Laura Geller baked balance-n-brighten colour correcting foundation – as a finishing powder

Laura Geller is one of those brands whose fan base started on QVC (or so it would seem to me). I’d seen the products on their beauty show a number of times, and what a fab find! This has taken over from my MAC face powder as my finishing powder. Over a primer containing a few drops of Cover FX custom cover drops, it provides a finish that is very flattering, with skin looking luminous and ‘bright’. Yup, it does what it says on the tin. This is a foundation though, and can be used over a primer alone, which I do sometimes when I am in a hurry.

I thought the swirly powder was some sort of gimmick, but they actually blend together to work their magic. When I first saw it on QVC, I was sceptical that it was just a fad of a product. I then came across it in House of Fraser on Oxford Street and my curiosity got the better of me. The beauty consultant was so helpful, and it did look amazing on skin. There was no hard sell, which I really appreciate because there is nothing worse than someone trying to convince you that it is a match when it clearly isn’t. It happened to me at a Chanel counter where the consultant was trying to get me to buy one of only 3 shades of finishing powder (sorry Chanel, the pushiness was disappointing).

Back to Laura Geller…I am hooked. I use this as a finishing powder every day and still love it. The best part about it is that it doesn’t look so matte that it is ageing. It lets skin’s natural glow show through, which is super youthful – I need all the help I can get now that my skin is changing again in my forties :). My colour match is medium, and I have the tan one in a mini kit for blending after a holiday.

The swirls are colour correcting, and are made by baking multi-coloured liquid pigments on terracotta tiles for 24 hours, which are then hand finished in Italy (not sure what that means, but I guess it is how they create such a smooth and soft surface to each compact). This process means that less fillers are used as in traditional powders, which in turn means you use less product to cover more. The powder is infused with antioxidants Centella Asiatica and White Tea Extracts, so benefits skin as would other liquid foundations.

A 9g compact costs £26 and there are 9 shades to choose from. Only 5 shades are available at the counters in-store or even on QVC, which is a shame because I would like to try golden medium and sand. I guess I shall have to wait until my next trip to New York!