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