Back in 2010, Lancôme introduced a new technology to their foundations and came out with Teint Miracle.

Teint Miracle brings to the table a natural, light and lit-within luminosity, making it ideal as a go-to foundation on a daily basis or when I need a quick pick-me-up for errands.

But what if you wanted something a little more understated, satin-like skin with heavier coverage and a longer wear time?

Well you would be pleased to know that Lancôme is back in the game of long-wearing foundations with their newest introduction, Mat Miracle 24H Liquid Foundation.

Housed in a same bottle design as Teint Miracle, Mat Miracle comes with a frosted glass and black tinted cap to well differentiate it from the earlier release.

Teint Miracle on the left, Mat Miracle on the right.

Just an interesting tidbit to note, incase anyone is curious, Mat Miracle 24H would be our asian version of the Teint Idole Ultra 24H that is released in the States. I do not know if the formulation is different but they are housed in the exact same bottle design with a different name.

This is Teint Idole Ultra 24H.

Mat Miracle serves as a reincarnation of Lancôme's discontinued Teint Idole foundation, except with an injection of modern technology and updated with times.

Made in Japan, Mat Miracle is non-comodogenic and also made with Asian skin in consideration.

Most would associate long-wear foundations with a thicker texture that sits heavier on the skin and may require some work to blend out. However you can toss those conjectures aside as the first thing I noticed about Mat Miracle when I had a blob of it my hand is how light the texture felt as opposed to what I was expecting.

It is not of an overly runny nature but it is relatively liquid with a tiny creaminess to it, allowing it to be blended and smoothed easily over the skin.

Due to the slight liquid aspect of it, you will find that it spreads well over the skin and you don't need to use much product for the entire face.

While the foundation does not dry that quickly, allowing you to work at it with your own pace, it does eventually settle to somewhat of a non-existent finish on the skin. For the long-wear factor, this foundation sits pretty light on without much tack.

If you are not a fan of setting liquids, you may actually opt for skipping the loose powder with this because of how it feels after the drydown. Though in our climate, I would still recommend sweeping on some powder to ensure that this lasts through our hot and humid days.

Needless to say, this foundation delivers pretty full coverage, easily evening out my skintone and concealing any mild blemishes.

The finish of it is not a flat matte, more of a satin and does not contain any sheen or sparkle within. It has the finish of skin yet with a toned down smooth canvas appearance, perfect for moments when you want your skin to be flawless, free of any dewiness or shine, and play up your eyes and / or lips instead.

How the foundation looks all blended out – even coverage across the skin.

If you have noticed in my other hand swatches, I do have light freckling across the back of my hands and this foundation has evenly concealed that.

I have worn Mat Miracle out a couple of times and adore how it wears on the skin, even over time in sweltering conditions (which seems to have disappeared these past few days?).

Though I am still forming my opinions about this and it is still too preliminary to review. On top of that, I have not managed to test its long wearing ability because I don't have an opportunity to wear makeup for an extended period of time.

Perhaps I would be able to fully test this out once I head back to work towards the end of March (boohoo).

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In the meanwhile I wanted to put up this introduction to alert you guys about this upcoming product, incase I don't manage to churn out my review quick enough.

Mat Miracle will be available at Lancôme counters from April onwards. 

I will update again with the retail price shortly. Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

In the month of February, super timely with the Chinese New Year celebrations, Lancôme wants you to... well, put your best face forward and give their Super Serums a go!

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I'm certain many are no strangers to Lancôme's Génifique Youth Activator, be it if you have seen it around, personally swear by it or have relatives / friends who have recommended it to you.

Since its launch in 2009, Génifique has received 130 awards worldwide and millions of bottles have been snatched up.

While Génifique probably needs no introduction, I will go ahead and throw in some science behind its formulation anyway, for those interested to know.

The Science of Genefique –

The Génifique Youth Activator is derived from in-depth studies of protein production in our skin and targets 50 identified criterias for youthful skin, yielding results of a rejuvenated complexion in just 7 days.

