Laura Mercier Highlight 01 Matte Radiance Baked Powder Review, Photos, Swatches
Highlight 01
Laura Mercier Highlight 01 Matte Radiance Baked Powder ($40.00 for 0.26 oz.) is described as “golden nude.” The formula is described as an “ultra smooth baked face powder” that gives a “natural colour with a radiant healthy glow” with “sheer, buildable coverage” and “eight hour” wear.
There are four shades, and this is the lightest one, and the other three appear to be more bronze-like. The texture is incredibly soft, silky, and smooth; it’s thin but not dusty or dry, and it’s this thinner, silkier consistency that makes it easily blended on the skin. The finely-milled powder paired with fine shimmer keeps the finish from emphasizing pores (even when applied more heavily).
It had buildable coverage, as described, and it actually lasted for closer to nine hours on me. I can definitely see why this has been raved about over the years–glad I picked it up, as I see it finding its way into my go-to drawer (a great permanent highlighter? always room for one more!).
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Dior Cosmopolite (LE, $45.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight (P, $44.00) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Cover FX Celestial (PiP, $34.00) is less shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Chanel Duo N. 02 (Top) (LE, ) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- Tarte Highlight (Tarteist) (LE, ) is less shimmery, lighter (85% similar).
- Urban Decay Sesso (Highlighter) (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter (90% similar).
- Sephora Light Beam (02) (P, $14.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Urban Decay Nooner (Highlighter) (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Cle de Peau Almond (16) (P, $55.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Tarte Strobe (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
Formula Overview
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The formula is described as an “ultra smooth baked face powder” that gives a “natural colour with a radiant healthy glow” with “sheer, buildable coverage” and “eight hour” wear. There are four shades, and this is the lightest one, and the other three appear to be more bronze-like. The texture is incredibly soft, silky, and smooth; it’s thin but not dusty or dry, and it’s this thinner, silkier consistency that makes it easily blended on the skin. The finely-milled powder paired with fine shimmer keeps the finish from emphasizing pores (even when applied more heavily). It had buildable coverage, as described, and it actually lasted for closer to nine hours on me.
Browse all of our Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact (Highlighter) swatches.
oooooo pretty! *adds to Sephora vib sale cart*
It is sooo lovely!!
It has a beautiful finish. Really lovely color, too.
The finish is lovely!
Oh, I have this one!! It’s a deluxe sample, think it was from redeeming Sephora reward points a while back. I had forgotten about it, amidst all the Becca ones I bought. It’s so pretty!! I will start using, probably keep at my desk for touch ups.
I like it more than Becca, just because it’s more forgiving/easy to use, haha.
So pretty!
It is!
Love your whole makeup look here!
Thank you, Wendy!
This one… a mini… is in a Sephora favorites. It’s nice, but matte it is not. And matte and radiant are somewhat oxymoronic. With those favorites is a Tarte pencil contour & a Clinique pinky chubby highlighter. Even a non contourer like me can draw a few lines, buff out & voila. Small sizes (not the Clinique) can be great for infrequently used products. I might use this tonight for night job. Nice on you.
Yes, I am with you! It is such an odd way to name a product “Matte Radiance” — they definitely intended and designed it (even by their own marketing language) as a highlighter.
Just stunning!!! I love how this highlighter is *just* gleamy enough, but definitely not OTT. This goes on my (not so) little list of what I need (want) in my life!
It’s a beautiful highlighter!
I’ve wanted this for ages, I think I’ll definitely splurge on it when I get the chance!
Awesome! I’ve been meaning to get it for awhile, and the VIB sale was perfect timing to do so!
Nice Highlight 01, it looks lovely after applying it. It have just a different look, so lovely to see.
It is gorgeous!
Very nice, Christine!
Thanks, Claire!
Oh I knew I should have picked this up during the VIB Rouge sale!
Aww! Next time! 🙂
Wow! An A+ product. I have many highlighters already, but I’ve got to try it now. By the way, what’s on your lips? Love the color and the finish!
Bobbi Brown Pale Mauve Luxe Lip Color
You make everything look good!
This comes along with a bronzer,& a baked blush called ritual in a kit called” blush & glow radiant face trio” it’s a nice kit. I had never tried her powders before.So,if was a good way to try them all!
Interesting! I might have to check out the kit. I’m curious how warm/orange the bronzers are in this range.
I find “matte radiance” sort of contradictory but this sure looks lovely…and radiant!
Haha, you and me both, Mariella.
I have this! and I’m so glad you have/ love this ^-^ – my only gripe is that it can only get built up to a certain shinyness, but in hindsight that may be for the best. Highly recommend for gorgeous glowy healthy skin!
It’s definitely not an over-the-top highlighter! If you want even more shine/sheen, maybe try Becca!
