As I've mentioned in previous reviews, I went on a hunt for good makeup before my wedding in December as I was getting married abroad and didn't trust the lady who was doing my makeup to do a good job and so I needed backup supplies. I'd read positive things about Laura Mercier makeup in general and so went to the counter in Selfridges, initially just to buy their foundation primer. However after having a bit of a makeover there I ended up buying quite a few products and this powder was one of them.

I've never really been a fan of makeup in a powdered form, either loose or compact, as I always find they block my pores and give a "caked on" appearance so it really would take something special for me to part with my money for one. The sales assistant convinced me that it was something a bit special by showing me exactly how good it was at keeping your foundation in place. She applied a line of bright red lipstick onto the back of my hand and rubbed it with her finger showing me how easy it was to smudge. She then drew another line and using a powder sponge lightly dusted the powder over the top of it. This time when she rubbed it the lipstick stayed put! Didn't smear or smudge it at all. I was impressed, if it could do that with lippy, imagine what it could do for my foundation! So she earned her commission and I bought some, along with a velour puff applicator that is recommended for use with this powder.

The powder comes in a black tub with a plastic insert with small holes in allowing a small amount of the powder to get to the surface. This is supposed to enable you to get the right amount on your brush or sponge without making a complete mess, something that I'm still yet to manage. I always seem to end up with powder all over the bed, the carpet, my clothes...is it just me?! Anyway the LM sales assistant told me to rock the velour applicator over the powder and then do the same motion over my skin after I'd applied foundation. Apparently doing it this way prevents that caked on appearance.

The powder comes in translucent, ivory and beige and I opted for the translucent as the lack of colour is what I wanted; I wanted it to purely set my foundation, not provide extra colour or coverage. The translucent powder is very pale and although it states that it's for any skin tone I do wonder if it would be too pale for darker skin so maybe the beige may be more appropriate for those with darker skin than me.

I applied the powder with the velour puff applicator as advised and the powder was very fine and light and just gave a light dusting onto my skin. After I'd finished applying I sat back and looked at my handy work in the mirror. You couldn't really tell I'd done anything but that was actually the effect I wanted.

It didn't look caked on, it didn't cling to dry patches of skin and didn't show up pores like so many other powders seem to do. I was also worried that applying the powder would make my skin look dull and minimise that pregnancy glow I'd finally managed to achieve but it didn't. The glow was still there! Hurrah! My skin was also left soft to touch, presumably because of the "finest French "cashmere talc" they claim is in there.

I used this product on my wedding day and true to its word, it kept my makeup in place all day. I used the Laura Mercier foundation primer as well on my big day but I have used the powder on other occasions without using the primer and still found it to be effective.

I'm not really sure if the velour puff was essential and maybe a cheaper alternative would have done the job, however it did work so I cant really complain. It can be washed to prevent slapping germs onto the skin and also means its really long lasting.

I paid around £28 for the powder and £10 for the velour puff from Selfridges which does seem quite a lot but it's lasted me ages as using the sponge means you don't need to use too much of it. I couldn't usually justify spending so much on cosmetics but as it was for my wedding I considered it worth the splurge. It is possible to get hold of a smaller version which is very convenient for travelling or great if you just want to try the product out.

For further information try the Laura Mercier website (www.lauramercier.com) but it's worth noting that you cannot buy the products direct from there as they only ship to America. Space NK, Harrods and Selfridges all sell the Laura Mercier range and a better deal may be available online.