FAKE A FLAWLESS FACE
Laura Mercier shows us how to get a gorgeous complexion with the latest miracle buy.
Get your dream skin—look no further than your vanity table with Laura Mercier
Raw foods, juice detoxes, daily cleanses… women the world over are doing everything they can to get a healthy looking glow on their face. In fact, how to get a flawless face is proving to be a hotter topic than where to buy the perfect red lipstick—yes, really. We want to swap our tired, stressed-out complexions for a glow that looks as if we have spent the winter drinking only green liquid and practising our downward dogs at a yoga centre in Bali.
But if a girl doesn’t have three months to spend chanting on a beach, what is she to do? Laura Mercier believes it has the answer.
It’s not the first time that beauty brand Laura Mercier has detected a void that needed filling in the market. When ex-makeup artist Laura Mercier launched her namesake cosmetic brand in 1996, she saw that the cosmetic industry was missing essential makeup products for women. It was for this reason she invented the primer. This colourless gel has become an essential for women all over the world and works as a layer between the skin and the foundation. This vital layer helps stop the foundation from fading and ensures it stays fresh all day.
The brand has always offered a selection of primers to suit different skin types to make sure that every woman is able to take that first step to a flawless face and do it right. And now, the brand has gone a step further and added a new primer to its collection with SPF30 Primer Protect sending the beauty addict blogosphere into a frenzy. Laura Mercier Flawless Face models
This primer differs from that of lots of other brands, as it offers broad spectrum sun protection. Its active ingredients stabilise avobenzone for UVA screening, while the fragrance-free formula makes it a must-have for sensitive skins. This A-list skin creator is a lightweight, silky lotion that sinks into your skin and leaves a soft matte finish, creating a subtle glow.
Choosing the right primer is crucial in order to prep the skin and create an even and perfect base for foundation. The primer step is even more essential for women living in tropical climates such as Singapore. “Supporting your foundation with a primer and setting with primer is the key to maintaining a flawless face in a humid environment,” says Tayaba Jafri, Global Makeup Artist for Laura Mercier. “Foundations and concealers help even out the skin and hide blemishes, but it’s primer that will ensure that the application looks as natural and skin-like as possible.”
In conversation, while I was in New York, Tayaba reveals that for perfect flawless skin, I need to be introduced to the Laura Mercier four-step flawless face routine. So I visited the Laura Mercier counter at Bergdorf Goodman to see if I could get that airbrushed skin I envied.
I kicked back in the chair and the makeup artist went to work on my face. She started with the canvas building primer and then moved on to a light touch of tinted moisturiser, before correcting my colour with the Secret Camouflage concealer. This buy definitely lives up to its name as it hides all traces of uneven skin and goes on nude, so my face looked refined yet natural. She finished with a
swirl of translucent setting powder, which she said would give me the semi-matte look I wanted, without changing the colour of my skin. The makeup artist was so confident with the results and handed me a mirror so I could zoom in and judge the finished look. I definitely liked what I saw. This miracle worker only used a small amount of each product, but my skin looked flawless.
And, what’s more? I didn’t feel any guilt about loading up on this beautiful top coat, as Laura Mercier products are designed to give your skin some TLC. Like Tayaba explains, “this refined deep sea water acts like a delivery system taking good ingredients deeper and helping them work better for the skin. All ingredients become bioavailable and the skin uses up all that it is treated with.”
At the end of my makeover I wanted to rush out into the streets of New York to show off my flawless face to the world. However the question here is, would it stay put in the Singapore heat as well? Tabaya has the answer: “If you are of an excessively oily skin type, then apply Secret Finish Mattifying in the T-zone to help maintain the look. I also recommend a mid-day makeup touch up, where you can apply Secret Finish Mattifying or Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder - Shine Control, just to key areas.”
So there we have it. We can finally achieve that unique glow and get a flawless finish without having to labour for hours in front of the mirror and end up looking caked up. It looks like the secret to flawless skin is not so elusive after all—and drinking green juice does not have to be on the agenda (you didn’t hear that from me.)