This looks absolutely gorgeous. Love it and the shade is perfect for me. A birthday treat, I think.
Would be a perfect gift!
Definitely one of my favourite highlighters.
Now one of mine, too!
Oh that looks lovely! The Bobbi Brown shimmer brick I ordered arrived broken; I just may have to pick this up as consolation. 🙂
Poor Shimmerbrick!
Just bought this during the Rouge sale! I swatched it in store and the texture was fabulous and the color looked perfect. Can’t wait to use it now! I really respect your A+ grades!
Me too! 😀
Do you think it would show color on fair skin? For instance how do you think it compares to the new Chanel Coups de Minuit? That one shows subtle color on me.
I think it is lighter than Coups de Minuit!
Last (?) summer Sephora had a Laura Mercier 500 point perk and a deluxe size of this (aka all the highlight you’ll ever need) was included in the set and I’ve used it often since! Sometimes those 500 point perks contain amazing value… othertimes not so much. But this one is a stunner and I love how it doesn’t emphasize pores.
That is very nice! You definitely wouldn’t need much!
That looks so stunning in you!!! I’ve never really been interested in this particular highlighter- I like my cheek highlight to be seen from space- but, this is to pretty to pass up!
Thank you so much, Genna!
Very pretty! I’m not sure about ma’ pores and ma’ skin tone.
I bet it would work!
If anyone doesn’t own this, you neeeeed it, it’s beautiful, I use it practically every day
It’s a gorgeous one!
I have been really wanting to try this! Christine, have you ever used laura geller french vanilla highlighter? I think it is less shimmery and maybe a bit more white. But I wonder if they are similar? ?? I could bath myself in laura geller french vanilla. It does have some sheen, my mostly a lightening effect…hard to describe.
I haven’t!
Beautiful! It gives you such a nice glow! I added it to my list.
Thanks, Valerie!
Well dang. Exactly what I’ve been looking for.
*adds to sephora cart*
lol!
So beautiful!!!, your skin looks gorgeous in this photo 😀
Would you say you prefer this highlighter over the Cle de peau luminizing face enhancer?
THAT’S LIKE ASKING ME TO CHOOSE BETWEEN MELLAN AND MELLAN!
Just because of price, this one.
I swatched this a couple of weeks ago and just had to have it! I just bought this during the VIB sale, before I even saw this post. I’m thrilled to see that you loved it so much! I can’t wait for it to arrive in the mail.
I hope you love it, too, Asche!
i bought this during the rouge sale and i am super impressed. i love the becca powder highlighters but at the end of the day they can make me look super oily and this has yet to do that!
Great minds think alike, Amara!!
It’s very pretty, but I personally prefer “more” in a highlighter, LOL! I often go with a dewier foundation finish, and I think this would just blend in a bit too much… Besides, I think I’m set for highlighters for a while.
I totally understand 🙂
Hello Christine! I’m tempted by this highlighter, but I cannot decide between this one and Kevin Aucoin Candlelight (my budget allows for only one of the two). Which one would you recommend to buy?
It’s sooo tough, but I’d try this one. It is a better value and SO pretty!
I have both No 1 and 2 in these when they used to do mini sizes. I got both mine in kits and admit do use them loads. Oh and they late like forever. LOL I have seen the new larger size and thought I will never get to the end of it.
How do you like 002?
I’m considering getting this highlighter since months already. It seems like you can achieve subtle highlight with and… *Sigh* it is sooooo pretty! I’m trying to be selective and to not buy too much makeup, bu now I know for sure that I will have to get my hand on this!
Thanks for the great review 🙂
It’s SO good! I didn’t believe the hype but now I do!!
Good to hear it’s pore-safe! 🙂 looks lovely on you!
Thank you!
That is a lovely highlighter. I must confess I rarely go to thte LM counter. I must after this!
You must look at this one, Helene!
I bought this last week and I’m totally glad I did! Very beautiful and definitely one of my favorite highlighters!
Woohoo!!
This has to be one of my favourite highlighters. I tend to reach for this one most days.
It’s so good!
This is my favorite highlighter because of how buildable and easy to use it is. For reference, I’m NW10 with oily skin, and I held off on getting this for ages because I was afraid it would be too dark on me…but oh, I’m glad I did. It blends beautifully; I like to do a light sweep with the contour end of the KVD contouring brush if I want a subtle sheen, but I also apply it with my finger and buff out with the highlighter end if I want a more striking appearance. (Love a heavy coat of this product; it’s less “glitter gone wild” and more “sophisticated mermaid”.) The pan is also gigantic; I’ve used mine 4 times a week for almost 6 months and the dome barely has a dent. I’d buy a backup if I ever thought I’d make my way through the whole thing.
