A Review of the New Laura Mercier Light Catcher Translucent Loose Setting Powders
BY SOPHIE CHUNG
As history shows, Laura Mercier is the OG #1 of setting powders. Will the latest rendition stand up to the GOAT?
25 SEP - 2021
It promises to blur imperfections and pores, unlike other luminous powders that rather emphasize it.
As you already know, Laura Mercier is globally renowned for its epic Translucent Loose Setting Powder. A staple among all true makeup fanatics, it sets makeup with a blurring and mattifying effect that lasts all day. In 2018, the launch of Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder shook things up a bit with a formula that gave a radiant finish.
Laura Mercier Light Catcher Translucent Loose Setting Powder, $63
Laura Mercier Light Catcher Translucent Loose Setting Powder
This year, with the major boom in popularity of the dewy and glowy complexion, Laura Mercier has launched a new collection of Translucent Loose Setting Powders called the Light Catcher. Let’s just say it’s far more luminous than the original as well as the Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder.
There are three shades; Celestial Light, Honey Star and Cosmic Rose; and they’re truly beautiful. Finely milled with weightless pearls, the Light Catchers sport versatility and can be used to set the whole face as well as create light-reflecting dimension on the high points.
Application - Glow on Glow
I usually opt for a glowy liquid foundation formula to perfect my complexion but in this case, with the Light Catcher powder on top, it was too much a good thing. At first, I paired the powder in Celestial Light with my La Prairie Skin Caviar Essence-In-Foundation which is an already hydrating and uber luminous formula.
Upon application, the wattage was extreme. My entire face was lit up as if it were in a box of reflective foil walls. I added some extra love atop my cheek and brow bones as well as the tip of my nose. My skin is super dry at the moment but after a couple of hours, it started to look a bit greasy. With summer coming around the corner, this cake face would slide off with some added sweat.
Due to this foreseeably disastrous combo, I took on board Jenny’s advice on combining matte and glowy formulas to maximise longevity and the results were profound. I highly recommend you read her article as it’s full of small tips and tricks to elevate your makeup quality by folds.
It has a smoothing effect that makes your skin look airbrushed.
Application - Glow On Matte
Taking the aforementioned tip on board, I applied the powder atop a matte foundation formula. I used the new Original Liquid Mineral Foundation SPF 20 - FYI it fucking slaps. It’s not a ‘matte’ formula per se, but it’s definitely not an overly luminous one. It refined my skin texture, redness, uneven skin tone and imperfections exceptionally.
The Laura Mercier Light Catcher Translucent Loose Setting Powders promises to blur imperfections and pores, unlike other luminous powders that rather emphasize it. It does just that. It has a smoothing effect that makes your skin look airbrushed. You can use a velour puff to really push the product in but a light dusting with a big fluffy brush will do too.
Note: I did find that when paired with a matte foundation formula, the powder caught on my dry and flaky patches. If my skin wasn’t shedding like a snake at the moment, I’m sure this combo would work perfectly. On the unaffected parts, my skin looked naturally poreless and flawless. In my opinion, this is a must buy and although it may not be able to completely replace the OG for those with oily skin, it can definitely work with it.
Final Verdict
Considering my face is in extreme combination mode, I continued to experiment and found a way to harness the wattage power of the Light Catcher powder without the oil slick finish. I applied a very thin veil of Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder on my t-zone first, followed by a delicate dusting of Light Catcher all over the face and built up the intensity with an angled brush where I wanted it to be highlighted.
When you use the Light Catcher in lieu of your traditional highlighter, you’ll notice that the effect is comparatively a lot more natural - which is what we want! And as the powder is so fine, it doesn’t sink into fine lines as much which is obviously a huge win.
In terms of the shades, Celestial Light works beautifully for those with fair skin tones. The soft champagne hue gives the face an angelic holy glow. If you’re wanting to wear the golden hour radiance, Honey Star is magnificent. For medium-deep skin tones, Cosmic Rose will be your go-to.
I probably wouldn’t recommend it to those with a lot of texture on the skin as the pigments in the powder do catch a little bit. Nor would I recommend it to someone who has really oily skin as I don’t think it would wear for 12 hours as it promises. However, you could trial and error with different products to work around your individual skin problems.
When you get the application right, it looks glorious. I think Laura Mercier has hit the nail on the head in creating a singular makeup finishing product that does ALL the glow work. Your skin looks mysteriously youthful and it’s so on point with the 2021 effortlessly Parisian trend.
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