I haven't really tested much from Laura Geller in the past. I loved the iridescent pink look of this Diamond Dust Limited Edition set so I grabbed it. Details per Laura Geller:
Illuminate your natural beauty, and let your best features glow!
Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminators
This innovative hybrid texture applies like a sheer powder but feels like a cream, creating a translucent wash of luminous color that can be swept all over the face for a lit-from-within glow. A fresh 3-D design captures the look of our favorite Italian dessert, and lasts until the very last application.
Easy Illuminating Sticks
Long-wearing and oil-free, this skin-conditioning, moisturizing formula can be worn on bare skin or over foundation to illuminate with light-reflecting optics.
Diamond Dust: Holographic, pearlescent pink that moves with the light; made with patented technology that allows the shade to flip from violet to pink.
This is a limited edition set that I've only seen on Laura Geller's site. The retail is $35 for both items which would cost you $52 separately. I really only wanted the powder but at $26 for that I might as well spend the extra $9 and see if I liked the Easy Illuminating Stick as well.
The Easy Illuminating Stick looks like a creamy stick type highlighter. Diamond Dust is a white pearl base with a pink pearl shift. It's extremely sheer, which was disappointing. It looks OK swatched on the arm, but once applied to the face it doesn't really provide any strong highlight. It's almost like clear gloss. This is glossy and less of a creamy style stick highlighter. You can layer this over the powder to get a glossy finish, but alone you're not going to get much more than clear gloss with a hint of sparkle.
The Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator is a winner. This is a really finely milled shimmering powder. It's not glittery or frosty at all. Just refined shimmer here. It has a complex beige, almost with a hint of green base to it, with an intense pink shift. It's kind of like MAC Vex on steroids. This shade practically glows pink in certain lights. The base doesn't translate to much on the skin, it's more of a shimmering warm pink glow for a highlight. I'm sure on darker skin the base will show up more. The pigmentation is good, it's not heavy but it's not sheer. You can layer it for more intensity as well. The texture is thin and smooth, it's a really nice texture.
I had never tried one of these Baked Gelato Illuminators before. After trying Diamond Dust I was thinking what have I been missing by not checking these out. I went and checked them out at Ulta but realized all the regular colors are just more average typical highlighter colors that are that frosty shimmer rather than this complex shimmer. Pink Diamond is the only one I really liked and is totally worth getting if you like iridescent pinks. Skip grabbing the Illuminating Stick.
Some of the complexity in the sunlight.
It almost glows in certain lights.
L to R: Diamond Dust-Baked Gelato Sheer then Heavy, Illuminating Stick:
Compared with Pat McGrath Labs 003 Iridescent Pink Powder: L to R-Diamond Dust Baked Gelato sheer then heavy, Pat McGrath Labs. Pat McGrath is more intense and red pink.
