Sometimes I try beauty products because of the hype surrounding a brand or specific product. A lot of times I’m pleasantly surprised, but occasionally I come across a lemon.
The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Nude is a case in point.
Laura Mercier is a brand that I’ve never dabbled with mainly because of the ridiculously high price. But I’ve constantly been hearing great things about their liquid foundation – people made it sound like their Holy Grail! However, I don’t wear liquid foundation, so I opted to try the tinted moisturizer since it’s lighter.
Unfortunately, the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer is a product that I won’t be repurchasing because I didn’t like it. Let me tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Nude Pictures
Comparison of Full Size vs. Travel Size
Expiry date is printed on the crimp of the tube.
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Nude Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Octyl Methoxycinnamate and Menthyl Anthranilate.
Other Ingredients: Purified Water, Cetearyl Alcohol (and) PEG-40 Castor Oil, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Cyclomethicone, DEA-Ceryl Phosphate, Hexyl Laurate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Propylparaben. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Mica.
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Nude Swatch
Claims: BUSTED
- √ Sheer & lightweight coverage
X Moisturizes
X Adds a healthy glow to your complexion
Key Notes
- Name: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Nude
- Amount: 30 mL (1 fl. oz – travel size) & 40 mL (1.5 fl. oz. – full size)
- What I Paid: $57.75 CAD for a 3-piece set
- Retail Price: $19.50 USD (Travel size) & $42 USD (Full size)
- Full Size Colors Available: Porcelain, Nude, Bisque, Sand, Fawn, Almond, Caramel, Tan, Walnut & Mocha
- Travel Size Colors Available: Nude & Sand
- Where to Buy: Laura Mercier website (Full Size), Sephora website (Full Size / Travel Size) & Sephora stores
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Nude Review
Coverage
Since the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Nude is meant to provide only sheer, lightweight coverage, I wasn’t expecting it to conceal everything. The whole point of it is to be easy-to-wear, especially for the summer.
It provided extremely light coverage, which I was okay with. Nothing special here.
Sunscreen
Lately I’ve been wearing SPF 50 daily on my face. Previously I always wore SPF 15 or higher daily to protect my skin from the sun’s harmful rays. So I did appreciate that SPF 20 was incorporated into the formula. It helps those who don’t wear a separate sunscreen.
Moisturizer Efficacy
I have combination skin, so my T-zone tends to be oily. That being said, sometimes I do have dry patches, which need a little moisturizer to bring it back to its healthy state.
The Laura Mercier Nude Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 didn’t seem to add any moisturization at all! I could handle sheer coverage, but c’mon, if you’re a tinted moisturizer, you need to, y’know, moisturize!
I found that I had to use my regular daytime moisturizer with SPF underneath the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, which sucked since the whole point of using a tinted moisturizer is to reduce the number of products I use and to reduce the time I spend in the morning getting ready.
Application
If I wore the tinted moisturizer by Laura Mercier solo, it would cling to dry patches and even accentuate them! Not good! It also went on somewhat streaky, so I had to be careful to blend. Blending isn’t something I normally have to be concerned with because I use the Everyday Minerals Base (Intensive Formula), which is a mineral loose powder foundation that goes on flawlessly with a brush. Having to blend a tinted moisturizer is a hassle.
Finish
On my skin, the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer looked a little cakey. Again, this isn’t something that I’d expect from a tinted moisturizer that should really make my skin look natural and radiant.
Something positive I can say? When it’s on, I can’t feel it, so it’s indeed lightweight and doesn’t feel like a liquid-foundation mask. It doesn’t require a finishing powder to set it, and it’s easy to wash off at the end of the day.
But because it’s a tinted moisturizer, it’s not transfer-resistant, so be careful when you hug someone with a white shirt!
Packaging
This is a no-nonsense tube, which prevents product waste. But what I don’t like is that the product oozes out of the spout a bit (as you can see in my above photos). This leaves the inside of the cap messy.
Is It Safe for Sensitive Skin?
My skin’s pretty sensitive, and after using it for a while, it didn’t break me out at all.
But for anything that goes directly on your face, I always suggest carefully reading the ingredient list to make sure it doesn’t contain something that you’re allergic to or that is just a strong chemical. Everybody’s sensitivities are different, so you should try a test patch before slathering anything all over your face for the first time.
Price
This is one of the most over-priced tinted moisturizers on the market. I tried it because I thought that maybe it was worth every penny. But I guess I just paid for the strong reminder that sometimes you don’t always get what you pay for!
Thankfully I got a 3-piece set for a decent price, so I don’t feel as ripped off if I had bought this at the regular retail price.
Expiration Date
Just like how most beauty products have expiry dates, this one does, too, especially because it has SPF. And it’s marked right on the crimped top of the tube.
|
|
Final Verdict: 4/10
Laura Mercier, you let me down, girlfriend! Sorry, but I don’t think we can be friends anymore. Your tinted moisturizer doesn’t moisturize, is overpriced, and clings to dry patches. I’ll not be repurchasing this. You’re Busted on Swatch And Learn.
What are some hyped-up products you’ve tried and were disappointed with? Are there any products that were bashed strongly by others, but that you love? Please share!
Have you tried Origins Vitazing? I love it. It just adds a hint of colour and glow. I have fair skin so I just use a bit. In the winter when my skin is dryer I sue a bit of moisturizure first only because I don’t wan to use more to get more colour in the winter. It’s funny if I don’t use it for a while and then use it again I get people telling me I look rested. lol.
Karen recently posted: China Glaze Atlantis (on very short nails)
Hey Karen!
No, I haven’t tried any Origins products actually. Sounds like that product works well for you!
Whenever I wear less eye makeup, some people ask me if I’m sick. 🙁
Wow, it was that bad? I’ve heard glowing reviews about this too when I was shopping around for a tinted moisturizer. I’ve never tried it tho because of the price and I found Benefit’s Some-kinda-gorgeous that worked for me (it’s not a tinted moisturizer but I was looking for sheer to medium coverage). 🙂
Hey Carmela!
Yes, unfortunately it was terrible for me. Maybe it’s better for those with another skin type, but I found it wasn’t moisturizing or very good overall. I was also surprised to experience such disappointment, especially since I also heard many great things about it. And the price is absurd for something that isn’t Holy Grail material.
Wow, I didn’t expect this to be such a disappointment! I really hate it when a super expensive product doesn’t perform up to standards. I’m really glad you reviewed this, because I have a friend who was considering buying this; now I can tell her to stay away from it! Thanks! 😀
Ruthe recently posted: Revlon Gold Coin
Hey Ruthe!
Yeah, I didn’t expect it, either. I really wanted it to work out…especially because it was so expensive and I needed to ‘justify’ my purchase.
Maybe this would work better on someone who has oily skin. But I felt like if you wanted the moisture in this moisturizer, you won’t get it from this product. Pity!
I think you’re right about it working on oily skin types. I have extremely oily skin and have never been able to find a foundation that doesn’t pool on my cheeks and nose within a few hours of wearing it. After Lancome decided to stop making the powder I’d used for years I started looking for a replacement powder. Estee Lauder and Clinique powders were like masks and in desperation I went online looking for something to use. I read the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil-Free reviews and decided to try it. I’m in love. It makes my face look less oily all day (who knew a moisturizer could do that) and looks like my skin. It also stayed on all day and I needed to touch up my powder much less than usual. For all over oily skin this has been a wonderful find.
Hey Julia!
Okay, it’s great to know that this product actually DOES live up to the hype…but for those with oily skin! 🙂 Thank you for weighing in. I hope that someone who has oily skin and stumbles upon this post will read your comment.