Happy to hear that it works on your NW10 skin! Do you get any color at all or is it just glow?
I got this in the Sephora Superstars Favorites (I think I got this name right) and I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not a highlighter junkie so it was one of the things in the set I didn’t care about but now I’m digging this whole “glowy” life!
What a great set you got there, Rosy! I’m so glad it was in it 😀 It’s SO nice!
This is beautiful. I think that the Tiki Bronzer from Hard Candy would be an awesome dupe.
I will have to check that out!
Thanks to your reviews I purchased this Highlighter along with Kevyn Aucoin’s Candlelight during this year’s VIB Sale. I completely agree with your reviews and am so impressed by the quality of both highlighters – I also recommend them 🙂 Thank you for your awesome work, Christine! 🙂
Unfortunately I feel I cannot wear highlighters anymore (even though I just discovered them for myself and fell in love with them earlier this year). I noticed that both tend (as well as highlighting in geberal) make my fine lines and 2-3 deeper ones around my eyes/cheekbones look worse and emphasize my aging. I turned 31 and my eye/cheekbone area is actually the only one that shows a considerable amount of lines already. This makes me sad and I feel like I should return both highlighters and not purchase any again as they don’t look flattering on me despite being such awesome products – on the contrary they draw attention to my wrinkly eye area and make the lines appear even deeper.
However, if you don’t have this problem though I can also highly recommend this Highlighter by Laura Mercier. By the way, Australian MUA Ania Milczarczyk uses this one a lot to create her signature looks. I saw it being mentioned a lot on her instagram Fanpage.
Dsa,
Have you tried altering your placement just slightly to avoid some of the deeper fine lines you have? You might also try applying with a fan brush or lightly spraying water (or a facial mist) post-application, which will help smooth everything out 🙂
I ordered this because of your review, and I am not sorry. I had been looking for a subtle illuminator, and was unsure of which one would be best for my normal, 50+ skin. Well, this is the one. It is subtle and does not accentuate any skin imperfections. It gives my skin a very slight glow where applied, but could be built up too. Thanks again, Christine, for helping clear the confusion over the multitudes of products out there.
Woohoo!! I am so thrilled to hear it, Stephanie. Enjoy it 😀
I bought this product last week, along with a couple of other highlighters, as did my friend, without knowing anything about it. This is definitely my favorite out of the bunch. Love at first swatch. It applies so smoothly & easily, has a beautiful finish on the skin whether you’re oily skinned or not. Definitely suitable for daytime wear, office wear, whatever. I’ve found it works really well for evening makeup looks as well. Plenty of product gets on any brush I use with it, yet it never looks like you’ve overdone it or look like you’ve rolled in greasy stripper-glitter like with UD’s ‘similar-type products (kinda sorta) *yuck*
I’d but this product again & again, for sure. One of the few products I’ve bought this year that I’m not returning (I’m looking at you Bobbi Brown & Anastasia).
So glad you are enjoying it, Sandra! I can see why it’s been raved about for years.
I’m heading out tomorrow to swatch in-store and then buy! Can’t wait! I don’t have a lot of highlighters, just Kevyn Aucoin, Soft and Gentle, and a Pearlmatte I’ve re-discovered in my stash. I like low shimmer and sheen and this looks just lovely!
YAYYYY! 😀
I need this in my life!
It’s really nice!
How would you compare this to Charlotte Tilbury’s dreamy glow highlighter please? ?
They’re not comparable at all. Charlotte Tilbury’s Dreamy Glow is orange-y?
I love how thorough your reviews are – you have become my often-used and trusted quick reference before I purchase products, especially online.
Have you reviewed any of the Bronzer shades of this product? I have watched some videos by Wayne Goss and he loves the bronzer shades too and I’m keen to try/purchase. Unfortunately the product is not stocked in any bricks & mortar store where I live, so I rely on swatches and reviews! Can you help a gal out??
Cheers!
This is the only one I’ve reviewed! I’m trying to hold off until a sale for LM before trying one of the other ones 🙂
I am trying to decide between Laura Mercier highlight 01 and Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder Candelight. I want a subtle look. Advice?
They both will give you a subtle look! I think Celestial might be a smidgen subtler.
Im torn between this highlighter and becca moonstone. I want that glow from within effect. Which one would you recommend?
Becca’s highlighter is very obvious and more metallic – this is subtle. If you don’t want subtle, definitely don’t get this! They are very different!
Hi Christine! Is this a highlighter, or all over powder that I can wear to set my Laura liquid foundation? Thanks!
I think it’s too shimmery to be used all-over for setting – as a finishing powder, sure.
Hi Again Christine! Sorry for all of the questions. How do you think this compares to Hourglass diffused light powder? Thanks again!
This is much more shimmery than Hourglass’ Ambient Lighting Powders.