Upon identifying the characteristics of protein within youthful skin, a biolysat extract that Génifique is formulated with helps to stimulate 7 activities in the stratum corneum (outer most layer of the skin, mainly consisting of dead cells) to help restore a balance in our skin. 

Apart from plumping up the moisture levels in the skin for a brightened complexion, Génifique also rids dead surface cells and strives towards a more luminuous complexion overall.

The key aspect of Génifique Youth Activator would also be the fact that it functions as a serum booster, allowing you to add this into your routine without having to eliminate or replace anything that you are already comfortable using.

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Fast-forward to a more recent breakthrough, the Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector which sparked immediate interest even before it was launched.

The Science of Visionnaire –

Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector functions on a different track from Génifique Youth Activator, yet at the same time they both go hand in hand.

Inspired by the plants' natural abilities to heal themselves, Lancôme's laboratories discovered a molecule that was able to permeate and self-propel through the layers of our skin. This molecule is able to whizz its way through to visibly reduce wrinkles, pores and uneven skintones.

The LR 2412 molecule does all that by accelerating the skin's ability to heal itself, thus boosting cell renewal, tissue repair and improves the skin's barrier in a very gentle and non-intrusive way.

The results derived from the use of Visionnaire is so compelling that 2 out of 3 women tempted by a cosmetic procedure actually post-poned it. Now that, is some intriguing news!

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After I have given an introduction to both the Super Serums, it may sound much to combine 2 power houses together but yet that is exactly what Lancôme recommends for you to do!

Rated as the 'best serums' by Singaporean women, many are convinced of the spectacular results achieved when using these two Super Serums together.

Here are the reported statistics from a survey done by 134 Singaporean women:

• 90% think Visionnaire and Génifique are the best serums they have ever tried
• 94% see dramatically improved results when using Visionnaire and Génifique together
• 89% are satisfied with the results after using both Visionnaire with Génifique
• 87% agree Visionnaire and Génifique combination is the best skincare regime they have ever tried
• 87% find Visionnaire and Génifique combination the best skincare investment

With results as such, it might get you curious to give this powerhouse combo a go (if you haven't already!), so in the month of February, here's how Lancôme is striving towards better skin.

Super Serum Sets

Those who are already avid users of Génifique and Visionnaire, or those looking to splurge and spend, will be pleased to know that Lancôme is rolling out 'Super Serum' sets for the month of February..

Aside from that, with every purchase of a 30ml Visionnaire or Génifique, you receive 3pc gift (sample sizes) of Visionnaire, Génifique and UV Expert.

Now... if you wish to try before you spend, you can too with the Super Serums Sampling Campaign that Lancôme is rolling out in the month of February!

Super Serums Sampling Campaign

Anyone can get their hands on a FREE 1 week sample set of the Super Serums (Génifique and Visionnaire) at any Lancôme counter island-wide!

Aside from visiting a counter, you can also register at this website to receive your sample set.

Or if those options aren't enough, you can also have a little fun and scan this QR-code to be directed to a space to sign up and receive your samples!

Hope you enjoy Lancôme's February promotions and thanks for reading!

Incase I don't get to it in time, A Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

Disclosure:
Some information and pictures featured were extracted from a press file (with or without paraphrasing).
Opinions and thoughts otherwise mentioned are my own.

Lancôme has been casting some attention to their range of eye products of late. With the revamp of their Mono Eyeshadows, we also see the inclusion of a new liquid liner! 

Let's welcome the Liner Plume in Noir which promises to last over 6 hours of wear with high definition.

The new Plume Liquid Liner, (which I believe is an asia-exclusive) is housed in a pen-liquid-liner style which I feel is probably one of the best things that had happened to the beauty industry.

By that, I mean the option of a liquid liner in the ease of a 'pen'!

For those who are not fans of the wand applicator that liquid liners traditionally came in, or feel that Lancôme's current liquid offering (Artliner) goes on 'too wet' and takes too long to dry on the lid, you may want to check this new fella out!

I gave this liner a couple of shots but sadly, while I have tried so hard to love it, maybe I am just not fated to be with it.

