L’Oréal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator Review

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If you are obsessed with makeup and must have it all, then this post and her sister post are right up your ally!

This weekend I finally got my eager little hands on the new L’Oréal True Match Lumi Highlighters. I’ve been searching for these since I first laid eyes on them, but living in Hawaii, I’m always about six weeks behind the rest of the world when it comes to new products. Bummer, but that’s another story entirely…

After years of selling just the boring basics of makeup, drugstore brands are really stepping up their games and releasing new, on-trend beauty products.

Long story short, drugstore brands are branching out in ways they never have before. That’s great and all, but are the products any good?

Today, we’ve got the L’Oréal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator. Since that’s a ridiculously long name, we will be referring it as simply “Lumi Powder Glow.” Why didn’t L’Oréal just call it that?

Forget the name; let’s see how Lumi Powder Glow performs on a real girl in the real world.

Highlighters are seriously having a moment. They’re everywhere.

Well, everywhere except the drugstore.

Until now.

I’ve always thought of highlighters as more of an accessory, rather than a necessity. Think of it like clothes. Concealer is like a shirt- you need it. Highlighter is like the sparkly earrings you may or may not have time for. But either way, you’re looking decent.

I assumed since highlighters weren’t considered an essential makeup item, that’s why pretty much only high-end brands that sell “makeup bells and whistles” offered them.

L’Oréal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator >> Purchase on Amazon

L’Oréal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator in Rose

I purchased my highlighters at Bed Bath & Beyond for $12.99 USD each. However, I was able to use my “20% off 1 item” coupon, which brought the price of one down to $9.19, making my total for the pair, plus tax, $21.65.

Not a horrible price, I do feel like L’Oréal’s prices have been getting rather inflated as of late. I don’t mind paying more for great products, but obviously, expectations climb along with prices.

The shade selection is interesting

I like where L’Oréal is going with the Lumi highlighter shade selection, but I don’t think they got it quite right.

They are trying to make it really easy for you to choose your perfect highlighter. According to their logic, just select the one that corresponds with your undertone, cool, neutral, or warm, and you’re good to go. It doesn’t quite work that way.

Allow me to explain.

According to L’Oréal’s formula, I should go with the Bronze shade, the “warm” option. But after much deliberation, I decided to go with the Rose shade, the “neutral” option.

My skin is very warm, but still on the light side. The bronze “warm” option would have looked much too dark on my skin. It certainly wouldn’t end up being a highlight. A bronzer, maybe. The Rose shade includes a lighter portion along with a darker portion to help even things out.

On the other side of the spectrum, stands the “cool” option, called Ice. It’s comprised of four very washed out colors. Basically, they’re white. On deeper skin tones, this shade could look quite chalky, even if the person has cool undertones and is technically using the “correct” shade.

I think the shades generalize too much, and that the names should just be ignored. Choose the one that best fits your skin color, and forget about the under tone.

Formula and texture is what you’d expect from the drugstore

Swatching the powders on my fingertips, it’s immediately apparent that not all of the shades are created equal. The white shade on the left and the pink and brown shades in the middle feel very smooth and buttery to the touch. However, the golden shade on the right stands out, and not in a good way. It’s chunkier than the others, and kicks up more dust when touched.

*Note: Swatches below are counter clockwise starting with the lightest shade on the left.

If you look really closely, you can see that the champagne shade on the right includes more  chunky glitter than the shades do. It comes across on the skin as more of a sparkle than heathy glow. Though, sometimes that’s what you want.

The pink and brown shades swatch out quite softly, and aren’t nearly as dark as they seem in the pan. For me, that’s a good thing. The last thing I need is even more pink drawing attention to my huge cheeks.

The four shades make it easy to highlight all over with just one product

When testing the product, I wanted to use all of the colors as much as possible. I applied a very matte foundation, so any glow was thanks to the highlighting powder. After applying my powder, blush and bronzer (both also matte), I did an allover dusting of the white (left) shade to add some life into my very dull-looking skin.

Next I dipped my finger in the champagne (right) shade and gently smeared it beneath my eyebrows as a brow bone highlight. I also added it to my inner corner. Overall, I liked the soft effect it gives.

Finally, I swirled all four colors together and placed that on my cheekbones, bridge of my nose, middle of my forehead and a bit on my chin. Like the eyes, I was left with a pretty, but soft highlight on my cheekbones, and everywhere else.

It looked nice at this point, so I don’t know why I messed with it.

It’s nice, but not the very best

Especially not for $12.99 USD. Yes, $12.99 sounds like a great deal when you think about high-end highlighters, such as the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors.

I feel like I used so much of this product to get a strong highlight. Compared to when I used the Becca Champagne Pop, where I only need a tiny dip of product for a blinged-out cheekbone. Plus, the more product I piled on, the chalkier I looked, so overall I don’t think it’s worth trying to build up if that’s the look you’re going for.

But sometimes you don’t want a highlight visible from space. I’m keeping Lumi Powder Glow around for those days when I just want something easy and fool proof.

*UPDATE 10/25/16: It’s been over a year since I purchased this product, and I still use it. I find it perfect for travel with it’s versatility, and because it’s so easy to use. To see how I’ve been wearing it, check out my Easy Travel Makeup Routine.

As for longevity, the product wore a good six hours on me (during which I was very careful not to touch my face) before starting to fade. Reasonable, but again, not the best.

L’Oréal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator >> Purchase on Amazon

That’s all for today!

Like this post? You’re sure to find this one intriguing too >> L’Oréal Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator Rose Gold Review

If you find this post interesting, informative, or just plain entertaining, tell me about it in the comments below! And don’t forget, sharing is caring. Share this post!

Till next time. ♥︎

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FTC- Not sponsored by any brands mentioned. I purchase products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.