave Angel No. 2 finishing powder
Lumiere blush in Neutral Pink used wet
MAC lipliner in Spice
MAC lipstick in High Strung
MAC lip gelee in Dame in A Dress



Eyes:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base
MAC Ricepaper eyeshadow on browbone to highlight
MAC Coco pigment inner to mid lid used wet
Lumiere eye shimmer in Deep Plum on crease and outer V
MAC Nightfish fluidline
Maybelline Volume Express Turbo Boost mascara
remainder of Nightfish fluidline to fill in brows

Face:
Pureluxe cream eraser as primer
Ocean Mist mineral foundation in Ingenue and Sandstone (mixed)
Monave Angel finishing powder
Laura Mercier blush in Wild Bouquet topped with MAC Petticoat MSF
MAC lipliner in Whirl
MAC lipstick in Viva Glam 1 topped with MAC lipglass in Pas-de-deux (from the current Danse collection)



Eyes:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base
MAC Vanilla pigment on browbone as highlighter
Taylor Made mineral eyeshadow in Amazon applied wet from inner to mid lid
Taylor Made mineral eyeshadow in Vixen applied wet from mid to outer lid/outer V
Almay Amazing I-liner (liquid eyeliner) on upper lashline
MAC Fibrerich mascara

Face:
Pureluxe cream eraser as primer
Lumiere mineral foundation in Light Medium Warm applied with a kabuki brush spritzed with MAC Fix+ moisture spray
Valerie Beauty Illuminator Finishing Powder in Satin Sun
Bare Escentuals Well Rested undereye concealer
MAC blush duo in Tigerlily/Bloomsberry (this is a huge fave of mine!)
MAC cremestick lipliner in Beurre
MAC lipstick in Touch
MAC lipglass in Orangedescence