Let me start this off by saying that I have downloaded TikTok about six times, promptly deleting it shortly afterwards. The first time was during the first lockdown when I, along with every other person, thought that dance routines were going to see us through the bleakest of times. Since then, I have dabbled - never really posting myself, but endlessly scrolling and watching from the side lines. For some reason, I just can't get on board with it - maybe it has something to do with the fact that I can easily spend an hour watching other people clean their homes whilst my own remains a complete mess.
What I can't deny is the power that this app has for creating beauty trends (from the niche and industry-changing to the bizarre and downright ridiculous) and bringing our attention to some incredible products.
Which is exactly how I came to discover Laura Mercier's Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Foundation. As I'm not on TikTok everyday, someone else told me about the buzz it was generating and when I investigated further I found that it was one specific video that had kickstarted it all.
@glamzilla ♬ original sound - GLAMZILLA
This clip spurred other beauty creators to post their own reaction videos to the foundation, which launched at the beginning of 2023, and the response was the same. Those that tried it were impressed by how the lightweight formula could create such an even and 'flawless' base that gave great glow - all of the makings of a contender for the best foundation.
I'm not a social media content creator, but as a beauty editor I also know a good product when I see it and immediately tracked down my own to trial.
My honest review
The first thing I noticed about the foundation is that it looks super luxe, which at £38 you'd expect. Encased in a frosted glass bottle it looks really chic. That will matter to some of you and others won't be bothered, but when you're paying close to £40 for a foundation I think you want it to look the part.
When I tested a little bit on the back of my hand, I noticed instantly how glowy it was. It also evened out the colour, blurring it slightly. My hand also looked immediately more hydrated. I'm not going to lie, I was incredibly excited at this point - if this is what it did to my hand, imagine what it was going to do for my complexion. It takes a lot to get me animated about a foundation and it doesn't happen often, as I'm more of a skin tint type of gal.
I wanted to try it out exactly how @GlamZilla had so I took a flat foundation brush and applied it onto my cheek. A little goes a long way, so whilst it might be on the expensive side I can't imagine anyone would go through this bottle quickly. It's quite creamy, but not a thick consistency, it actually feels a lot like my preferred serum-like skin tints. A couple of pumps would be more than enough to cover the entire face, even if you have areas that need extra camouflage.
Just as it had on my hand, the foundation gave my skin beautiful coverage, an instant boost of radiance and evened out areas of redness. I don't like using flat bristle brushes to apply my base as I prefer a more diffused, skin-like look so I buffed it in using a denser brush and let me tell you my skin has never looked better.
It's a medium to full coverage, which I have to tell you now is not something I ever use. In fact, that description often puts me off a base as I worry that it's going to feel horrible on the skin and end up looking cakey within minutes. But this is so not that. Once it dried down onto the skin, which admittedly took about half an hour, it felt so lightweight that I didn't even feel like I was wearing a base. The finish, which is anything but cakey, suits me and my dry skin down to the ground - the natural-looking glow that it delivers to my dull complexion is something I can only dream of creating naturally myself, so I would say that it definitely qualifies as a really good foundation for dry skin. I should say that if you're blemish prone or on the oilier side that it is noncomedogenic, but the amount of radiance that it gives might put you off. Even I had to take down some of the shine on my forehead and around my nose. So using powder to mattify certain areas might be enough to convince you.
The brand claims that it's really longwearing and they are not wrong. I wore it all day and my reflection that evening looked almost identical to the morning's. I also noticed that the back of my hand where I tested it initially still had great coverage at the end of the day despite washing my hands multiple times.
This is an excellent, excellent foundation that I will 100% be adding into my make-up bag. It won't get used everyday, but that's purely because of personal preference. However, whenever my skin is looking a little dull or there's an occasion that I want to look my very best, you can bet that this is what I'll be using.
My main takeaway from trying this foundation is that Laura Mercier does not lie. This foundation does exactly what it says on the bottle - it was weightless and gave my skin the appearance of perfected flawlessness. I see this foundation taking a spot in the foundation Hall Of Fame.
