Are Secret Miracle Ingredients the Key to Better Skin?
Have you heard the hype about La Mer and La Prairie foundations? You may have seen beauty bloggers raving about them, promoting them and claiming they make your skin "expensive" looking, but are they truly better than a mid-range cosmetic? What makes them so much more expensive than other companies? It's the 'miracle broths' and trademarked ingredient soups, but do these add up to the price? We took the plunge, so you don't have to spend your money.
The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation by La Mer, $120
What does this do for $120 that mid-priced foundation can’t do? They claim all their products have a Broth, which is trademarked. This broth is essentially kelp water. Kelp is seaweed. Seaweed had anti-oxidant properties, hydrating properties and softening properties. You’ll find it in smoothies, you can eat it raw as a salad and you will find it in mos of La Mer products. The story claims that a scientist named Dr. Max Huber wanted to find a regenerative substance to heal his burns. He turned to Pacific Sea Kelp and after 6,000 experiments he came out with The Miracle Broth and founded La Mer.
We tried this product and while we liked it, we also found comparable foundations for half the price. If sea kelp really has regenerative healing properties, we would rather eat it than shell out $120 on foundation that basically sits on your skin.
We do not doubt seaweed as a healing food, but we doubt that it heals our skin in this foundation.
La Prairie Skin Caviar Foundation, $245
La Prairie has a made a name for itself with their Skin Caviar collection. Each product is made with caviar, a bougie food appetizer, repurposed as an emollient and hydrating facial ‘miracle.’ This is the most expensive foundation we could find. It is a refillable container, so you will be paying for the container and then the foundation. The caviar is infused in water, so it's caviar water not caviar. They also have a, “light press of the proprietary net-diffusing system releases the foundation for buildable, natural coverage.” If anyone understands what a net-diffusing system is, please tell us. To us, it sounds like a little goes a long way and it lasts all day.
How does it compare to La Mer? We actually thought they both looked expensive on the face. They both smoothed the face texture and didn’t sit in any fine lines.
Interestingly, they both have miracle ingredients that revolve around salt water bays, oceans and seas.
We think there are better options out there for foundation and cosmetics. Options that don’t cost over a $100.
Looking for a higher end foundation, but don’t want to spend $120?
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $64
