Laura Geller Baked highlight duo

Laura Geller is one of those brands that some people rave about, but it is definitely not one of the most popular brands out there. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that they are incredibly hard to get when you live anywhere outside the US, but maybe it is just that the brand doesn’t make many products that fit with most beautyguru aesthetics. One thing the brand is known for however are there baked products, especially their highlighters. I decided to try a duo for a double whammy and a chance to try the cult favorite French Vanilla shade.  

Laura Geller Baked Highlighter Duo
Portofino/ French Vanilla

The reason why I bought the split pan is simple: these products do not come cheap and this way I knew I would be able to try two of their products pretty much for the price of one. I got mine from Ulta when I was in the US, but the brand is also sold on Cultbeauty and Beauty Bay so it is available if you are in Europe as well. At Beauty Bay this retails for €25.95. It retails for $43 via the official Laura Geller website.

The Packaging

When you buy this duo, you get the compact which contains 8 grams of product. There is a half mirror in the lid which isn’t all that useful and the duo comes with a brush. The applicator this comes with is just two oversized sponge tip applicators. Needless to say, I have never used these as I don’t think they go well with the baked products in the pan.

The Product

In the pan, there are two highlighters in one single pan. On the left is French Vanilla which is a very subtle highlight. It is great for very natural looks or, like I like to use it, as an undereye brightener. On the right is Portofino, which is the more intense highlight of the two. It looks like a soft gold in the pan, but I find that the shimmer to it has quite a silver flash to it, which makes this a lot more cool toned than it may seem. Both powders are super soft and you need to only use a little bit to pick enough products to apply to the face.

The Swatches

These swatches are incredible. French Vanilla doesn’t look like much in the swatch, but it is when applied to the face that it truly shows what it can do. It has the most subtle hint of sheen. I have never found another powder that is more brightening than this. It is super soft and blendable and when applied to the under eye it doesn’t crease or emphasize texture. I find this makes my under eye area look airbrushed.

Portofino is a lot more intense and makes for a great face highlight. I do find this emphasizes texture a bit on my cheeks, but it is too pretty not to use. It makes the milia on my cheeks stand out a bit more, but since I always apply blush after my highlight, I find the effect is minimized because of that. This highlighter is a great white gold shade and therefore perfect on my fair skin. This is one of those highlighters that, the more you blend it, the more it gives a glass like sheen on the skin.

The Application

Here you can see the before and after effect of using French Vanilla. Can you see how much brighter my under eye area is, yet it still looks natural? I also like using this on other high points of my face where I don’t like a too intense highlight. Places such as my nose, chin and forehead look better with a hint of sheen, but I don’t like using a blinding highlight on those places. This looks super natural on the skin and that is what I like about it.

Portofino gives a super pretty flashy sheen to the skin. You can build this up to your desired intensity quite easily. What I like about this is how this highlight truly works well in that C-shape around the brow. It blends into a gorgeous sheen and never lays on the skin like some highlights can do. There is very little back pigment to this, making this a true highlighter.

The Conclusion

The Laura Geller Baked Highlighter Duo may be an expensive product, but it is well worth it if you are looking for natural, gorgeous highlighters. French Vanilla is the perfect brightening powder. Portofino is a gorgeous cheekbone highlight that has a certain translucency to it that gives a very pretty glow to the face. If you are still in the market for an everyday highlight, then this is worth the investment.

What is your favorite everyday highlighter?