Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation Ingredients Review and Analysis: Is It Similar to Korean BB Cushions?

Lancome's Miracle Cushion Foundation Liquid Cushion Compact SPF 23/PA++ is the first cushion foundation from a Western brand (if not one of the first), and it seems to be launched to much aplomb and fanfare in the West, (it hasn't hit this part of the world yet, though!). I found this entire trend interesting - while Western makeup and beauty trends are still exported to Asia, it also seems like the cross-pollination of beauty trends definitely goes both ways now. From the advertising I've been seeing Lancome do in the Western market, I was slightly amused to see that it was launched in the West to such fanfare and noise, with collaborations with Lisa Eldridge, Penelope Cruz modeling the product, Instagram hashtags, a mini-movie, and a microsite proclaiming the "new technology inside".

Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation: Launched with guns blazing! (Source)

I had a bit of a "Whoa, Nelly!" moment at all the fanfare, because BB cushions and cushion foundations have been popular in Asia for awhile. And like all beauty products, it is very much a trend-based phenomenon, and more marketing gimmick that actual substantial formulation change. I've written previously about BB creams (and CC creams) and whether they justified the hype behind them, and also BB and CC cushions and whether the product was worth the hype as well, so I thought it would be interesting to take a similar ingredients analysis-based approach to Lancome's Miracle Cushion. (On a totally unrelated side note, I find it interesting that Lisa Eldridge - I absolutely admire her, by the way - is holding the cushion applicator puff the way you would a normal foundation sponge when applying traditional liquid foundation, rolled up in her hand. I've never seen anyone in Asia apply their cushions holding the applicator this way, because you could tear the thin applicator puff over time. Most people I've seen just press the puff flat to their face with tapping motions to blend, rather than roll or rub the applicator across the face.)

Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation: Collaboration with Lisa Eldridge (Source)

I thought an interesting question to explore would be: From a formulation perspective, is the Lancome Miracle Cushion actually any different from the myriad of Korean BB cushions and cushion foundations we have here already? In fact, since BB cushions and CC cushions are really just souped up versions of BB creams and CC creams, are they even any different from your run-of-the-mill BB cream? Or, for that matter, a more traditional tinted moisturizer or foundation?

I thought this question was worth exploring, although I've already written about BB/CC Cushions before, because there is often a perception that Western BB creams/CC creams are somehow "inferior" to Asian BB and CC creams, although, as I've blogged before, from a formulation perspective, they're not significantly different. In fact, when I first blogged about BB creams and how they weren't really worth the hype a few years back, I got a bunch of feedback from some diehard BB cream fans saying that I was doing the analysis wrong, and that I needed to look at Asian BB creams because those were so much better than Western BB creams (nevermind that 1. I'm an Asian girl born, bred, and living in Asia, and 2. I looked at primarily Asian brand BB creams for that post). I guess what I'm trying to find out here is whether this perception of a Western BB/CC Cream/Cushion/Foundation is really justified by the ingredients, and since Lancome has just launched its Miracle Cushion, it seemed like the perfect time to compare a Western Cushion to several Asian ones, and see if there was really any difference!

Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activator Review and Analysis

Lancôme always has very interesting and cutting-edge products, and this time, they've lived up to expectations with their latest Advanced Génifique Youth Activator. The claims for this product stress the research that has gone into updating the formula - it's "inspired by 14 years of research in gene science and 9 patents covered until 2029", and is "enriched with a biotechnology derived ingredient and exclusive self-loading dropper", and claims to "deliver almost 40% more active ingredients than before", with "visible results in just 7 days". That's definitely a confident sales pitch!

Lancome Advanced Génifique Youth Activator: sleek and sexy in black packaging.

Lancome Miel Glace vs Jelly Pong Pong Brazilian Sun: Dupes or Not?

Having a makeup stash as large as mine, every now and then there are products that look pretty similar. In my recent ravings over the Jelly Pong Pong Brazilian Sun bronzer, I couldn't help but notice that it was actually quite similar to Lancome's Blush Subtil in Miel Glace.

Now for those of you not in the know, Miel Glace is one of Lancome's more celebrated blushes, and is a classic as a nude blush - you know, the type of blush you wear when you want some colour on your cheeks, but don't want it to be obvious.

Here are photos of both blushes side by side. Don't they look similar?



