Laura Mercier Paint with Light Radiant Face Illuminator Palette Review & Swatches
Paint with Light
Laura Mercier Paint with Light Radiant Face Illuminator Palette ($52.00 for 0.63 oz.) is a new, limited edition trio of highlighters for the holiday season. Obsession is new and exclusive to the palette, while the other two shades are available in the brand’s permanent range.
The standalone Face Illuminators retail for $45.00 and contain 0.30 oz. of product or cost $150.00 per ounce, so the palette contains $94.50 worth of product. All three shades performed consistently with past iterations of the Face Illuminator formula; the only “downside” is that the shades are more semi-opaque to opaque than strictly medium and buildable, so as long as that’s not a deal-breaker, it’s a nice trio if you’re in need of highlighter.
Ingredients
Paint with Light
LELimited Edition. $52.00.
Devotion
Devotion is a pale beige with a subtle, peachy-pink shift and luminous sheen. It had a more moderate glow when initially applied but could be built up to a more metallic finish with two to three layers (or used with a dampened brush). The pigmentation was medium coverage in a single layer but could be built up (as described), while the texture was smooth, firmer to the touch, but it wasn’t stiff to work with.
With this type of formula, I’d recommend using a denser brush to pick up product to ensure good, even pick up of product. It lasted well for eight hours on me before fading visibly.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- ColourPop Upgrade (LE, $12.00) is lighter (95% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Halo, Goodbye (P, $5.99) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Make Up For Ever H102 (P, $23.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Dior #002 (DC, $56.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Urban Decay Wicked (LE, $26.00) is darker (95% similar).
- Burberry No. 03 Pink Pearl (P, $68.00) is cooler (95% similar).
- MAC Love This Bitch (LE, $34.00) is less shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Tarte Gleam (PiP, ) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Tarte Spellbound Glow (LE, $30.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Laura Geller Pixie Pearl (LE, $36.00) is less shimmery, warmer (95% similar).
Formula Overview
$45.00/0.3 oz. - $150.00 Per Ounce
According to the brand, Laura Mercier Face Illuminator ($44.00 for 0.30 oz.) supposed to be a “long-wearing, buildable” highlighter that gives a “natural-looking” glow. The formula was typically more buildable from medium to opaque coverage with a noticeable sheen that could get more frosted/metallic if applied heavily but didn't emphasize my pores. The texture was smooth and blendable, but there was a bit of dryness to it that seemed common to this type of formula (think MAC Extra Dimension, NARS Dual-Intensity, Estee Lauder Gelee, etc.). On my normal-to-dry skin, the highlighter tended to last around eight hours.
Browse all of our Laura Mercier Face Illuminator swatches.
Ingredients
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Talc, Dimethicone, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Potassium Sorbate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Mica, Tin Oxide. May Contain(+/-): Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77491, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
Devotion
PPermanent. $45.00.
Obsession
Obsession is a pale lavender with cooler undertones and pink-to-violet shifting pearl throughout. It had a luminous finish that could be built up from medium to intense glow depending on coverage-level and whether it was used with a dampened brush.
The powder highlighter had a smooth consistency that was never powdery and sat beautifully on my skin–almost “melted” in that sense–but did work better with a denser brush, as it was a firmer, denser powder. It had opaque pigmentation in a single layer, though it was easy to use a lighter hand with it to achieve more buildable coverage (which was how it was marketed). The color wore beautifully for eight and a half hours on me before I noticed signs of fading.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- ColourPop Squad (LE, $10.00) is less shimmery, lighter (95% similar).
- ColourPop Showtime (LE, $10.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Lights on Lavender (LE, $42.00) is less shimmery (95% similar).