On a 'good eye day', this liner is pretty awesome but otherwise it just doesn't cut it for me. Though don't let that draw a conclusion for you just yet, read on to found out why.

The liner itself works with the ease of a pen-styled liquid liner, which I feel gives more control and precision than the traditional wand applicators. For me, at least.

I like that this has a foam tip because I feel most foam-tipped liquid liners tend to impart a more intense marker-like pigmentation, as opposed to the brush variant which can be a tad more natural.

Though to be honest, brush pen liquid liners could prove easier for new-comers to get the hang of.

Regardless, I found this liner extremely easy to use and I had the choice of doing a fine-point line or going slightly more dramatic with a thicker wing. Though this is coming from a liquid liner lover — be it foam or brush tipped.

The 'grip' design on Plume Liner is interesting and while it doesn't do a whole lot in terms of aiding with application (because the usual designs don't give me an issue either), it is a chic touch in terms of packaging design.

Though I would personally try not to have any foundation, concealer or cream shadow remanents on my fingers when using this, for fear of staining the grip portion!

The only problem i faced with this liner (which is really my own fault and what makes me picky about liners) is that the outer corner of my eyes is quite prone to liner smudging (usually pencil / kohl liners) due to my eyes having a watering habit.

Due to that, this Liner Plume was not waterproof enough to withstand this 'problem' of mine and a good part of the liner ended up fading away through the day.

Here's how it looks at the end of a normal work day. No getting caught in the rain or anything.

The area that did not come into contact with my eye's tearing issue (at the edges of my eye) appear fine but the 'disappearing liner' does eat a little into my upper lids if you scrutinize and observe the image above.

For the most part I can understand when kohl or pencil liners on the edge and lower lid fades but liquid liners on the upper lid usually hold up quite well for me (e.g. CLIO, Kate and K-Palette) so it was simply a case of me being disappointed that this ended up disappearing through the day.

Otherwise, this liner is lovely if you have 'well-behaved eyes' and face no issues with tearing.

Though the non-waterproof fact may leave you running for shelter when it rains or re-consider the liner if you are catching a chic-flick but that doesn't discredit this little guy for its rather intense pigmentation.

It is simply an extra variant to the market when it comes to looking for a liquid liner. I like it but can't love it though if you ask me what I am going to use this for, I would probably keep it for thin lines of definition on my upper lids, steering clear of the edges of my eye.

I can't recall being provided the price of this but I will update it on here if I manage to get it!

Do you prefer pen-style liquid liners or the traditional wand-applicators?

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

New is really a figurative term here as these Lancôme Ombre Hypnôse Mono Eyeshadows were introduced to the Lancôme counters quite a few months back.

I had received a bag of lovely Lancôme items to try and am slowly making my way through it which, sadly, left these as one of the last few mentions. Though to be slightly fair I did shed some light on these with a largely-Lancôme LOTD I did awhile ago.

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Enough said, Lancôme had decided to do away with their previous arsenal of eyeshadows (though not completely) and bring a whole new experience to shopping up eye colors with the brand.

Introducing 22 shades across 4 different finishes, matte, pearly, irridescent or sparkling, some shades are sure to catch your eye (or land up on your lids!).

The eyeshadows have both a name to it along with an alphanumerical tagging which just makes life so much easier.

Why so? Because...

1. I am no good at remembering colors with an alphanumerical name and...
2. The alphabet used actually denotes the texture or finish of the eyeshadow

So this sums up as a super easy way to reference shade finishes and also to remember the eyeshadow colors/names without being some math whiz!

While the letter representation is pretty straight forward, here's the legend anyway:

M stands for Matte finish
P stands for Pearly finish
I stands for Irridescent finish
S stands for Sparkling finish

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Of the huge array available (and I mean exposing yourself to 22 eyeshadows at one go is kind of huge), I managed to pick 4 that had caught my eye.

Okay, in truth 3 really caught my eye and the last one was a shade that Yanny (from Lancôme) really liked and with her suggestion, I picked it up as well.

One thing about these, which Lancôme might (or might not) revise sometime down the road, would be that the shadows are all encased individually.