And here are the products swatched beside each other. As you can see, they are actually quite similar, although Miel Glace is a blush, and Brazilian Sun is a bronzer.



Although they are similar, there are still some differences between the two. Miel Glace has more shimmer than Brazilian Sun. However, the base colour is actually quite similar, although I think Lancome's blush pulls a little more ruddy than Jelly Pong Pong's bronzer.

So which one would I recommend you get, if you only could pick one? This is a tough choice, really. I guess it would boil down to whether you want to use it as a bronzer or a blush, and whether you'd want to apply the product over your body, or just the face. If you intend to use it for the entire body, I'd probably opt for the Jelly Pong Pong version, since you get 19g of product, versus the 5.1g of blush you get in the Lancome compact. However, the packaging (big paper tub) of Jelly Pong Pong's Brazilian Sun might make it harder to use than the Lancome's Miel Glace, which comes in a more accessible compact. I guess ultimately, it would be about packaging and price.

(Jelly Pong Pong product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Lancome Maqui Miracle Foundation FOTD/Review: The Perfect Everyday Foundation!

Lancome has just released the Maqui Miracle Foundation today, and boy, do I expect it to be a fast seller! This is the perfect almagation of great colour shades, texture, and lasting power - so I'm pretty sure these are going to be popular. (Psst, in case you missed it, I've previously swatched the Maqui Miracle shades.)

You'll need to buy the compact case (S$27) and the foundation compact ($65) separately, and assemble the little set-up yourself. Kinda like IKEA furniture, no? :P



Fortunately, assembly is pretty nifty. The case and compact have a catch mechanism that allows the foundation compmact to be snapped in very easily into the case itself. I actually like this - it's definitely an improvement over those clunky pans we had to fit into the case.

Here's a closer look at the foundation pan. You can see the little latch mechanism sticking out at its sides. The colour I picked out was O-01, and I'm about NC20. From what I can tell, though, this is a little less yellow than NC20, although it has the same depth of colour. The undertone is a lot more neutral than MAC's NC20, which tends to be yellower and warmer.

I know I've said this in my previous Maqui Miracle swatch post, but I'm so convinced of this point I'll say it again - the shade range of Maqui Miracle is excellent. I love how nuanced the shades are, and how warm, cool, and neutral undertones are all covered within the context of Asian skin shades. You know how hard it is to find a cool-toned yellow-beige shade of foundation? Now you have three options! If you're like me, and most yellow-beige shades are way too orange for you, it's hard not to get excited about that!



Anyway, enough with that little diversion on Asian shades. Back to assembling the compact! You take that foundation pan...and snap! In it goes into the compact, from the back. I actually quite like the mechanism, it makes it very easy to refill your compact foundation. The compact itself is also very nifty - it closes shut magnetically, instead of with a latch. I quite like it, although I do worry that if I were to bring my Maqui Miracle compact with me while I was travelling, it would open up in my bag.



So the compact is nifty. The foundation case is nifty. Did you know the sponge is also nifty? I never knew foundation sponges were so important, but I guess it makes sense - after all, just like how brushes are important for a good application, sponges can also lend a big hand when it comes to application skill. The Maqui Miracle foundation sponges are double-sided, and one side is rougher (basically your typical foundation sponge surface), while the other side has a much smoother surface. I actually really like touching the smooth side - it feels very velvety.



The idea behind having a dual-sided sponge is that you first use the porous, rougher side to apply the foundation, and then finish off with the velvety smooth side to give a better finish. I honestly can't tell much difference unless I look closely at my face, but it does seem to give a slightly better finish.

So, we have the case, the compact, and the sponge! Here's the entire set, in it's very chic-looking case:



The texture of the foundation was smooth, very smooth, and coverage of the foundation was pretty decent by powder foundation standards - it will cover only minor flaws, and if you have any scars, eyebags, or major discolourations, you're best off using it together with a concealer. But if you only have minor imperfections, this would be good worn on its own.

I have to admit, while I was impressed by the design, shade range, and unsparing attention to detail (hello, a double sided sponge?), what won me over was really the quality of the foundation itself.

In order to test the claims of being able to absorb oil and prevent shine for 12 hours, I actually wore this one out for all 12 hours, without touching up. And I was very impressed by what I found. At the end of 12 hours, I found that it was getting oily, but not by very much. And the foundation hadn't oxidized, either. To be fair though, I was spending most of the 12 hours indoors, so it wasn't like I was running a marathon. But still, I'm impressed.

