La Mer The Powder: Translucent

NARS Loose powder has been my setting powder of choice for years. It's always done a pretty good job at keeping the oilies at bay, feels quite light and comfortable and offers an extra bit of coverage on top of foundation. Last year though, my normally oily skin changed and became slightly drier and I found my beloved NARS powder was no longer working for me. It started to emphasise dry areas and pores, looked a bit heavy and chalky and throughout the day, it would settle into lines I never even knew I had. After experimenting with various different application methods and with different moisturisers and primers underneath, I finally admitted defeat and went on a hunt for a new setting powder.

I'd already tried a huge amount of different powders from various brands and hadn't been happy with any of them, so I was kind of unsure what to try next. After reading through countless reviews and forums, I narrowed it down to three options, Chantecaille's Loose Powder, Suqqu Nuancing powder, and La Mer's Loose Powder. In the end I went with La Mer, as I was unsure about the colour options for the other two and since La mer offer a translucent option, it seemed like the safest bet.

Here's Creme De La Mer's description of their powder:

This luxurious finishing powder is so incredibly light it appears to float. Developed with symmetrically shaped, uniquely coated particles, it magnetically attracts to the skin for a perfect fit. Airspun seaborne particles – some of the lightest materials on earth – create an imperceptible finish that leaves skin looking flawless. Translucent coverage.

The powder is packaged in a large and slightly clunky plastic tub, which looks and feels quite luxurious, but can be a bit cumbersome. I find the sifter holes to be a little bit too large, so dispensing the right amount of powder can be a bit tricky sometimes. A slight and slow tilt of the tub it's all that needed to dispense enough powder into the lid (a little bit goes a very long way).

Creme De La Mer Loose Powder: Translucent

The powder itself is absolutely beautiful. It's incredibly finely milled and feels ultra light and smooth. In fact, it's unlike any powder I've tried before in terms of texture and feel, it really does feel weightless and silky. The translucent shade I purchased has a pink-y iridescence to it, which creates a really pretty glow on skin. In the tub, the shimmery particles look quite obvious, but applied, they give the most beautiful angelic glow-y finish. Actually, since I started using La Mer's powder, I've found myself reaching for highlighters a lot less often, as the natural glow the powder gives does a brilliant job on it's own, and looks a lot more subtle than any highlighting powder or cream I've used in the past.

La Mer Loose Powder

As I said at the start, my oily skin has changed quite a lot over the past year, and has become a bit drier. Certain areas do still get oily though (t-zone), and I find the powder does a pretty good job at keep shine at bay. I do have to touch up during the day, but overall, the powder wears really well and I've no issues with my base make up looking cakey or settling into and emphasizing lines or pores.

La Mer Loose Powder Blended

Out of the loose powders I've tried, La Mer's is absolutely the best. It feels unbelievably light and looks incredibly natural. The translucent shade creates a gorgeous, subtle glow, and unlike other translucent powders I've used in the past, doesn't lighten my face or give it that ashy kind of white cast. It perfects my skin, sets my foundation perfectly, and unlike the NARS powder i was using before, it doesn't leave my face looking flat and overly matte.

The powder certainly isn't cheap at £55.00 a tub (25g), but a little bit of product really does go a very long way. I bought mine around 6 months ago and even with daily use, it's still almost three quarters full. In my opinion, the feel, texture and beautiful finish the powder gives make it worth every penny and will definitely be replacing my tub when it runs out. 

Available from the Creme De La Mer Site & House Of Fraser (£55.00)