Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation; Review & Swatches of Shades


Laura Mercier Flawless Fluid Foundation
Price: $48 per ounce
New for Fall 2014
CRUELTY FREE!!!*
(*Laura Mercier Pulls from China)

Laura Mercier has added a new foundation to her current line up with her just released Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation. This new foundation promises to deliver a matte finish for 12 hours with a lightweight formula.

So the question is; is Laura Mercier's Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation just another oil-free, long-wearing formula with a hefty price tag, or something really special?
The claims for Laura Mercier's Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation start off reasonable; a "matte finish, oil-free, liquid foundation that will wear halfway decently for 12 hours". That's buyable and the formula does live up to that expectation (unless of course you have extremely oily skin in which case you may need to set it, blot it or touch it up throughout the day.) 

Laura Mercier goes on to claim Flawless Fluide will "visibly even your skintone and minimize the appearance of pores." Yes. Probably. Any foundation with any coverage will visibly even your skintone on a temporary basis since that's the whole reason behind using a foundation and a halfway decent formula which is applied correctly will also minimize pores, but Flawless Fluide does an exemplary job of it.

The "Hydro-Brilliant Technology" is interesting. Hydro=water and hydration is implied, but its actually meant for the "special reflective" water in the formula which is Laura Mercier's try at HD/Light Diffusing Pigment marketing, which is the "in" thing for cosmetic companies! The water in the formula is no more reflective or special than what comes out of your kitchen faucet!

As for the "color-true shades"? That part is 100% true and that is one thing that Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide has going for it over it's rival oil-free/long-wearing foundations. If you look at the images below, you can see that (aside from the changes in lighting) there is virtually no difference in any of the shades and they all remain a nearly identical color to their initial shades. Oxidation is a huge issue with formulas like this and you almost always see a moderate-severe difference in shades after they dry, so this is a really impressive trait. 

The "humidity proof, sweat proof, water resistant" claim is odd. Foundations can be Water-Proof, in fact, many are, but no foundation is oil proof, especially when Laura Mercier is claiming that Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide is merely "water resistant." Ofcourse, those with normal/dry skin will likely find that it does have very good staying power through most environments and those with oily skin will probably find it to be better than average in regards to longevity but again, they will likely need to blot and/or set it. 

The formula of Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation is quite unique in that it's actually a liquid to powder foundation, but Laura managed to retain the true fluidness of liquid-powder foundations (like  L'Oreal Magic Nude FoundationYSL Fusion InkMaybelline Dream Wonder), but did so without adding alcohol to the formula like so many other companies .

While Flawless Fluide Foundation is not a bad product, (actually it's a rather fantastic foundation) but when you factor in the price tag, it begins to get a little daunting. For $50 an ounce, Laura Mercier could have done a bit better with the claims and packaging- especially since Flawless Fluide has enough positive attributes to hold it's own in the competitive foundation world, but that little hiccup shouldn't be enough to deter you from trying Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide.

If Laura Mercier's Flawless Fluid Foundation is a bit too drying for you, Urban Decay's Naked Weightless Ultra-Definition Foundation is a similar formula with a slightly less intense matte finish. (Both are Cruelty Free and absolutely deserve a place on your "foundation bucket list.")
 (Immediate Swatches)
Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide, Fluid Foundation: Review & Swatches of Shades  Shell, Creme, Vanilla, Ivory, Ecru, Cashew, Linen, Macadamia, Butterscotch, Dune, Buff, Honey, Dusk, Golden, Suntan, Praline Maple, Chai*, Nutmeg, Pecan, Amber, Chestnut*, Truffle, Espresso
Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide, Fluid Foundation Swatches of Shades
 1) Shell, 2) Creme, 3) Vanilla, 4) Ivory, 5) Ecru, 6) Cashew, 7) Linen, 8) Macadamia,
9) Butterscotch, 10) Dune, 11) Buff, 12) Honey, 13) Dusk, 14) Golden, 15) Suntan, 16) Praline
17) Maple, 18) Chai*, 19) Nutmeg, 20) Pecan, 21) Amber, 22) Chestnut*, 23) Truffle, 24) Espresso
*not shown
***The lightest shade of Flawless Fluide Foundation is Creme and it is very light, (one of the lightest from any oil free foundation that STAYS LIGHT) but it does have yellow undertones. If you have pink undertones and are purchasing Creme from a store, I would suggest getting a sample of Shell as well, or, if Creme may be too light for you, get a sample of the next shade up so that you can mix accordingly and don't have to buy two bottles!***

After drying for several hours
Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide, Fluid Foundation
Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide, Fluid Foundation Swatches of Shades
 1) Shell, 2) Creme, 3) Vanilla, 4) Ivory, 5) Ecru, 6) Cashew, 7) Linen, 8) Macadamia,
9) Butterscotch, 10) Dune, 11) Buff, 12) Honey, 13) Dusk, 14) Golden, 15) Suntan, 16) Praline
17) Maple, 18) Chai*, 19) Nutmeg, 20) Pecan, 21) Amber, 22) Chestnut*, 23) Truffle, 24) Espresso
*not shown

1 comment:

  1. Thanx alot, this was very helpful for me when ordering the shades :)

    ReplyDelete

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