Here's a shot of myself wearing the foundation:



So, who should check out this foundation? The first thing that comes to mind would be Asian girls like myself who have trouble finding shades in most brands, especially neutral and cool-toned girls (like myself). But anyone looking for a good quality powder foundation with light-to-medium coverage and the ability to resist shine should really consider this one.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company for this review.)

Lancome Etoile du Soir Palette: Day to Night Eye Looks

Ah, eyeshadow palettes, and my undying love for them. There is just something about palettes that always tempts my wallet - the packaging, the sheer prettiness of seeing a nice choreographed set of shades neatly lined up side by side, the fact that you feel like you could be getting more value for money with more shades - whatever it is, I end up buying palettes, even if I don't even use them all that much.

The latest palette to capture my eye is the Lancome Ombre Absolue 3D Eyeshadow Palette (which I've swatched before) in Etoile du Soir, G10. It's a set of five varying shades of greys, from white-grey to black, and it's absolutely gorgeous. It's also my personal favourite palette right now because it's just so versatile.



The palette comes looking much like any other Lancome compact, complete with shiny sleek back packaging and the Lancome rose at a corner. Very classy, and very nice looking. There are a couple of small tiny travel eye brushes inside, consisting of sponge applicators of various sizes, as well as a tiny natural hair shadow brush. The shadows inside are arranged from lightest to darkest, and my favourite shades are the three greys in the middle row.



It appears that this palette was created partly with the Asian market in line, as part of it's marketing is that it provides you with shiny, glittery eyes, which tend to be more a staple of Asian market eyeshadows than Western ones. For some reason, Asian eyeshadows tend to be a lot sheerer and contain larger, chunkier glitter - both of which are often viewed as traits of "bad" eyeshadow in the West. I don't know why this is the case, but it just seems to be a difference in market preferences.

Anyway, all the Lancome Ombre Absolue palette fortunately doesn't make the mistake of imparting heavy craft-style glitter into its shades. Instead, most of the shades are kept glitter-free, with the exception of the black liner shade, which has specks of glitter, and the shade imprinted with the Lacome rose. The shade with the Lancome rose on it is just purely a glitter shade, and is meant to impart that "fairy eyes" look so popular in Asian makeup. Which is a good thing to me - if I don't feel like fairy eyes that day (e.g. if I have to work), I can just skip that particular shade, instead of passing over the entire palette. Perfect.



Etoile du Soir, consisting of grey-based neutrals, is thus very work-appropriate (if you don't wear the glitter shade), and suitable for virtually all occasions. And just to prove the point, I've done not one, but two(!) EOTDs (Eye of the Days)!

Here's the first EOTD. This is the day look:



For this look, I just used the three lighter shades. The off-white shade on the top row was a highlight, while the lightest grey shade in the second row was used on the lid. The middle grey shade in the second row was used to contour the eye.



As you can see, this look is very soft, simple, and girly. Very appropriate for any occasion where you don't want to look like you're wearing too much makeup, yet still want to bring out your eyes. This look would also be totally appropriate for Spring, since grey eyes seem to be all the rage lately!



Now, here's the night look, created using the same palette, but just a different array of shades:



For this look, I used the middle shade in the second row as a lid shade, and used the black shade to contour the eye. The white shade was used as a highlight.



I really love this look. It's a smokey, sutry, sexy look that is still very wearable - perfect for a smokey eye without being too dark. I would absolutely wear this out even during the day, although I'm sure most girls would probably only wear it out at night.



Although a palette of greys might look a little bit boring to some people, Etoile du Soir really stands out in its versatility. The quality of the palette is also pretty good - the shadows start off moderately pigmented but are buildable, and have a soft texture that makes it easy to blend. I love this palette, and if you love neutrals and greys, and are out on the market for a palette that can take your eye from day to night, this could be worth looking into.

(Product sent for review. Review is my honest and complete opinion. I am not compensated by/affiliated with the company.)

Lancome New Eyeshadow Swatches: Ombre Absolue Impact 3D Palette

One of Lancome's hot new Spring 2011 items are four eyeshadow palettes that will be released in March, in addition to the Maqui Miracle Foundation. These are the Ombre Absolue Impact 3D Palette eyeshadows. Lancome is the manufacturer of some very famously beautiful eyeshadows (*ahem* the ever-desired Erika F), so when Lancome does eyeshadows, beauty fanatics like us all sit up and take note!

