Laura Geller: Yummy or Crummy?

Every year, I eagerly await the release of all the beautiful holiday value sets put out by my favorite cosmetics brands. Makeup is my sport, and the holidays are the World Series and Superbowl rolled up into one. In 2015, some were great (bareMinerals) and some were a rehash of previous sets (Benefit), but one caught my eye to a brand I really hadn't thought about before. Laura Geller is known in the beauty world mostly for the beloved Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey, but I generally didn't take notice of her other products. Her holiday collection, however, stood out to me and I knew I had to try it. So Scrumptious, purchased at Ulta, is a 6 piece collection of full sized products that can be used to create a close to complete face look. Although it's a holiday set, I want to talk about the products themselves, since they are all best sellers of the line.

The packaging is just so adorable, it looks like a little box of fancy chocolates or cookies. I'm a sucker for cute packaging.

Inlcuded in the set is a Baked Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation, a Baked Blush-n-Brighten in Berry Trifle, a Spackle Tinted Under Make-Up Primer in Champagne, a Baked Eye Pie in Coffee Berry Crunch, and a Color Drenched Lip Gloss in French Press Rose. It also includes a blush brush with a sponge applicator on the other end.

At first I thought the brush was worthless, and while the giant sponge applicator is still a mystery to me, the brush end is pretty decent for blush application. I wish it was a bit softer though.

On to the makeup goodies!

I haven't used the primer yet, but Spackle is a well-known and popular primer so I have no doubt that it's great. I've used a sample size of the original Spackle and liked it, so I'm excited to see what the Champagne tint can do for my complexion. I'm hoping for a nice glow.

I really wanted to get this set because of the Baked Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation (phew what a mouthful). I'm a bit of a foundation addict, and I love trying different ones. At $33 a pop, however, this was definitely not an impulse buy. That's why this set stood out to me, since for $59 I not only get the foundation, but also a blush, lip gloss, primer, and eyeshadow trio. I purchased the set with the foundation shade Fair. While normally I go for the palest shade, Fair is actually not the lightest, they also offer Porcelain. I heard though, that the foundation is very forgiving due to the swirls of different shades baked into the product. It's true, and the Fair is pretty much a dead on match for my tone. 

I use a kabuki brush to apply the powder foundation, and it works well, but if anyone has a better application method please let me know in the comments below.  The foundation seems to be a medium coverage product, but I think it has the potential to be full coverage if you work at it. I love the way my skin looks after using it, my face looks so smooth and even. However, I feel like a comparable product would be my well-loved bareMinerals Original foundation. bareMinerals has a lower price point but is a loose powder product, while Laura Geller is travel friendly and convenient, but is more expensive.

I love the Baked Blush-n-Brighten, it's so gorgeous. It's incredibly pigmented, but doesn't look splotchy or unnatural on the skin. This shade has visible sparkle in it, but when applied it is more glow than glitter. My only complaint is that it creates a lot of fallout in the pan when you dip a brush in, so be careful. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a natural flush of color.

The Baked Eye Pie comes with a tan shade, a pink shade, and a sort of burgundy brown shade. All three are shimmery shadows, and there is a generous amount of each. Even though these are all shimmers, the three together can create a complete (and flattering) eye look. I love the burgundy, it's beautiful in the crease and the outer V of the eye. The tan and the pink can also be used as an effective highlight (especially the pink), and provide a gorgeous glow to the tops of the cheeks. Again, Laura Geller nails it with the pigmentation and the color choices.

I had already heard good things about the Color Drenched Lip Gloss, and I wasn't disappointed. It's a creamy gloss that provides a good wash of color. It's pretty opaque, and not sticky at all which is a HUGE plus for me. Sticky lip gloss is my biggest pet peeve. This particular shade is a soft, everyday pink.

Overall, I was incredibly impressed with the Laura Geller line, it's definitely yummy! I really enjoyed the foundation and will continue to use it. The blush is to die for, and the eyeshadow is worth its weight. At the end of the month, I will be going to Las Vegas for a business conference, and I think that this collection is going to be coming with me in my makeup bag! I'm looking forward to trying more from the Laura Geller line also, since all I'm really missing is eyeliner and mascara. I also still want to get my hands on the Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator, I have to see what the fuss is all about. 

Do you have any Laura Geller favorites? Let me know in the comments below.