It is not a surprising fact but with brands rolling out palette combinations and pan-formed shadows these days, packing shades individually could suddenly seem very space consuming or become a slight problem if you envision yourself picking up a good number of these shadows.

Though that is hardly an issue for me because I have to admit, I kind of love how 'special' it seems when a shadow comes in it's own pretty casing along with an applicator of decent quality (not airy and foamy) and even a mini mirror!

The mirror may hardly be of use and we really would not resort to using that to apply makeup with but it's a nice touch and it could act as a small and sleek pocket mirror once you are done with the shadow.

These individual cases may not be the most practical for everyone but I think it is lovely... for now, while I still have storage space.

Aside from the finish, Lancôme has also classified their shadows into 3 different categories (hope matters don't get confusing!) just to make it less overwhelming at one go and a lot easier to browse —
Luminuous and Fresh, Chic and Sophisticated, Deep and Glamourous.

I think the 3 categories speak pretty well for themselves in terms of what colors they may hold. I tried to make my 4 shadow selection across them all, getting at least 1 shade from each category.

Let's have a look at my final picks:

Vert Innocent (I104) — Irridescent finish (from Chic and Sophisticated)

Lagon Secret (P205) — Pearly finish (from Chic and Sophisticated)

Violine Trésor (P209) — Pearly finish (from Deep and Glamorous)

Tresor Flace (S100) — Sparkling finish (from Luminuous and Fresh)

Of the 4, Vert Innocent and Lagon Secret were pretty much love at first sight, no thanks to how gorgeous the shades look.

While I can't speak for all 22 colors available, based on what I have played around with, the Pearly Finish seems to be the most pigmented and true-to-pan compared to other 2 (Sparkling and Irridescent).

If you have noticed, I did not pick up any mattes because it is a finish I hardly work with (or even deviate to) and within the range, I believe there are only 2 shades that are mattes.

Here are swatches of all 4 shades, without a primer and done with a single swipe using my fingers (because I wanted to feel the shadow texture).

A hand swatch actually does some injustice to Tresor Glace since it is a Sparkling color and I typically find it works best for a super light wash of oomph on the lids or patted on over other colors to give them some... well, sparkle!

The Pearly finish, needless to say, is a rather pigmented one with a lovely pearl glint to the shadows, giving it a smooth texture and slight dimension.

As for the Irridescent finish, there is something to say about the color not appearing as true-to-pan but yet due to the irridescent flashes, looks really lovely when worn on the lids. Just don't expect the same color-strength to be translated to the lids. As you can see above, the greenish hue isn't all that apparent but it is there.

Enough rambling about the eyeshadow and as I always say, with 22 color choices available, it's best that you head down to a Lancôme counter and give these a look-see and swatch to see what catches your eye!

To check out swatches of almost all shades, drop by Evonne's entry!

Lancôme Ombre Hypnôse Mono Eyeshadows retail for S$36 each at all Lancôme counters island-wide

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Makeup-aside, Lancôme had also introduced some new tools to aid with makeup application.

Meet the new range of Lancôme makeup brushes — covering foundation requirements to eye shading, contouring and even lip lining.

I didn't get to snap a shot of the full range since I missed the event but here's a photo of the range from Clara (dblchin).

Of the lot, I was eyeing the crease brush which sadly was unavailable at that time but I am also contented with this soft and fluffy shader brush (named Large Shadow Brush).

It is somewhat your usual flat shader brush that has a certain degree of fluffiness to it, allowing for eyeshadow buffing at the crease area yet it is stiff enough to pat colors down.

The sleek black handle and ferrule makes this appear chic and elegant. The golden engraving and printing of the 'Lancôme' font along with the brush number and Lancôme's iconic rose (as seen on the ferrule) gives it a nice touch of style as well.

I have been using this brush namely for shades like Vert Innocent which requires a stiffer pick-up so the color gets packed on, along with a slight fluffiness so the irridescent portion blends out well around the edges.

I don't have the price of this or the other brushes right now but I will update once I have them on hand!

Have you checked out the new Lancôme Ombre Hypnôse Mono Eyeshadows or picked one / some up yet?

