"It was a tiring weekday afternoon when I pulled into our driveway and did my usual routine of checking the mail. I was surprised when I saw a hefty Priority Mail box together with all the usual mail. It said it was from LaurEss Cosmetics, and I finally remembered I was supposed to expect some samples that they were sending my way as the Mineral Makeup Blog arranged it for me to review their products. I just didn’t realize that the “samples” I got were actually full-size containers of not less than six of their products! I was floored. I carefully opened the package and marveled at how generous the amount of product was. I received the following: foundation pots in Gentle Beige, Light Natural, and Subtle Beige, a pot of Fantastic Finish in Light, Blushing Lights in Serendipity and Lip Gloss in Treasure. The products were technically gifts that I was quite thrilled to receive.
What I did have a little difficulty in though was finding the correct shade for my skintone. Light Natural was too light, Gentle Beige was too dark, Subtle Beige a tad dark as well. It took me a couple of days to find the right shade for me: 2 parts Light Natural with 1 part of Gentle Beige. I have my own unique way of applying mineral makeup: I spritz my blush with a moisture spray like MAC Fix+ for a longer-lasting, flawless finish. I decided to apply the same with my LaurEss mineral foundation, and I was just amazed with the results. I mix Light Natural with Gentle Beige, swirl the minerals in my MAC 182 buffer brush, tap excess, and spritz some MAC Fix+ moisture spray on my brush, and buff as usual. The effect: flawless, creamy, beautiful buildable coverage, amazing texture. LaurEss is the most velvety of all the mineral makeup I have tried. Running my knuckle along my jawline is like running my hands on plush velvet. It doesn’t have the drag I expected with mineral makeup that lacks the bismuth oxide ingredient. It has a very lightweight feel, and doesn’t even feel that I have any makeup on.
Their finisher is also a remarkable product. I received their Fantastic Finish in Light and I was amazed on two points. One, the texture of the product is unlike any other finishing powder I have tried, even those of other mineral makeup brands I’ve tried. It doesn’t have the powdery texture I’ve been used to, instead the Fantastic Finish is almost creamy, like the foundation itself. Point number two: the clay ingredient. The secret in the texture is the kaolin clay, which is used instead of the usual cornstarch. Needless to say, the finish is flawless and the oil-absorbing properties are outstanding.
The Serendipity blush,on the other hand, barely showed on my skin. Maybe I needed a darker shade to make it show on my skin. The blush size is very generous, however; I can’t imagine how I can ever finish it all.
The lipgloss in Treasure is nice; it has a pleasant chocolate scent and taste, and the color is an opaque shiny pinkish mauve that looks so pretty on the lips. I am a chocoholic and having a pretty shade of gloss with a definite chocolatey taste is such a treat for me. I’d love to try out more of the shades and it really complements my skintone.
Is there a drawback to this mineral makeup line? I would say all things being equal, yes, and that is, the price. I was amazed to find out that this is even more expensive than the leading mineral makeup brand (just a dollar difference; however, the leading brand uses 9g pots whereas LaurEss has 8g pots). I have also discovered another mineral makeup brand that is sold for less than half the price of the leading mineral makeup, and it is slowly gaining fans all across the globe for their outstanding makeup quality, excellent coverage and flawless finish. Other lower-priced mineral makeup brands have sprouted all over the internet and a good number of women in makeup boards has attested to their beauty and outstanding coverage. I am just concerned that a company like LaurEss might end up fading into the woodwork because of its high prices. Sure, it does not contain bismuth oxide, nor cornstarch, but the lower-priced mineral makeup brands do not have bismuth as well and are starting to eliminate cornstarch in their finishing powders, which leaves LaurEss offering nothing new. Bottom-line is, the price is a major drawback for me despite the excellent properties of LaurEss mineral makeup, mainly because there are other mineral makeup brands that offer the same flawless finish and excellent coverage or less than half of LaurEss tag price. I’d love to patronize LaurEss products should they make their prices more competitive. As it is, however, given the global economic crunch and given great mineral makeup brands sold at less than half the price of LaurEss, it is indeed very tempting to buy lower-priced mineral makeup brands that perform quite good, as well. LaurEss is one of the best brands of mineral makeup I’ve tried, however, and it’s such a shame on my part to let go of it based on the price. Hopefully, LaurEss makes its prices a little bit more competitive, and I’m pretty sure it will convert more loyal patrons of the “other” brands because pound for pound, LaurEss feels better on the skin and looks wonderful, as well.”
Fast forward to six months later, I am eating my words (pass the ketchup, if you please), especially the ones I wrote in the last paragraph. First of all, LaurEss' finish, slip and ultra-lightweight feel are exceptional; I have not encountered another mineral makeup brand that feels as light and as velvety as LaurEss. I can safely say this after trying out close to ten different mineral makeup brands. Second, LaurEss has lowered its prices, in fact Lauren (the owner) is sending out free samples of the minerals, you just pay for shipping. Also, the new Elemental foundation is only $22 for a 10g pot as opposed to the $26 for an 8g pot of the original foundation. Price issue aside, pound for pound, LaurEss' look and feel are way up there with my other HG mineral foundations. And anyways, I'd come to the conclusion that I'd pay whatever price it takes for my skin to look this good and feel this great. $22 for a full pot of glorious foundation that diffuses light so as to soften fine lines and evens out skintone is a steal .
I had the wrong shades when I made that review, and now that I've discovered the Yellows and the Golds in LaurEss, I feel that my quest is over. I cannot rave enough about this brand. My cousin's FOTD a few posts below proved how great this makeup brand is, and I hope my pics with this brand convince you as well.
Face:
LaurEss original mineral foundation in Radiant Gold
Mary Kay undereye concealer in Ivory topped with
Bare Escentuals Well-Rested
Monave finishing powder in Angel
J.lynne Latin Rhythms blush in Samba
MAC Refined Golden bronzer to contour
Lips:
MAC's cremestick lipliner in Beurre
Monave sheer lip glaze in Maple
MAC lipglass in Pas-de-deux
Eyes:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base
MAC eyeshadow in Summer Neutral on lid
MAC eyeshadow in Surreal above crease blended to browbone
MAC pigment in Gold Dusk lower lid
MAC pigment in Copperclast crease and outer V
MAC eyeshadow in Cork on mid and outer lid
MAC fluidline in Graphic Brown
Maybelline Volume Express Turbo Boost mascara
And here's a silvery-grey eye look:
MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base
MAC pigment in Vanilla on browbone
Lumiere eye shimmer in Silver Lining used with MAC mixing medium inner to mid lid
Taylor Made mineral eyeshadow in Galena mixed with MAC mixing medium outer V
MAC fluidline in Nightfish
Maybelline Volume Express Turbo Boost mascara
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