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Quick Verdict
I do my whole face in 10 minutes with the Tuscan Dreams kit, and for the first time in about a decade my foundation looks like it’s blending into my skin instead of sitting on top of my fine lines. Light to medium coverage, natural finish, and I reach for it nonstop. If you’re 45 and up and tired of cakey foundation, this is the one I keep coming back to.
Buy if you:
- Have fine lines and wrinkles foundation likes to sit in
- Want a natural, light-to-medium finish, not full glam
- Are 45+ and want something forgiving on mature skin
- Travel and want one palette that does eyes, blush, bronze and highlight
Skip if you:
- Brush the baked foundation on instead of dabbing, it won’t build right
- Want heavy, full-coverage foundation that hides everything
- Love a bold, dark dramatic eye, the eyeshadows go on softer than they look
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Tuscan Dreams: How Foundation Finally Erased My Wrinkles
I’ve struggled with wearing foundation for about the last 10 years. Since I got some fine lines and wrinkles, foundation kept sitting right on top of my skin instead of blending into it, and I’d given up on most of it. So when I started reaching for the Laura Geller Tuscan Dreams baked starter kit nonstop, that actually meant something. This is my real morning routine, the products I start with after I wash my face and put on moisturizer, and I did the whole thing in about 10 minutes on camera while fighting a bit of a cold.
I’m not a heavy makeup person. I just really like something that’s natural out the door so I can go do things, talk on camera, whatever I’m doing, and it looks nice. That’s the lens I’m reviewing this through.
What’s Actually in the Tuscan Dreams Kit
The Tuscan Dreams baked starter kit bundles three things: the Baked Balance-n-Brighten powder foundation in medium, a retractable angled kabuki brush, and the Best of the Best palette. That palette is the one I love. It’s got six baked eyeshadows in neutral tones, a Baked Bronze-n-Brighten in Roman Holiday, a highlighter in French Vanilla, and a blush in Starfish Island. Everything you need in one case, which is why I love it for travel too.
The foundation is a pressed baked powder, handmade in Italy, and it gives a demi-matte natural finish. Medium is Laura’s shade and it’s the one I use. I also have the Baked Balance-n-Brighten and the Baked Balance-n-Glow, and I’ve done full comparison videos on those before. One has a little more of a glowy, dewy look, and the other is a tiny bit thicker and a bit more buildable. In this routine I went with the glow because that’s what I felt like that day.
How My 10-Minute Routine Actually Goes
I start with the brand new base product, which I love for filling in fine lines and wrinkles. I have a few specific areas I target, the lines right above my lip and a few up on my forehead, and I push a little bit up with the applicator to fill them in and essentially blur them. That’s what I’m looking for. You can use the little applicator it comes with or your finger, whatever works.
Then the concealer. I always have to do under my eyes, and sometimes there’s a little blemish I want to cover up. I use a brush, though a beauty blender or your fingers work just fine, whatever your preference. Some people do concealer after foundation, I’ve always done it before, so do it whichever way you prefer.
Then the foundation. The trick I picked up from watching Laura’s own tutorials is to dab it on rather than sweep it with the brush, because that’s the better way to build a baked foundation up. It comes out light to medium coverage and it looks more natural on me than anything else I’ve used in years. After that I go into the Best of the Best palette: a little contour to narrow my nose and define my jawline, the blush, a touch of highlighter (which I don’t use much of), then the eyes. I lay a lighter shade over the lid as a base, then add the darker brown for depth and blend. It doesn’t come out as dark as it looks in the pan, more of a nice medium brown, which is exactly what I want.
Start to finish, eyebrows and mascara included, I’m out the door in 10 minutes, and on camera that day, fighting a cold, it still looked pulled together.
The Application Trick: You Have to Dab
The baked foundation only works if you change how you apply it. My instinct was to brush it on like a regular powder, and that’s not how this builds. You’re supposed to dab, and I literally had to keep reminding myself to dab rather than sweep while filming. If you skip it you won’t get that smooth, blended-into-the-skin look that’s the whole reason to buy this in the first place.
The eyeshadows read darker in the pan than they go on. The first time you dip in expecting a deep brown and get a soft medium, it can throw you. Once you know to build the depth in layers it’s fine, but it’s worth knowing going in.