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

A little staggered with my mentions, do pardon me, but here are more items from Lancôme's sultry, feminine and fun Fall Color 2012 range, Midnight Roses.

After giving some glow with highlighters, one can't simply just forget the lips so this Fall Color 2012 sees the release of 3 shades to suit the varying lip color preferences.

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The L'Absolu Nu range is a tricky little one, I must say.

Housed in an elegant lipstick packaging with a sleek hold and magnetic closure, I half expected these to take on the characteristics of an old-school lipstick. Think the slightly heavier, creamier formulation that is pigmented but a tad drying with wear.

Yet, I was surprised to learn (and find) that these have a certain buttery texture to them, gliding over the lips in a smooth and slick manner. Infused with Pro-Xylane™, an anti-aging ingredient patented by Lancôme, the L'Absolu Nu Lipstick pairs a light-weight formula with lip-friendly care that subtlely hydrates with wear.

The Midnight Roses shades see a release of tones from pinks to a neutral-rosey shade and even a wine-red to cover glammed up night looks.

For comparison, I find the L'Absolu Nu Lipstick delivers a touch more color than Rouge in Love (asian edition), without sacrificing on the lightness of how it feels on.

The shades don't exactly replicate the lipstick tube color and go on more like a veil of color, with enough pigmentation and also a glossy translucence to it. This means you don't entirely have to be too careful when applying the darker tones or the brighter shades but yet you can't just 'throw on and go' the bolder tones either.

with sunlight

with camera flash

I would say they are not particularly commendable in hydration but they do an okay job in keeping the lips from feeling taut or dried out with wear.

Here's a look at the individual shades and how they swatch on the lips.

Now, Prune Résille gets some extra shots because aside from it being a beautiful deep red, it is also littered with fine pink shimmers within. Absolutely gorgeous!

And a couple more shots of Prune Résille, just cause. Heh.

The reason for the Prune Résille spam is because my mom claimed it upon setting eyes on it so I probably wouldn't be featuring that shade further in LOTDs since it is with her.

However I have been using and loving Rose Damas on my part and find that the L'Absolu Nu lipsticks are very comfortable and lovely to wear, from the finish right down to the color. The sleek tube and metalic closure also makes it chic to carry about for touch ups.

Here's me with Rose Damas on a little-to-no-makeup weekend look from a while back.

Due to their more slick nature, they don't last very long on me and definitely not through a meal. I generally get 4 hours of wear with coffee or drinks in between but they do disappear after.

The deepest berry-red doesn't seem to lend a staining effect to my lips either and is something I can wipe right off and start at square one again.

Easy, comfortable colors with a chic packaging, I would definitely recommend checking these out if they are still in stock!

Lancôme L'Absolu Nu Lipsticks retail for S$44 at Lancôme counters (if still available).

Thanks for reading and happy weekends everyone!

Hello!

A post or rather a look from the weekend that is sadly now over. I like to have a little optimism every Monday and think, 5 more days to the weekends! That makes it sound less of a stretch, no?

I am probably just being delusional all by myself here.

But anyway, in the midst of playing around with some new things (in a casual weekend makeup manner), I had unintentionally done up a Lancôme-laden look.

I tested out one of the Lancôme Ombre Hypnose Mono Eyeshadows I had received (Vert Innocent) because it was such a beautiful shade just beckoning to be used.

I paired this with MAC's Henna (a rustic olive-gold) on the outer corner and Club for some definition, as opposed to my other Lancôme mono eyeshadow picks which were more suited for a 'made-up' look.

More about these Lancôme Ombre Hypnose Mono Eyeshadows soon!

With this weekend look I also got the chance to snap shots of how Lancôme's Moonlight Rose Blush Highlighter looks like on.

Due to its silver-pink tinge, it does give off a slight pink-ish touch of color along with the moonlit glow, it's faint but still lovely.

(click to enlarge and inspect the 'bling'!)

Aside from using it solely as a highlighter, I also love layering this over my matte and satin pink blushes. However in this look I have it only on the high points of my cheek (and a little on the apples).

