When ParisB of My Women Stuff extended an invitation to attend a mini-blogger gathering organised by Lancome, I immediately jumped at the chance to say yes. It is always a pleasure to get together with like-minded people who share a common interest. ParisB (whom I've met before) and her lovely sister were there, along with Xin of Pretty Beautiful, Connie of SkinDeco and Domncroxd of Belle Demoiselle.
We met last Saturday at Lancome Beauty Institute in Bangsar Village II. I will post more about it another day because I have not gotten around to editing the photos yet. Lancome recently released a new liquid foundation called Maqui Blanc Miracle, which was a brightening version to the original Teint Miracle. We each got to come home with a full sized bottle and I thought it was nice gesture as I wasn't expecting anything but a good time.
The Maqui Blanc Miracle liquid foundation is made in Japan and has been created specifically for Asian skin. It is oil-free and is touted to last through sweat, shine and humidity. It really sounded like my kind of foundation because my t-zone gets quite oily and I usually prefer something with decent oil control.
It is packaged in a square glass bottle with a pump at the top. The pump works wonderfully and does not get stuck. I can control the amount to use without any issues. This is quite important to me because I have had a couple of problems with pumps on other foundation bottles.
It is meant to be a long-wearing foundation with a Natural Brightening Creator. I am a little uncertain what it means though. I was matched to shade O-03, which is a little surprising because I tend to just pick the lightest shade of any lineup and they pretty much work out. But I went with the recommendation anyway.
You can tell from the swatches that the shade is rather yellow/orange and a wee bit dark on me. In fact, I was a quite alarmed that it looked strangely orange on the back of my hand. However, my hands are more blue-tinged than my face so I was really hoping that the shade will work.
The first time I tested it out, I used my fingers to swirl and blend the product on, as it was a technique demonstrated by the Lancome makeup artist. This method didn't work with me and I think you'd need to use a lot of foundation in order to smoothly swirl it all over your face. I do not like to use more than necessary.
The second time around, I used my trusty Beauty Blender to pat the foundation on. This was much better as the foundation applied more seamlessly. But due to the slightly mis-matched shade, I have to put in more effort to get it to blend in. So there's a lot more bouncing and patting going on than usual.
The natural light in my bathroom is very soft, warm and diffused. I should take more photos of my face in here since the lighting is quite flattering. You may not be able to tell that the foundation is a wee bit more yellow than what I'm used to.
Whether the foundation is sweat, shine and humidity proof, well... no foundation is ever that resistant. I do find my face getting oily after 3 - 4 hours but the foundation doesn't slide off, which is a good sign. I just lightly blot once or twice throughout the day to refresh my makeup. I do like its finish as it seems more polished and it also feels very lightweight. I have used it three days in a row and haven't suffered any breakouts.
Overall, Lancome's Maqui Blanc Miracle foundation worked out well although I did have some initial reservations when I first swatched it. According to ParisB, Lancome foundations tend to lean towards the yellowish side, which is probably great for those with warm under tones. I generally find bases with neutral or pink under tones to suit my skin tone better.
Pros:
• Decent oil-control.
• Fairly long-wearing, should last the whole day as long as you don't perform rigorous physical activities.
• Contains SPF 26.
• Polished finish which looks quite natural at the same time (if applied with a light hand).
• Medium to full coverage.
• Lightweight formula.
• Does not break me out.
Cons:
• Shades are a bit more yellow-based.
• Not available in darker tones.
• Some may find it expensive.
Availability:
The Maqui Blanc Miracle liquid foundation can be found at Lancome nationwide for RM140. Each bottle consists 30ml of product.
