Yes, I caved and purchased the JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion Booster from Sephora. Here’s how we got along! (The answer might surprise you.)

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Hello there, dreamer! Today we are discussing the first release of 2021 — and I mean the FIRST! Jennifer Lopez celebrated New Year’s by dropping her new JLO Beauty line on January 1st and you just KNOW I was intrigued.

Yes, I hear you asking yourself, “Do we really need another celebrity beauty line?”

The answer: Absolutely not.

I hear you and I’m getting burned out on them too. Then again, JLO manages to exist in a league of her own. From captivating us at red carpet events to sashaying her way through performances on stage and calling upon America to GET LOUD at a presidential inauguration ceremony – Jennifer Lopez is committed to entertaining us. She also happens to be absolutely stunning and the unofficial queen of the GLOW!

All that said, JLO Beauty‘s arrival had me intrigued. For their first run out of the gate, the line focuses heavily on skincare and products developed to enhance your natural glow.

JLO Beauty’s Product Lineup Includes:

As a happy camper with my current skincare routine, I skipped right over the cleanser, moisturizers and nighttime serum while making a BEE LINE to the JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion Booster at Sephora. What the heck is that you ask? Well — I get into the nitty gritty of it all below as well as how the two of us have been getting along over the last three weeks.

Keep reading for the full scoop. And buckle up, because I have THOUGHTS!

JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion Booster

WHAT IS IT?

Allow me to introduce you to the JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion Booster — a hybrid skincare/makeup product that can be incorporated into your morning makeup routine. It will give you glow while also ticking a number of skincare benefits off the list, such as targeting fine lines and wrinkles and evening out your skin’s texture. (So it claims, anyway.)

WHAT’S IN IT?

The Complexion Booster is formulated with mineral pigments to diffuse light, anti-oxidant Vitamin E and an olive complex comprised of plant-based squalene, leaf extract and yes – wait for it – extra virgin olive oil. As ingredients go, I appreciate that everything is cruelty-free.

BASICALLY:

In a nutshell, it’s a multi-tasking product that can be used as your morning serum AND highlighter.

JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion Review I DreaminLace.com #Makeup #Makeupblog #beautyblog #crueltyfreebeauty — JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion in Pink Champagne on the Skin

GEL CONSISTENCY IN 4 SHADES

Texture wise, the product has a gel-like consistency that smooths very nicely into the skin. It also sets rather quickly, which is perfect for those mornings when I’m in a rush — which seems to be just about every morning lately.

The complexion booster is also available in four shades for varying skintones: Pink Champagne, Rose Gold, Warm Bronze and Rich Bronze. (I picked up Pink Champagne!)

HOW TO USE IT?

The JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion Booster is one that can be applied in three ways:

Worn as a primer/base beneath your foundation
Mixed in and applied with your foundation
Worn atop your foundation at the high points of your face as a highlighter/bronzer

My Experience Using the Product:

To be as thorough as possible for you, I applied the product every which way JLO Beauty recommended to see what different effects I would come up with.

First, I mixed it in with my foundation and was surprised that didn’t make much of a difference. When mixed into a matte NARS foundation (SO GOOD) and another from HUDA Beauty, I didn’t notice a huge impact. This surprised me because last year one of my favorite products was the NARS Glow Booster and that really did make a noticeable difference when worn beneath or mixed with foundation. From JLO? The added glow was minimal.

Worn atop the cheekbones, we’re talking a different story. It is quite nice when used as a highlighter, creating a soft glowy affect to the skin without exaggerating pores. This was all nice but compared to a much cheaper product on the market, I wasn’t really all that blown away. (More on that below!!!)

A LOT LIKE AN EXISTING $15 LOREAL PRODUCT – POSSIBLY TOO MUCH?

Okay, here’s where I am looking at this hybrid JLO product against a longstanding L’Oreal product that does the same thing for less than half the price.

One could argue, the JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion Booster is a much pricier version of the L’Oreal Lumi Natural Glow Enhancer ($14.99 at Ulta). Loreal’s product has a near identical gel consistency that can be applied prior to, blended in or atop your foundation to boost your daily glow much like JLO’s product. Similarly, L’Oreal also offers theirs in 4 shades.

Personally I’ve made the decision not to purchase L’Oreal products anymore for a few reasons, but the striking similarities here had to be mentioned. The difference is JLO Beauty brings a skincare element to the table to make this a duel makeup/skincare product.

But would I replace more morning skincare serum with this? No. Would you?

JLO Beauty Highlighting Complexion Booster Rundown:

PROS:

Has beautiful affect atop the skin as a highlight
Plant-based and cruelty-free ingredients
Available both from JLoBeauty.com and Sephora.com

CONS:

Missing key ingredients for any measurable skincare benefit
Delivers minimal to no added glow when mixed with or worn beneath foundation
At $39, it’s priced $24 higher than a long existing product from L’Oreal
Not as long lasting as the glow booster NARS released in 2020
No noticeable change in skin texture after three weeks
Plastic packaging with a glitchy pump

OVERALL GRADE: D

FINAL VERDICT:

This product is trying to be too many things and it’s doing none of them well.

As a skincare product, it’s missing a number of key ingredients that track high success rates on improving signs of aging or uneven skin texture. It’s missing AHAs, Vitamin C, Niacinamide or even any hyaluronic acid.

As a makeup product, it performs at the same level of the $15 L’Oreal Lumi Complexion Enhancer that has been available at every local drugstore for years now.

It’s disappointing!! I was excited to try JLO Beauty and wanted to enjoy this product. But, even after using it in a number of ways, the product fails to live up to its claims and doesn’t offer enough to justify repurchasing.

That said — I do remain intrigued by JLO Beauty and will cautiously keep my eye out for any future releases. While this definitely wasn’t a hit for me, I am always a BIG fan of Jennifer Lopez’s makeup looks and I’d love to see her step further into that arena!

PERUSE JLO BEAUTY

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