Products Used:

FACE / BROW
MAC Eyebrow Crayon in Fling
Biore Aqua UV Aqua Rich SPF 50PA++
Lancôme Maqui Blanc Miracle Compact (2011 version)

EYES
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Lancôme Ombre Hypnôse Mono Eyeshadow in Vert Innocent
MAC Eyeshadow in Henna (Limited Ed)
MAC Eyeshadow in Club
Lancôme Plume Liquid Liner in 01 Noir
MAC Powerpoint Liner in Engraved

CHEEKS
NYX Powder Blush in Natural
Lancôme Blush Highlighter Illumnating Powder in Moonlight Rose

LIPS
Lancôme Rouge in Love in Corail in Love (132M)

Highlighted products were provided by companies/distributors,
I was not obliged to use/feature them in LOTDs.

Simple eye look with a light wash of color, nothing new here!

I feel like I am seated within a comfortable and non-adventurous corner with my makeup usage now, in terms of looks I prefer and 'go-to'.

It could be partly due to my laziness with contact lenses and my preference of glasses because honestly, contact lens plus tired eyes is just no fun at all. If anything, that combo makes me feel even sleepier, does anyone else get that?

Here's the final look with frames.

I feel that this hairstyle coupled with frames make me feel super dorky.

I am at a stage where I have no clue what to do with my hair hence it looking like a choatic mess right now in terms of both style and color. I can't decide if I should grow my bangs out for the heck of or go back to having bangs?

What do you think? Have bangs again or go with the no bangs look?

Hope everyone is having a great start of the week! Remember, 5 more days to the weekends :)

Thanks for reading!

Extremely belated with my mention but here is Lancôme's beautiful Blush Highlighter Illuminating Powder in 001 Moonlight Rose that was released along with the Lancôme Midnight Rose Collection.

I can't be entirely certain but this is likely a Europe, Canada and of course Asia exclusive as it is not within the US inventory of the Midnight Rose Collection.

(image source: google images)

Midnight Rose had arrived at Lancôme counters in Singapore on the 1st of September and this Fall 2012 Color Collection is inspired by the fragrance, Trésor Midnight Rose. Splashed with sensual purple hues, Midnight Rose (the collection) is made to evoke mischief and also a feminine glamour.

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Back to the product at hand, the Lancôme Highlighter in Moonlight Rose, which probably plays a part in the glamour aspect of this collection.

This is a white-pink hued highlighter that imparts a soft moon-lit glow to the cheeks. It has a healthy dose of sparkle to it that gives it a pronounced highlighting quality yet prevents it from being glitter-ladden.

The brush that comes encased with is alright – good enough to use if you were out and about but honestly nothing much to give special mention to.

For highlighters I typically use the ELF Studio Blush Brush (center one in the image above) because it is a good size to place colors just on the high points of my cheeks yet is soft enough for me to buff the application out so it appears natural.

This Lancôme highlighter has been compared to Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia Meteorites and from what I have seen, they are pretty darn close! Check out Sophia's comparison swatch of them.

Guerlain's Cruel Gardenia Meteorites – (picture from Temptalia)

Thankfully I do not own the Guerlain variant so I do adore and really love Lancôme's Moonlight Rose highlighter.

Though there is a close dupe mention above, I find that silver/white-pinkish hued highlighters of this breed seem a little hard to come by. It gives the perfect touch of glow without lending too strong a pink tone and has a finely-milled texture that allows the silver to give a soft moon-lit touch without making the it look gritty.

According to Lancôme's very poetic and serene way of putting it, it is meant to mimic the soft glistening glow of moonlight dancing and bouncing off ripples along the banks of the River Seine in France.

The illustration of that is a very soft romantic glow yet with a lively spirit to it, very poetic for something as simple as a highlighter but this sure does have the glow to boot that description!

Formula-wise the powder is smooth in texture, picks up quite well and of course is artfully embossed.

I am take extra care with this and only dipping my brush along the sides. It's quite a challenge but I am doing my best not to ruin the beauty of the rose. On top of that, while I wouldn't classify this as something pigmented per se, it can pick up a little more potently than your usual highlighters so practice some control with this!

