Review: Laura Mercier Smooth Creme Foundation

Are you sick of Laura Mercier, yet? ;)  I know some of you might be wondering why I'm reviewing a foundation that's clearly meant for the winter time. Well, for me, creams transition very well into summer because I just use LESS of it (ie - like a concealer), or dilute it with moisturizer.  Plus, my dry cheeks can always use the extra hydration, be it summer or winter.

Product: $50 for 1oz/30g glass jar.  Comes with a plastic inner lid and small spatula. The price is a bit steep, but you need so little product each time you use it.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Hydrogenated Didecene, Polydecene, Glycerin, Hexyl Laurate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Boron Nitride, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Methicone, Argania Spinosa Oil (Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil), Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Ribes Nigrum (Blackcurrant) Seed Oil, Trihydroxystearin, Tropolone, Tribehenin,  Cetyldimethicone/Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Disodium Edta, Sodium PCA, Linoleic Acid, Ceramide 2, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, PEG-10 Rapeseed Sterol, Polyquaternium-51, Linolenic Acid, Trehalose, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide.  May Contain: CI 77492(Iron Oxide), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491 (Iron Oxide), CI 77499 (Iron Oxide).

Shades: 3.5/5  For anyone NC15-20, Warm Ivory would work. It's a bit on the neutral side, but it's OK because I don't use it all over my face. It'll look dark on your hand initially, but after you spread it out, it becomes lighter (similar to how some BB creams work). The next shade up, Sunny Beige, is more yellow but too dark for me. For anyone paler, there's the lightest shade called Blush Ivory, which a bit pinker.

This amount is much more than I need.  I don't think I'll ever finish this foundation.

Creamyyyy!

It's so moist and smooth!

OK, so obviously when you put this on your face, you want to spread it out more than I did in the photo below.

Spread out some more, but not completely (sorry, I didn't blend thoroughly). As you can see, the color sets pretty nicely. Gives me a brightened look.

Application:  I don't usually talk about application, because I figure everyone has their own methods.  It's easy to blend, but it's also easy to apply too much at once.  First, I spread it out on my hand until I get a very thin layer, and then I dab it onto the face with my fingers.

Coverage: 5/5  Not surprisingly, this is a full-coverage foundation.  However, you can make it sheer if you use less and blend it out more, or mix it with your moisturizer.

Finish: 5/5  What I said about LM's Tinted Moisturizer could apply to this as well.  It's so moisturizing, and gives a your-skin-but-smoother look.  It's actually very dewy on me, but that may be because I have combination skin.  I've heard people with extremely dry skin say that this gives a more matte finish on them. Again, it doesn't accentuate pores/lines/flakes.

Lasting Power: 4.5/5  Lasts pretty much all day on me. The oil control is not as good as her Oil-Free TM, but this will depend on your skin type.  I have to blot my T-zone a 2-3 times throughout the day (as usual).

Overall: 5/5  A rich cream that dry-skinners will love!  I have heard this compared to Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse, which is an inexpensive alternative, but I have yet to try that.