- Guerlain Holographic (Right) (LE, ) is lighter, cooler (95% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Halographic (P, $5.99) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Wayne Goss Shimmer Pink (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- MAC Soft Frost (P, $42.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild Royal Calyx (P, $4.99) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- NARS Wild Phox (LE, $29.00) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Pardon My Francais (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$45.00/0.3 oz. - $150.00 Per Ounce
According to the brand, Laura Mercier Face Illuminator ($44.00 for 0.30 oz.) supposed to be a “long-wearing, buildable” highlighter that gives a “natural-looking” glow. The formula was typically more buildable from medium to opaque coverage with a noticeable sheen that could get more frosted/metallic if applied heavily but didn't emphasize my pores. The texture was smooth and blendable, but there was a bit of dryness to it that seemed common to this type of formula (think MAC Extra Dimension, NARS Dual-Intensity, Estee Lauder Gelee, etc.). On my normal-to-dry skin, the highlighter tended to last around eight hours.
Browse all of our Laura Mercier Face Illuminator swatches.
Obsession
LELimited Edition. $45.00.
Inspiration
Inspiration is a light-medium, rosy copper with warm undertones and a luminous sheen. It had buildable pigmentation from semi-opaque to opaque, though it was supposed to be closer to medium, per the brand. The texture felt smooth to the touch, but it was a denser, firmer powder that played best with denser brushes, which is typical of the more baked-powder-gel kind of formulas. The color applied evenly and blended out easily on my skin without emphasizing my skin’s natural texture. It stayed on nicely for eight hours before fading a bit.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- OFRA Blissful (P, $29.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Bobbi Brown Afternoon Glow (P, $48.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- NARS Maldives (P, $38.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Laura Mercier Temptation (LE, $45.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Smashbox Rosemantic (LE, $39.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Anastasia Taffy (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Lancome Rose Twinkle #2 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Makeup Revolution Liquid Lustre Gold (P, $9.00) is darker (90% similar).
- Sydney Grace Morning Glory (P, $9.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Anastasia Amber Gold (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$45.00/0.3 oz. - $150.00 Per Ounce
According to the brand, Laura Mercier Face Illuminator ($44.00 for 0.30 oz.) supposed to be a “long-wearing, buildable” highlighter that gives a “natural-looking” glow. The formula was typically more buildable from medium to opaque coverage with a noticeable sheen that could get more frosted/metallic if applied heavily but didn't emphasize my pores. The texture was smooth and blendable, but there was a bit of dryness to it that seemed common to this type of formula (think MAC Extra Dimension, NARS Dual-Intensity, Estee Lauder Gelee, etc.). On my normal-to-dry skin, the highlighter tended to last around eight hours.
Browse all of our Laura Mercier Face Illuminator swatches.
This is lovely. The first two seemed aimed at lt to med, and the third is substantially darker. For the lt to meds, it would seem to be more of a blush or topper, if it looks that pigmented on you. At least it seems easy to use, once you get it started. Personally, i’d consider going for the SG dupe for Inspiration, as a shimmer blush.
I like this type of palette where you can conveniently blend shades together. Thinking about this one…
This looks so nice. While I’ve sort of sworn off much makeup buying, I may just buy this because it looks like a palette where I can get use of all 3 shades and the quality and value are both really good.
Beautiful trio of shades! I would be on this except for the fact that I have dupes for 2 out of the 3 shades. But I still just may, because I feel like my dupes may be just different enough.
Hands down, this is gorgeous – I’m more inclined to purchase this rather than one of the Hourglass Ghost palettes, even though this has fewer shades/less range (offset by more product/better value and packaging that doesn’t look like a plastic lunchbox!), that pale pink is just STUNNING.
Yeah, I’m not a huge fan of the Hourglass packaging either and I really don’t know what the name ghost has anything to do with holiday releases unless we’re talking about Halloween. The Ghost palettes also only have a single highlighter between them. I picked them both up but I’m seriously considering this one but I do not need it.
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Thank you, Louise!
This one is so lovely – I like the subtleness of the shades and how they could probably all work well together. Just beautiful.
I don’t need any more highlighters, but this one is very tempting.
The first two, the lighter ones are probably very good for my skin tone, the third would work very nicely as a topper.
Now this little palette makes me feel inspired, and I had almost given up on finding inspiration today after reading about, but mostly looking at the Norvina 3. Yay for inspiration!
Really beautiful palette.