I have worn this out a few times to work but have not managed to snap a good shot to post and I wanted to get this entry out as soon as I can so no face swatches here but that will come soon!

In the meanwhile, do drop by the Lancôme counters and swatch this lovely Limited Edition highlighter for yourself if you are captivated by the glow (or embossed design) of it.

Hopefully it's not out of stock at counters just yet!

Lancôme Blush Highlighter Illuminating Powder in Moonlight Rose retails for S$70 at local Lancôme counters!

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

Hello weekends!

I want to give these 2 days a nice big hug and hope they never go away but of course... that's wishful thinking.

The weekends aren't as work-free as I had expected but I'm not complaining. It sure beats the weekdays by a mile and the fact that I could properly get made up and am putting this entry up says a little!

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In this post, I want to do a Look Feature and mention of this rather newly-acquired product. I say rather because I have had it for maybe 2 weeks now but just got the chance to play around with it.

A brilliantly beautiful mix of something raspberry-tone with a dash of pink on a base of red, the Lancôme L'Absolu Mat Cashmere in 300 Magic Pourpre is one of the three limited edition L'Absolu Mat Cashmere shades put out with Lancôme's Midnight Rose collection.

Housed in Lancôme's usual lipgloss tube, don't let that lipgloss aspect fool you as the L'Absolu Mat Cashmere packs some pretty intense pigmentation.

It is akin to a liquid lipstick formula and swatches with a satin-like finish. I want to use the word matte yet it has a more forgiving (albeit hard to detect) soft sheen that prevents it from being a full-out flat matte.

Similar to the packaging design of Lancôme's Creme de Brilliance glosses, this too comes with a doe-foot applicator which does a decently job at allowing a precise and clean application, given the intensity of this.

While the color is strikingly bold and perhaps borderline intimidating for some, I was told that this particular shade is very flattering across skintones. While I am not one for pinks and would probably normally give this sort of color a pass, I am glad I tried this out as I ended up really liking how this shade looks on.

It is a bolder shade to wear but color-wise, it isn't all that hard to pull off.

Despite it being a gloss-like liquid formula, it is creamy enough that it glides easily on the lips yet doesn't make for a messy application.

While the doe-foot does ease the application, due to the pigmentation of it you still have to be cautious when defining the lip shape. Alternatively you could always lend the precision of a lip brush but I personally don't think it would be majorly different and usually don't bother with the fuss of that.

Forgive the partially dead eyes but I haven't slept off the work week's fatigue yet.

Isn't the shade gorgeous? It also seems to lend a hand at perking up the overall complexion, due to its brighter tone.

Under varying lighting conditions the lip color does tend to shift a little deeper or a tad pink-er depending. Here are some flash shots:

And a sneaky out-door shot taken on my mobile:

I think we have enough photos of me to cover the whole absence of my face on here and we have certainly established that I adore and really like this shade.

I find it wears well on the lips and could even sit through a meal but during the times I wore this out, I chose to wipe it off before eating. Even with that, this gives the lips a soft raspberry stain so you aren't left with completely nude lips.

I believe it could be partially due to its glossier formula but this has a tendency to feather a little. It's not drastic and if you want to put it in positive light, it gives the illusion of fuller lips!

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I would definitely recommend giving the Lancôme L'Absolu Mat Cashmeres, especially 300 Magic Pourpre given how pretty and unique (I find) it is. Mag from makeupstash had also done a review of it and has a mention of how the shade morphs on varying skintones, check that out!

Lancôme's L'Absolu Mat Cashmere launched with the Midnight Roses collection on 1st September and retails for S$40 at Lancôme counters, while stocks last!

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

Hello, I'm back with a LOTD!

This weekend has been one hellavu but I think I say that for almost every weekend so.. moving on...

I managed to stop being lazy and played around with makeup on both Saturday and Sunday. Though my Sunday look was really nothing to shout about so I skipped taking shots of it. One thing that I did take away from the whole full-face look thing on Sunday is that I've really missed MUFE's HD Foundation! I chucked it to the back of the drawer, only pulling it out again today (for fun) and I'm loving it all over again.

