La Mer – Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation

Hey, It’s been a minute since my last post! Life seems to take over sometimes, but I’m back with a very luxurious product review!

La Mer Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation

I was very lucky to be sent this opulent foundation to try and review by the lovely swatch maestro and most genuine blogger Safiyah Tasneem.

I have been using the foundation for over a month on and off to get a true feel, so please do read on to see my thoughts and see some before and after shots ? ?

A little about the product…

Weightless, buildable coverage in an all in one compact.

The Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation from La Mer lends deep hydration and renewal to the skin anytime, anywhere.

Created with the labels expert skincare benefits, its fresh, natural colour leaves skin looking healthy and radiant.

Includes a refill and sponge applicator. Available in 12 shades.

Some swatches of all 12 shades!

My Shade

The shade I have in the La Mer Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation is Beige Nude 43, which is the second to last deepest shade! ?? . For reference/comparison sake my current foundation matches are:

• Mac NC40
• Dior Back Stage 3N
• Makeup Forever HD Stick Y405
• Ester Lauder Double Wear Tawny/cashew

My Experience

The shade on me was a teeny bit warm, which shows on the face swatch below, however I managed to make it work by using a bright concealer. It was recommended for Mac NC40/42 match or similar, personally I would say it will perfectly match a shade inbetween nc40 and nc42.

The product itself is a handy compact with a mirror. It has a cushion full of foundation, an applicator and a refillable cushion of foundation. It can be purchased from a number of stores on line and in store (Selfridges, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, SpaceNK, House of Fraser, John Lewis to name a few).

It retails at £90, and it gives you:

• SPF20
• Liquid form
• Includes a sponge applicator
• Dewy, Radiant and Natural finish
• 12g of Foundation plus another 12g in the refil.

I tested out the foundation using several different application methods which included a damp beauty sponge, applicator provided, and a dense brush.

My favourite application was the the dense brush, followed by a gentle pat down with a damp beauty sponge. I felt the brush was able to pick up an even amount from the cushion to spread over the face.

The applicator provided worked well too and is perfect for touch ups if required.

The coverage is sheer to buildable and I felt applying the second layer with the damp beauty sponge worked perfectly to achieve an extra flawless layer.

I wasn’t too sure how I felt about the foundation from my first couple of impressions as the colour match was a little off, so I wasn’t blown away with the product straight away. BUT as I wore it a few more times and applied a brighter concealer/highlight it worked well.

The undertone of the foundation is a warm/golden tone, which works well with my complexion considering the limited shades.

As I wore the foundation more, I did find I was starting to really like it!. I have not needed to use my refil pot just yet, but would be intrigued to know how long each pot lasts to see value for money.

What did i like?

• The packaging! It is so practical and compact. You can slot in a makeup bag or hand bag with ease.
• It includes a mirror, which is perfect for on the go
• It comes with a refil pot of foundation
• It comes with a sponge applicator, again great for on the go
• The long wear on this is flawless
• The finish is beautiful
• The cushion allows for no product wastage
• It photographs well
• Gives you a beautiful natural dewy coverage, which can be buildable
• The applicator provided is good, wasn’t too spongey to suck up the product but padded enough to pat on the right amount.

What I did not like!

• The PRICE!!! It’s £90 for 24g of foundation!!!!
• The amount of product you get for £90 is less than your average foundation. You get 12g in the compact and a 12g refil pot. The average foundation bottle consists of 30ml/g!!
• The shade is very limited to 12 shades only! I’m normally a medium shade in most Foundations, with many more shades deeper to accommodate, however I feel the deeper toned skin is not catered for at all here as there is only one more shade after mine!

Swatches & Scoring!

Some awkward swatches ? and product scoring below.

Find list of products used for this look:

Skin prep:

• FW Beauty 24k Gold Facial Brightening Elixr - this has been amazing for skin prep and primer under foundation. Alongside this I have been using the FW Beauty Cleansing/Healing Bar every evening. This has really helped heal my skin and improve texture. https://www.fwbeauty.com/ use this code for money off SAMINA10. It’s all 100% natural and organic ingredients which makes it even more lush.
• The Ordinary Rose Hip Oil - as an eye serum. Having used many eye creams, this oil is the most effective for tolerating concealer and setting powder the best without movement or product build up in the creases!

Base:

• Le Mar Foundation shade Beige Nude 43
• Too Faced Sculpt Concealer [another holy grail product. Works really well for my dry/crease prone under eyes. So hydrating and easily bendable]
• Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder in Poundcake [another product I’ve learnt to work with and love]
• The Benefit Hoola Bronze/Blush/What’s Up Cream Highlight Xmas palette

Eyes:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Palette
• Maybelline Master Ink Satin Liquid Liner
• Pinky Goat Fara lashes

Lips: A random mixture of lip products ? off the top of my head (this is my go too coral lip):

• Primark brown lip liner
• NYX Soft Matte Cream in SAN Francisco
• Topped with Charlotte Tilbury Sexy Sienna

PICTURE 1: Foundation swatch. You can tell it’s a little warm against my skin, however my skin tone does differ on my chin/forehead and cheeks so it can work with a little tweaking.

PICTURE 2: Close up of the foundation fully on. You can tell it is a teeny bit warm compared to my neck, however it does kinda work.

PICTURE 3: From afar! the finish is really beautiful and holds well as the day goes on.

PRODUCT SCORE

• 5/5 Packaging: beautifuly boxed including a refil, it’s lightweight, slim, compact with a mirror and applicator. Practical to keep in your bag, and the cushion allows for no spillage or wastage. The case is secure and clicks when closed so no worry of it randomly opening
• 4/5 Product: the first few times I used the foundation I wasn’t blown away with the product. However the more I used and tested out how to apply, set and tweak the shade, I fell in love with it more. Lasting power is great, how it wears and how it becomes nicer as the day goes on is beautiful. I wore for around 12hrs on a few occasions and required hardly any touch ups! may be the odd pat down the t zone but thats it.
• If I had to compare it to another foundation I would say the the wear and consistency is similar to Armani Luminous Foundation mixed with a little Nars Sheer Glow
• The mark down of the product is because I felt let down by the lack shades for deeper toned skin and by the the number of shades in total.
• 1/5 Price: £90 for 24g/ml of foundation! This is a hefty price for a foundation that provides you with less product compared to the average 30ml from other brands. I do really like the foundation and what it has to offer and wears, however for me this is pricey. If it was around the £40 mark I would consider buying. I can get something which offers the same wear for half the price!
• 5/5 Purchasing experience: was gifted for review by a wonderful blogger.

Would I buy again?

I don’t see myself rushing to purchase the £90 foundation when I finish this one. It’s just a little too steep even for my YOLO days! If it was at least half the price then I would have this on my list as a luxurious foundation for that seamless fresh skin finish for those special occasions.

BUT at £90 I have a handful of other foundations that can perform and deliver just as well!

I loved the cushion pad and felt it gave you perfect control over how much product you used and loved how it patted beautifully on the skin.

If you feel like having a splurge and want something for an extra glam finish then this is for you ☺️

Thank you for making it till the end. Hope the review was helpful.

Have you tried the La Mer foundation or anything else from the La Mer range? Very intrigued to try some of the skincare!

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