Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation, Review, Swatch & Comparison

I am hoping, sincerely, that your week is better than mine. As I previously wrote, not only we don't have water and had to move to a hotel but the same neighbor who cut our water also sued us for some stupid reason. I am having a hard time to believing how come a normal looking guy can turn into such a monster. The psychological pressure comes from the fact that we have to live with these people who try to harm us in any way they can. I will stop here and go on with some make-up to change my mood, really, no one needs such people around (is there a button to terminate them?), Anyway as you can see I am having difficulty in blogging at the moment, so please bare with me for a week or two. Oh and our flat must be the only one with more perfume than water at the moment haha!

I have been trying a few new foundations recently. Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation is one of those for a natural glow and sheer coverage. For those who would like their skin to peek through, it offers a formula which is low on silicones, here are my thoughts about it...

Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation

Laura Mercier Candleglow Foundation comes in a proper glass bottle and a pump dispenser. I always prefer the glass bottles over the plastic ones although they are a little heavier. I have the feeling that the chemicals in foundation might solve the plastic partially and then it is smeared all over my face. Am I being reasonable thinking that way or is it just an illusion?

The packaging is really nice and sleek. The pump works nicely. To my experience one doesn't need to shake it too much since there is no phase separation. It is recommended to apply with a sponge or fingers. I usually apply my foundation with fingers and go over it with the Rae Morris Radiance Brush to blend seamlessly. The feeling I had with Laura Mercier Candleglow was that I needed to put more of this on my face for the same coverage I can get from other sheer foundations. I think the reason is that Candleglow one is not heavy on silicones. After the first use, I was not impressed but thinking about it, it is silicones which make it glide on the skin which this one doesn't have. Here is a note to those who are searching for a sheer foundation without many silicones, you can give this one a try.

Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation

Before I explain more about how Laura Mercier Candleglow feels on my skin, here is a comparison swatch for shade Vanilla. Too bad that to date I couldn't find a matching shade to my neutral undertones in Laura Mercier line. Last time I tried the shade Ivory from Silk Cream Moisturizing Foundation (reviewed here) and I found it to be too warm, almost orange on me. This time I thought I will go for a more neural shade and opted for Vanilla but it seems to be too yellow too. Since a good deal of skin shows through so I can still wear it without looking weird (check out before/after photos below) but I decided to go to the counter and get matched up soon. There are 24 shades after all so one should be better than these two.

Laura Mercier Candleglow Vanilla is close to NC15. You can see that it looks much more yellow than Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B10 or YSL Fusion Ink (my best match) B20. I also included Dior Nude Air 20, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B20 and Guerlain Parure Gold 02 for your reference.

Comparison: Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation in Vanilla

Shade Vanilla is a little too light for me but warm under tones doesn't bother me all that much. What doesn't look great on my dry winter skin is the powdery finish of isohexadecane. I believe those with combination skin will benefit from it more. I love the new generation of foundations with skin like finishes which are not too dewy nor too powdery, to name a few, Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting, Dior Star, Guerlain Parure Gold. Laura Mercier falls into this category but Laura Mercier Candleglow emphasizes my dry patches at the expense of longevity on combination skin. I believe no foundation can really be good for "all skin types" since there is a trade-off between moisturizing and oil control.  I believe Laura Mercier Candleglow is best for combination skin. The coverage is nice and sheer for the good skin days. Longevity on me was average, at the end of the day I felt some parts of my face was bare but since my days are so long, only a few foundation can really achieve it (e.g. Guerlain Parure Gold).

Before/After FOTD: Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation in Vanilla

Here are the ingredients list. It is given to have C and E Vitamins for anti-aging effects, a touch of oil  and glycerin to moisturize the skin (although it didn't work all that much on my dry skin), so it is not oil free if that is a concern. 

Ingredients: Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation

Final thoughts: Laura Mercier jumps on the bandwagon of bases with skin like luminosity with the brand new Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation. Thumbs up for the packaging and the finish, especially if you like your base to be sheer and natural looking. I am still not sure about my shade but there are 24 to select from so you can possibly get your undertones right. I recommend this foundation for combination skin though as I found it to be emphasizing my dry patches and looking a bit powdery on my winter skin.

Price/Availability: Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation is now available on the counters and online. 30 ml bottle sets you back around 48€.

What do you think about silicones in foundations? I think I like a little bit of that if I may say it out loud.

Disclaimer: The product in this post was sent free of charge for my consideration. 
I am not paid for this review. All opinions are honest and my own.