Alison Raffaele Incandescence Luminizer Review
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The benefits of candlelight in a handy little tube!
photos: we heart this
Alison Raffaele is a brand that’s been on my “To Try” list for quite some time now, so call me giddy when I received her Incandescence Luminizer to test. This little tube of wonder contains the ability to not just conceal imperfections, but to reflect light to create a brightening effect.
The once chief assistant to Bobbi Brown, Alison Raffaele is a makeup artist that has made a name for herself as a concealer expert. Her cosmetics line was originally founded based on her renowned True Concealer. That being said, the founder of this line known for concealing recognizes the beauty of the average woman and looks to enhance, rather than mask, what makes a woman beautiful and her Incandescence Luminizer continues that trend.
The Incandescence Luminizer ($28) is different from any other luminizer I’ve ever used. It’s more like a very thin concealer – there is zero shimmer or shine on this as far as I can tell – if there is it’s so finely milled that I can’t even see it with the naked eye. I like to think of it more of a product that gives the illusion of how a woman looks in candlelight – all the flaws and imperfections disappear and you look like you, but better and with zero trace of makeup.
This product contains Alison Raffaele’s signature Fruitta di Vita antioxidant complex, an anti-aging, antioxidant formula consisting of goji berry, resveratrol, and pomegranate – designed to prevent and repair the signs of aging – which manages to be vegan while also being fragrance, paraben, talc, mineral oil, and gluten free. The end result is a product that not only makes you look good, but also is good for you!
Alison Raffaele’s Incandescence Luminizer is available in 2 shades that are designed to luminize and enhance any skin tone. Peach is a pale pinky shade that is designed for fair and light complexions. Yellow is a pale yellow shade that is meant for medium and bronze complexions. I tested out the yellow shade, which is not really meant for my Casper the Friendly Ghost-like skin tone, but which still gave me impressive results nonetheless.
The purplish/burgundy tube with silver cap contains a doe foot sponge applicator for this slightly creamy, slick product. Think thinner concealer, but lighter weight somehow. The yellow shade applies almost as pale as my skin tone – I think if I were darker (this shade is for medium to darker skin tones), I’d have had a more luminizing experience.
Incandescence Luminizer in Peach, Yellow
Incandescence Luminizer in Peach
Incandescence Luminizer in Yellow
The luminizing is all from the lightness of the shade, not from any added pearl or shimmer finish, so if you are afraid of sparkle and don’t want to resemble a Twilight vampire, you will love this. As is, this seemed more like a thin concealer on me. That being said, it was a pretty terrific concealer on me. This smoothly concealed my under eye circles and hid the slight redness around the corners of my mouth and nose. I dotted some and blended this on the apples of my cheeks and dabbed a little on my brow bones, too, and just looked…better.
This only requires the smallest amount and blends out to nearly nonexistent, but still leaves you looking refreshed and without the cakey feel of makeup. I could still see my skin, but the redness/darker areas were completely neutralized with no visible trace of the product behind. This is what a concealer should be. I imagine if I were darker, this would have given me even more dramatic results.
Pros:
• Great coverage on under eye circles and darker areas on the face
• Blends down to nothing, but still hides all imperfections
Cons:
• Must apply the smallest amount around eyes or product collects in creases.
• $28 is pricey
Overall, I’m pleased as punch over this product and I’m kind of kicking myself for not having yet tried Alison Raffaele’s True Concealer. It has officially jumped a few spaces in line in my “To Try” list. And I’ll be checking the comments (please join me!) to see if the Incandescence Luminizer left the wht review team looking luminous as well.
we heartsters – please help out a new Alison Raffaele fan! What products from the line do I have to try next?
Krista currently lives in a semi-haunted house in New England with her hubby/best friend and obscenely big-eared dog. She thinks the world would be a better place if people smiled more and ate more dark chocolate. She is a firm believer that humor can be found in everything and that Tom Selleck’s moustache has healing properties…
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
I love a luminizer! I have tried a few, my favorite being YSL’s Touch Eclat, but at $40….
This sounds like a great one to try, and I am able check out a new brand at the same time…
Great post!
My usual go-to luminizer is Dior’s SkinFlash Radiance Booster Pen–but it’s pricey, too. But the results are awesome.
I did enjoy trying this “luminizer”, though. Because of the lack of shimmer, it really serves a different purpose for me than my standard luminizer. I’d really say this was more like a redness-reducing thin concealer.
$28 for a little tub of concealer is a bit on the high end for me, although this one does sound impressive. Thanks for the review!
I had the pleasure of testing the peach shade. And it worked out great for my pale skin tone. Look, this is never going to do a bang up job concealing acne. But it was not designed to do so. It does do a fantastic job at concealing redness and dark circles. It really helped to wake up my face-which is great when you are super busy and getting little sleep. The formula is wonderfully light. It is not at all cakey. It truly does give your face that little extra glow. I give it 4 stars only because of the price. I do wish that it was cheaper. But I admit that it is a great quality product!!
These look promising, but I’m troubled by the fact that I’m an extremely pale person with a slight yellow tone to my skin, and therefore fall in between the colors here. Whenever I get something peach toned, in all but a very few cases, it turns orange on me almost immediately. So I worry.
But I LOVE the other Alison Raffaele products I’ve used! I cannot live through a summer (or winter, for that matter) without her Face Forward Acne Response Primer because my skin is quite oily and it works like a charm! It’s non-oily/greasy, has a matte-but-not-chalky finish AND an SPF of 15, doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin, and holds my makeup all day- what’s not to love? I also use her Transparent Finish Powder over everything to set my makeup with (or sometimes just over the primer) and it’s also the best I’ve ever used. Natural looking, helps everything stay put, absorbs oil- yet is not mask like, and it doesn’t change the color of what’s underneath (or it’s own color when it oxidizes)! Awesomesauce! I used to think her products were very pricey, but now that I’ve used them I think they’re worth every penny.
(Plus, Drugstore/Beauty.com has fab sales every once in a while…)
Go Alison Raffaele!
Thanks for sharing your Alison Raffaele know-how :)
I’ve also tried the yellow tone shade and I do like the illuminating effect without any shimmer like you said.. However, the high schooler in me still feels the need to use an under eye concealer :/ I like the reflective ‘glow’ that the Alison Raffaele product gives but I’m a bit too self conscious to wear it solo.. I see the ‘no makeup’ makeup look it provides but I prefer to go about my regular routine then highlight with this over top.. I guess old habits die hard!
I wanted so much to like this product but, my face had other ideas. My skin got red and irritated. Hence, there was no concealing or highlighting effect.
I really think this is some odd allergy on my part and not necessarily the products fault. But, because of my reaction and the price–I have to give this two stars.
This was a fun product to try out and perfect for the girl that prefers a really natural look b/c of it’s lack of shimmer. That being said, I’m not that girl. I love a luminizer with some shimmer–they give me more dramatic results and I’m never going to skip concealer. This is more for the girl that needs a little help but might not necessarily need enough help for concealer :) This got 4 stars from me.
I would love to try the lumizer in peach, it sounds great and I do have light dark circles that I need covering. I wonder if it would work on the redness I seem to always have on my cheeks. The price is a bit steep, but being vegan does tempt me.
I tested the luminizer in peach, and while I generally like a little shimmer too, I was quite impressed with this. I did notice that my skin just looked a little better – you’re right Krista, like a candlelight soft glow. It made my pores a little smaller and smoother, too. It covered my red areas quite well, but not acne spots. It blended easily and felt smooth and soft. No scent that I noticed. I don’t use products like this too often in the summer, but think I’ll be very happy with it come fall! 4 stars from me.