Buying the Laura Mercier loose powder (£29.95, Sephora.co.uk) is practically a rite of passage in any beauty buff’s lifespan. I remember my first tub: a miniscule sample stolen from my mum’s ‘free gift with purchase’. Its key draw? It dries down moveable make-up without appearing heavy, effortlessly blurring imperfections in the process. Now, to add to its list of merits, the brand has released a new mint-hued variety (£44, Cultbeauty.co.uk) designed to minimise redness.
For anyone with rosacea, psoriasis or skin sensitivity prone to flare ups, this ability to calm down the appearance of inflammation could be a lifesaver. Even if you’re guilty of picking at breakouts, the promises of this new powder – on paper – will likely serve you well.
Of course, claims are exactly that: claims. So I got hands-on with the supposed miracle worker to find out how well it actually fared against my own redness and inflamed skin barrier. Here’s how I got on.
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Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder ultra-blur mint
Vegan and cruelty-free: Vegan, but not cruelty-free
Skin-loving ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, amino acids
Size: 29g
Why we love it
- Blends easily
- Blurring
- A little goes a long way
- Effectively counteracts red and pink tones
Take note
- If travelling, very easy for the powder tray to become overly full with product
I’ve been using Laura Mercier’s original loose powder for more than 10 years and, upon first hearing about this new mint variety, I wondered whether the brand could improve on its tried and true formula.
Rest assured, it retains all the elements you know and love from the original powder, such as staying power, a weightless, non-cakey consistency and excellent shine diffusion. In fact, having rotated powders from Saie and One/Size into my routine, I was relieved to return to Laura Mercier’s reliability, which I find beats competitors on almost all fronts.
As for the hue shift, the shade is a luminous ‘mint choc chip’ in the packaging, but thankfully it doesn’t leave you looking nauseous once in situe. Once it hits your fluffy make-up brush, it looks more similar to a translucent powder and, in terms of finish, it took the edge off the dew from my primer and moisture-heavy skin tint. As someone with oily skin, this blotting element is paramount to ensuring my make-up’s longevity. It left my face grease-free without looking flat, and my subsequent blush and bronzer applied without turning patchy – which can’t be said of all loose powders.
Regarding its ability to neutralise redness, I watched in real time as the powder took a blemish on my cheek from pink and angry to barely visible, while the burst blood vessels around my nostrils faded almost entirely. I recently discovered from a facialist that my skin suffers with rosacea, so redness and irritation are common concerns. With this powder, however, I was able to lessen the appearance of splotchiness and create a more pristine pigment blush, versus my body’s natural (and unflattering) tendency to flush unevenly. Swept on in a matter of seconds, consider this your real life Photoshop filter.
Rating: 5/5
– Lucy Smith
At a first glance, the mint green powder looks a little alarming. Fortunately once I applied it, the green pigment blended into my warm skin tone, leaving no trace of colour behind. Instead, I found it helped to cancel the redness I typically get around my nose and mouth. It blended seamlessly into my skin providing a lovely blurring effect, and it didn’t settle into any lines. As the day went on, some of my natural shine came through but this was nothing a quick top-up couldn’t sort out.
Rating: 4.5/5
– Sabrina Sahota
Buy now £44, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Does Laura Mercier’s new mint ultra-blur loose powder deserve a spot in your make-up bag?
A clever evolution of a cult classic, Sabrina and I concluded that Laura Mercier’s new mint-toned powder delivers on both performance and practicality. It retains the lightweight, blurring finish the original is known for, while subtly neutralising redness without leaving behind any visible tint – even across different skin tones. Shine is kept in check without flattening the complexion and make-up layers seamlessly on top. In short, it’s a reliable, hard-working addition to any routine – from light, natural make-up to high-glam nighttime looks – and, as you’d expert, performs particularly well atop any flushing or irritation.
How we tested
I wore Laura Mercier’s new mint loose powder as part of my everyday make-up routine over several days, testing it across long work days and evenings to see how it held up on my oily, redness-prone skin. I paid close attention to how it performed layered over my usual skincare and make-up, as well as how it interacted with cream and powder pigments. To assess its colour-correcting claims more broadly, I also called on IndyBest’s deputy editor, Sabrina Sahota, to trial the formula on a deeper skin tone and report back on any potential cast or residue. Specifically, the pair of us focused on the following:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Lucy Smith is a senior shopping writer at IndyBest and has reviewed a number of powder make-up formulas, from Mac’s reformulated studio fix powder to – in her guide to cheap beauty products – Innisfree’s K-beauty mineral powder. She frequently speaks to make-up artists, using their expertise to inform her reviews, and uses a loose powder daily. As for the powder’s suitability to redness-prone skin types, Lucy suffers with rosacea, blemishes and skin sensitivity, so she was just the person for this test.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Sahota is IndyBest’s deputy editor and frequently lends a hand with The Independent’s multi-person beauty tests, using her years of reviewing expertise to guide her write-ups. A large chunk of review content from the wider team falls under her eye before going live, too, which means she’s constantly reading about the latest make-up launches, expert tips and more. As such, she’s well informed on all things loose powder and neutralising redness.
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