You know I couldn't come across a hot new release and not swatch it for you right? So here are swatches!

First up is A10, Rubis Delices, which is a pink palette. Pink, pastel, and girly - perfect for spring. I didn't manage to swatch this one, but it's very pretty if you love girly pink shadow.



C10, Reve du Jardin, is a slightly more daring mint green palette. The mint green shade in the eyeshadow palette reminds me of Chanel's Jade nail polish, only in eyeshadow form, which is pretty cool. I love the olive green shade in the middle:





We also have F10, Noisette Lumiere, a palette of warm browns. I suspect this one is going to be very popular due to its versatility:





And last, but not least, is my favourite of the bunch, G10, Etoile du Soir. This is a grey palette that to my eye leans a little green. I love this palette, the colours in it are very complex and nuanced, and very pretty. I bet this is going to be a bestseller along with F10:





All the shadows were very soft and silky when swatched, and pigmentation was pretty good. I'll be doing some EOTDs soon with Etoile du Soir, so keep your eyes peeled!

(Information and swatches taken at a beauty event. Opinions on products are my own. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Lancome Maqui Miracle Foundation Swatches and Spring Sneak Peek!

Here's a sneak peak at Lancome Spring 2011! Aren't you excited? I sure am! They do have some pretty darn awesome stuff coming up, and I have some exciting swatches and pictures! Prepare for bombardment!

First up of course is the much anticpated Maqui Miracle Natural Brightening Creator Compact Foundation, which imparts a smooth finish and a lit-from-within aura glow. It launches in Singapore on March 1st (book your calendars, ladies!) and will be retailing for S$65 (the case is another S$27).

When they say that the foundation glows from within, they weren't kidding! Although the foundation promises to impart radiance to tired complexions, there's not a trace of glitter in this foundation, so you don't have to worry about looking like a glitterbomb exploded in your face.



Maqui Miracle foundation comes in 8 shades, and like Teint Miracle before it, the shades are very nuanced and actually look like the skin colours of people I know. So many brands make the grevious mistake of thinking that warm-toned foundations have to be hidiously orange, and cool-toned foundations need to have barbie pink thrown in. Lancome, however, has managed to come out with nuanced shades that still reflect cool, neutral, and warm undertones, without ever veering to a pink or orange extreme. That is a pretty big plus in my book!

For those wondering about how the Lancome numbering system of shades works in Asian countries, this was clarified at the event. PO colours are geared towards pinker undertones (cooler undertones), while O colours are neutral. BO are yellower colours for warmer undertones. Simple!

Here are some product pictures of the pans, along with swatches taken by yours truly. I hope they help some of you ladies out there in matching yourselves!

Here are the 3 lightest shades: PO-01, O-01, and BO-01:





As you can see, the shades gradiate from being more pink to less pink as we move from PO-O1 to BO-01.

It's more apparent with the medium set of shades, PO-02, O-02, and BO-02:





Strangely enough, although I'm NC20, I matched myself to O-01, which wasn't what I thought when I took a look at the shades at a first glance. I had expected that I would be BO-01, but O-01 was a much better fit. I think most Asian girls would probably be wearing shades in the O and BO range.

In additon to the colour selection, I also really liked the texture of the Maqui Miracle Foundation. It was very finely milled, and went on very smoothly. And it didn't settle into creases and lines, which is a bonus. I'll definitely be reviewing the foundation soon, so you'll hear more about it!

Next, we have the colour makeup items, which excite me greatly. First up are the lipglosses, the L’Absolu Rouge Crème de Brillance. We're getting in three shades, 180, 285 and 320. Here's a sneak peek at the lipglosses:



The glosses have a very nice non-sticky texture, and aren't full-coverage, but they definitely aren't sheer either, and even the red shade is very wearable. So for anyone looking for a wearable red lipgloss, 180 is totally worth checking out.

Here's a swatch of both 320 and 180:



320 is a creamy mauve pink, while 180 is a semi-sheer red with tiny bits of sparkle. You can't really see it in the swatches, but the sparkle is there.

After the glosses, of course we have the L’Absolu Rouge lipsticks. I personaly love Lancome lipsticks, so you know I'm going to love these:



The lipsticks are also semi-sheer. So although the red lipstick looks scary in the tube, it is also very wearable once applied. The texture of the lipstick was also great - they glided on, and weren't drying at all. And as you can see from the swatches below, they have a very nice sheen when applied. I love how the lipsticks look on, they kind of just glow a little.