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Laura Geller Tuscan Dreams Baked Starter Kit
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Who This Is Really For
If foundation has been your enemy for the last decade, settling into lines, looking cakey by noon, this is the specific problem the Tuscan Dreams kit solves. It won’t hide everything, and it’s not trying to. But for a natural, 10-minute face that doesn’t announce itself in the fine lines around your mouth and forehead, I haven’t found anything that competes at this price point.
It’s also a great starter kit if you’ve never tried Laura Geller’s baked products and don’t want to commit to a dozen items. You get the famous baked foundation, the brush, and the Best of the Best palette in one go, which makes it an easy introduction. And because everything lives in one palette, I love it for travel.
Glow vs Brighten: Which Baked Foundation
The Tuscan Dreams kit comes with Balance-n-Brighten, but I want to flag the choice because I own both that and the Glow version. I find the Glow has a little more of a dewy look to it, and the Brighten is a tiny bit thicker and a bit more buildable. Neither is better, they’re different. If your skin runs dry or you like that lit-from-within finish, the dewy one is lovely. If you want a touch more coverage you can build up, the Brighten in the kit does that. I reach for both depending on the day, so you’re not making a wrong choice either way.
What I’d Tell You Before You Buy
Dab, don’t sweep. I can’t say it enough, because that one habit is the difference between this looking natural and looking patchy. Watch a quick tutorial on Laura’s baked application if you’ve only ever used liquid foundation.
Get the base product into your fine lines first, before foundation, pushing the product up into the lines. Don’t rush that step. And go easy on the highlighter from the palette, I barely use it, because at our age a little glow goes a long way and too much can look shiny rather than fresh. Build the eye depth in thin layers since the shadows go on softer than they appear.
Pros
- Foundation blends into mature skin instead of sitting on top of fine lines
- Natural, light-to-medium demi-matte finish, not cakey
- The Best of the Best palette covers eyes, blush, bronze and highlight in one case, great for travel
- Whole face done in about 10 minutes
- Easy all-in-one introduction to Laura Geller’s baked products
Cons
- You have to dab the baked foundation, not brush it, or it won’t build right
- Eyeshadows read darker in the pan than they go on, so they take layering
- Light to medium coverage only, not for anyone wanting full coverage
Frequently Asked Questions
What shade is the Tuscan Dreams kit?
The foundation comes in Medium, which Laura Geller calls Laura’s own shade. It worked well for me, so if you sit in the medium range it’s a safe bet. If you’re noticeably fair or deep, check the shade range before committing since this particular kit is medium only.
Is the baked foundation good for dry or mature skin?
Yes, that’s exactly why I use it. After years of foundation settling into my fine lines, this one looks like it blends into my skin and gives a natural finish. The Glow version leans more dewy if your skin runs dry.
Do I need a separate brush, or is one included?
The kit includes a retractable angled kabuki brush that handles foundation, color, highlight and contour. I tend to use a brush for concealer too, but a beauty blender or even your fingers work fine. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.
How long does the foundation last on the skin?
I can’t give you a stopwatch number, but I filmed, ran errands, and wore it into the evening without touching it up, and a baked pressed powder that’s already dry has nowhere to slide the way liquid does. That’s the practical answer.
Can I use the Best of the Best palette for a full face?
Yes, that’s the whole point of it. It has six neutral eyeshadows plus blush, bronzer and highlighter, so contour, cheeks, glow and eyes all come from one case. It’s the reason I love it for travel.
Is Tuscan Dreams a good kit for a Laura Geller beginner?
It’s one of the easiest ways in. You get the award-winning baked foundation, the kabuki brush and a full-face palette in a single purchase instead of buying pieces one at a time. If you’ve been curious about her baked beauty line, this is a low-risk start.
Should I get the Glow or the Brighten foundation?
The kit comes with Balance-n-Brighten, which is slightly thicker and more buildable, while the Glow version is more dewy. I own both and use them on different days, so neither is a wrong pick. Choose Glow for a dewy look, Brighten for a touch more buildable coverage.
Will this give me full coverage for redness or dark spots?
No, this is light to medium coverage by design. For specific spots and under-eye areas I add a separate concealer first, then dab the foundation over. If you want everything fully hidden under one product, this isn’t that kind of foundation.
Get it now
Laura Geller Tuscan Dreams Baked Starter Kit
Get the best price on Amazon →This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
🛍️ Shop everything in this video
Every product mentioned, in one place — these are affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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🛍️ Laura Geller Cover Up/Concealer — check price on Amazon →
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