That aside, here's what I wore on Saturday!

Ever since getting the MAC mineralized shadows from Heavenly Creatures, I realized that Earthly aside, I haven't used any of the other eyeshadows. Thus I took Water out to play and paired it with Modern Pewter from an older MAC collection (Extra Dimension).

What can I say, I love my mossy greens! This is probably my zillionth look with moss greens.

While not apparent, there are little flecks of blue shimmer from the sapphire swirls in Water but overall it's a murky olive shade – my kind of color!

It feels fun to be wearing a full face of makeup again even if it means making an effort to stop being makeup-lazy!

And here's the complete look with my current lip obsession - Lancôme L'Absolu Crème de Brilliance lipgloss (seen here)!

Products Used:

FACE / BROWS

Kpalette liquid brow liner in 01
Maquillage brow wax in 77
Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 50 PA+++
Burberry Fresh Glow Luminuous Fluid Base
Shu Uemura Smooth Fit Fluid Liquid Foundation
LUV Carat Long Last Face Powder in Natural Beige (to set)

EYES
Urban decay primer potion
MAC Extra Dimension Shadow in Modern Pewter
MAC Mineralized Eyeshadow in Water

MAC Shadowy Lady Quad (Smudged Violet & Shadowy Lady)

CLIO Professional Pen Liquid Liner in Black

MAC Powerpoint Liner in Engraved

Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Feline Black Mascara (waterproof)

CHEEKS

NARS Powder Blush in Madly
Guerlain Meteorites Perles d'Azur

LIPS

Lancôme L'Absolu Crème de Brilliance lipgloss in 320

Highlighted products were provided by companies/distributors,
I was not obliged to use/feature them in LOTDs.

I tried to go for a downplay-ed blush and lip combo, keeping it rather natural yet not nude.

While keeping that toned down, I wanted to give my skin a muted glow by using Burberry's Fresh Glow beneath my Shu foundation (which is known to give a more skin-like look, not exactly dewy).

I brushed on Guerlain's Meteorites Perles d'Azur very lightly on the high points of the cheeks but that powder is so soft and illuminating that it's not going to make a huge difference in pictures. In person it does add a very subtle glow to the skin, as if you didn't use anything for that.

I think I shall use the Meteorites more during workdays to give my skin some 'life'. Especially since it is so mild I need not worry about any disco ball mess while rushing in the morning.

And that is it! I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Thanks for reading!

The main point of this look entry is really Light Year MSF but since I hardly wear any eye catching lip shade these days, I thought why not pull Lancôme into the spot light a little.

This look is one that I wore last week but I decided to post up my Heavenly Creatures haul first before sharing my current blush & lip obsession!

While it's from a week back, eyeshadow aside, this has been my cheek + lip combo for 'made-up' looks so essentially I am still wearing this out and about! Until I find something else to fawn over and move on to.

On my eyes here, I have a mix of shades from the Stila In The Garden palette. I dabbed a little green to the centre of my lids but apparently the flash completely washed it out.

On some monitor's color settings, it might seem like I am hardly have any blush on but in truth, Light year wears very softly on me. It's a light flush of coral yet so subtle it's almost like a glow. It does highlight my cheekbones and give a very soft-focus look, which I love!

In sunlight in pictures, it's even harder to tell that I have blush on but in person it's a lovely glow. I am overusing the word glow but there's no other way to describe it.

It brightens the complexion in a non-descript way and when paired with a bolder lip shade, like Lancôme's Rouge in Love in 365N, it plays it up nicely without vying for too much attention.

I don't know if this collection is still available or if Light Year is still in stock but I definitely love and recommend this shade for fairer ladies.

On me, it just shows up. If I layered a little more perhaps I could get some peach to show through but that is at the risk of piling on a heavier sheen! Thus on someone darker than I am, even by half a skintone maybe, this might function more as a neutral-ish highlighter as opposed to a blush color.

So... this is my latest go-to cheek and lip combo. Do share what yours is!

Thanks for reading and happy weekends!