285 is a muted midtone neutral pink, and 180 is a sheerish red that is very wearable. Both of these shades are the kind of universally flattering shade every girl needs in her makeup collection. These colours would go with just about any outfit or any makeup look since they're pretty neutral.

I don't know about you, but all these releases are making me pretty excited. For my Singaporean ladies who wish to find out more about the foundation before it launches March 1st, here's how you can do so:

1. A visit down to any Lancome Beauty Counter islandwide for a 2-min Aura Bright flash foundation touch-up and shade matching of Maqui Miracle as of 17 Feb.

2. Check out the Lancome booklet in the March issue of Cleo, Singapore Women’s Weekly, Harper’s Bazaar for more details which will be available at the newsstands as of 17 Feb.

3. The Lancome website, www.lancomesg.com will feature Maqui Miracle as of 17 Feb. Participants can get their complimentary Maqui Miracle trial size compact foundation by registering on our website and participating in our “My Miracle Foundation” online poll. Limited while stocks last.

4. Shoutouts on Facebook as of 21st Feb - there are weekly contests!

Whew, wasn't that a boatload of information? But it's all good, because this is so exciting. I'll be reviewing the foundation and lip products in the near future. Yes, you haven't heard the last of this yet! :P

And to end off for fun - a photo of myself and some of the lovely ladies at the event.


(Picture taken from the lovely Rouge Deluxe)

(Information provided at PR event, Opinions on products are all my own. I am not affliated with/compensated by the company.)

Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation Swatches

Lancome has released a new foundation that claims to reproduce the look of real skin. I'm skeptical, since my personal belief is that nothing ever looks quite like real skin, but Lancome ascribes these skin-lookalike properties to what it calls Aura-inside technology. While I personally view the whole thing as marketing hype, the line of foundations is actually quite good.

The foundations come in a pump bottle, which make them quite hygenic and easy to use, and have a very fluid, light texture, not unlike water. Coverage is decent, but still relatively light - if you want serious coverage, this isn't going to provide it.

In Singapore, as with the rest of Asia, Lancome seems to think that we have a limited gene pool, so we only have a few colours. So swatched here are the "Asian colours" as determined by Lancome. There are 6 shades in total, so hopefully there is enough choice within the limited range. I'm not too sure what shades these match up to, since it appears that Lancome has named the shades slightly differently in Asia (using BO, O, PO) as compared to the US (where they use Bisque, Buff, etc).



L-R: BO-01, BO-02, O-04, PO-03, PO-045, O-03

I know the swatch photograph isn't that great - I actually took it in very dim indoors lighting at an event, and even after image editing for colour accuracy, this was the best I could do. Hopefully the descriptions below will help a little more.

BO-01 is a very pale beige that leans a little yellow. I'm NC20, and I think this would be too pale for me.

BO-02 might possibly be my shade. It's darker than BO-01, and a little more yellow. Maybe with some careful blending this might be around NC20.

O-04 is quite dark and orange. It's possibly NC35 or so (I'm not that familiar with MAC's darker shades). I kind of wonder who would need a foundation shade that orange though, but there are a gazillion skintones out there, so this one will be someone's shade.

PO-03 is quite close to BO-02. I think BO-02 is a little bit less yellow than PO-03, but to the casual eye they look quite close. Also another shade that's around the NC20 range - the difference here is not how dark or light the shade is, but how much yellow there is.

PO-045 is possibly NC25 or NC30. It's not as orange as O-04 and not as dark.

O-03 is also very close to BO-02 and PO-03. O-03 has more yellow than either BO-02 and PO-03, however. Once again, although this is potentially an NC20 shade in terms of depth, the shades are subtly different from each other in terms of how much yellow is in each shade.

Out of all the shades, it seems to my eye that the O series is the most yellow, followed by PO, and then BO. So for girls deciding between O-03, PO-03 and BO-02, the determining factor could possibly be the amount of yellow in their skin. Girls with more yellow would prefer O-03, and PO-03. I personally think BO-02, being beigey-yellow but not too yellow, could be a shade for Asian girls who find most foundations to be too yellow for them, especially cooler-toned Asian girls who have trouble finding a match.