Laura Gellar Lightness of Beauty Collection Review

I’ve heard great things about Laura Gellar’s Balance & Brighten Powder Foundation, so when I saw a six piece set of LG products for $40 on HauteLook.com last week, I had to get it! the B&B Powder retails for $33 alone, so this was a great deal. The collection comes with 6 pieces: Balance & Brighten, a retractable powder brush, a highlighter and eye shadow quad, a lip gloss, a whipped blush, and an eye liner. Here are my thoughts on each product after a couple of uses:

Balance N Brighten is a baked powder foundation with anti-aging ingredients and an spf of 15. It comes in 4 shades, each made up of a swirl of matte pigments that color correct skin and leave a “glowing, flawless looking complexion”.  I got it in “regular” which is the 3rd darkest color. It’s probably too dark for me to use as a full foundation most of the year, but could be perfect for summer or as a setting powder to brighten me up in the paler months. The base color is a pinky light tan with swirls of darker warm brown and golden yellow pigments.

 This powder is very soft, very matte, and finely milled, so it doesn’t tend to gather in pores or wrinkles or accentuate flaws in skin. It keeps my t-zone shine free all day. The retractable brush that came with the set is best for dusting a light finishing coat over a tinted moisturizer (my favorite way to use it). The bristles are soft and loosely packed so they pick up just a small amount of powder. To get more coverage, use a denser kabuki brush.

Air Whipped Lip Wear in “Praline Mousse” is a rusty/coppery nude lip gloss with a light non-sticky feel. I found it to be quite long-wearing, but it did leave my lips feeling a little dry after it was worn off. The color is perfect for those who don’t like a bright lip, but want to define the lip with a soft natural shade that’s not too glossy.

Baked Eye Elements Pallette in “Amethyst Skies” contains 3 eye shadows and a highlighter all of which can be used wet or dry. The lavender color is shimmery but not glittery while the eggplant and navy/charcoal colors are more matte. The highlighter can be use as eyeshadow, brow highlighter, and cheek highlighter. These colors are gorgeous and saturated. The pallette is perfect for older women since only the palest eyeshadow is  shimmery.

I-Care Waterproof Eyeliner in “Charcoal” is a dark gray mechanical pencil with a smudger tip attached. When Laura Gellar makes a waterproof eyeliner, she makes it really waterproof! I was so impressed with the wear on this eyeliner. You can use it in the waterline without fear of it disappearing within a couple hours.

Air-Whipped Blush in “Mulberry Whisper” is the only “miss” for me in this collection. The color just seems too dark for a collection called the “Lightness of Beauty”. It is light in the sense of being whipped into a mousse-like consistency which can be blended out to a lighter color, but use it sparingly or your blush could be too dark. Also not ideal is the size of the package. The lid is a large gold dome which will take up a lot of real estate in my makeup drawer.

All in all this was a great deal and contains some products that are quickly becoming favorites.