Blinged-out and beautiful, these finely-milled loose mineral powders from Luv Carat are amazingly smooth and easy to wear. I was able to swatch/test them yesterday and was impressed. They remind me a lot of Kesalan Patharan’s Sheer Micro Powder, one of the best loose powders I’ve ever used for texture, adherence and quality.
To be honest, ‘finely-milled’ doesn’t even begin to describe the silky nature of these soft Luv Carat finishing powders – touch them and you’ll get the sensation of a powder with a fluid movement; so lustrous are they. This apparent moistness can be attributed to the squalane (an emollient and moisturiser) and hyaluronic acid (a powerful humectant) that appear at the beginning of their ingredient list. As I’ve mentioned in my primer series, moisturisers can help foundation to stay on longer – this principle applies to loose powders too. Moisture binds and sets, so this is desirable for makeup tenacity.
Despite their moisturising properties, these lightweight powders have a gossamer feel to them. They seem like translucent powders but I would peg them as offering light to medium coverage. As they are minerals, I reckon layering is not a problem. I really like their fine finish but have not tested them for oil control yet (according to the brand, they have the ability to absorb excess sebum).
The two on the right in the photo above are non-shimmery, while the two on the left are sparkly. The former can be used all over the face and apparently cover pores, while the latter two are better suited for highlighting and décolletage usage. I imagine that they’d be perfect mixed with a body lotion for an all-over body glow.
Celebrity Gold (gold diamanté jewel case) is a limited edition gold powder. This is the best-seller of the lot, locally. The glitter-like gold sparkle is carried on a fine, soft powder base. I didn’t swatch a lot of it but it can be quite intense (see High Light Pearl below).
High Light Pearl (silver diamanté jewel case) is a pearlised powder reminiscent of crushed diamonds. Like Celebrity Gold, the iridescent silver shimmer is dispensed throughout a soft bed of powder. It’s very sparkly.
Light Beige (blue diamanté jewel case) is a regular no-sparkle loose powder suitable for fairer complexions (MAC NC 15-20). It seems to have a soft pink tone. See how smooth it is?
Natural Beige (pink diamanté jewel case) is non-shimmery and the closest to my skintone (MAC NC 25). It’s yellower in tone, compared to Light Beige. I believe it would make a good powder for many Asians. See how it seems to disappear into my skin? I was wondering if it was even necessary to crop the photo and post it, since it was so much like my skin colour, lol! You can see how smooth its texture is – it doesn’t settle into the fine lines and literally puts my skin in soft-focus.
This bejewelled quartet can be found at all local Sasa stores and beauty e-tailer Beauty Carousel. Interestingly enough, their online retail price is S$29.90 but they cost S$39.90 – S$10 more (!) – at Sasa.
oooh mag! the gold one is sooo pretty! Would you be featuring the eyeshadows by any chance? =D
Hey Kas!
It is quite pretty. I don’t have swatches of the shadows but I do have a photo of their insides, hehe!
Thanks for the post! It was really helpful, I saw it online and couldn’t decide whether to buy it cos there was a lack of information. And I just realised that the Luv Carat words aren’t printed on the diamante lid when I thought it was :P i think i’ll be getting the pink one soon! (: anyway, i’ve followed you!
Hi Fiona,
You’re very welcome. I would’ve thought the name was embedded in the gem-studded cover too, if I hadn’t seen them in person. I hope Natural Beige works for you. If you can, try it at Sasa first. ;) Thanks for the follow!