Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact (updated March 2016)

UPDATE March 2016:

In February 2016 Lancome released (in Asia) a new version of its Blanc Expert Cushion Compact.
The new version is labeled as "cover" and has SPF 50.
The old version reviewed below has been re-labeled as "natural".

The new Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact SPF50 (cover) uses the same non-woven fiber matrix technology as the cushion from another L'Oreal brand - Shu Uemura (reviewed here).

Non-woven fiber matrix is basically a fancy name for fiberglass (including glass wool, a common wall insulation material). Yep, instead of a piece of sponge, these cushion have chunks of wall filler in them. I suppose we should consider it a step up from the low quality, extremely porous sponge of the "natural" version cushion.

The folks at L'Oreal Group were careful to cover it with a net, no doubt to disourage people from investigating what's underneath.

This is the surface of the new Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact SPF50 (cover version):

 Using wall filler, oh pardon moi, fiberglass, instead of sponge allows for packing the cushion with much heavier foundation. That in turn allows for fuller cover.

I was very interested in this "new and improved cover" version and I was ready to buy it, but...

The shades do not correspond to the "natural" version.
Let me repeat it - they do not match.


The cover version is a lot darker. Because apparently Lancome thinks there are no people in Asia who are around NC15 or NW10. Well played, Lancome!

So here you have the reason why I didn't buy this new cushion.
Hence you will not get a full review.


And here you have a closeup of the netting - you can clearly see the fibers below:

For what it's worth, sponsored shills are bending over backwards to praise this cushion, for example, this one.

Sponsored and paid reviewers also seemed to have fallen for the "new and revolutionary glass wool in the cushion technology" PR spin. Oh well...

And this is what it looked like inside the sister brand's cushion (Shu Uemura blanc:chroma), which uses the same "revolutionary" concept:

That's the end of the update.
If Lancome makes a lighter shade, I will totally buy it.
But as it is now, I'll pass.


Continue below for the review of the "natural" SPF 23 version released in 2015:

Lancome Miracle Cushion review can be found here. 

This is a side by side comparison of Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact (Japan version) and Lancome Miracle Cushion (European version).

If this is the first time you are hearing about cushion foundations, please click on the "Cushion Foundations" tab in the top menu to learn more.

Recenzja poduszki Lancome - Lancome Miracle Cushion jest tutaj. 

Wpis ponizej to porownanie poduszki na rynek azjatycki (japonski) - Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact z poduszka na rynek europejski - Lancome Miracle Cushion.

Jesli to pierwszy raz, kiedy czytasz o podkladach w formie poduszki, kliknij na zakladke "Cushion Foundations" w gornym menu, aby dowiedziec sie wiecej.

~~~

Yesterday the long awaited Lancome cushion finally hit the stores in Japan. Having had a chance to play with it very briefly a week before, I thought it might be a good idea to stick it next to the European version of Lancome Miracle Cushion and see what happens.

And this is what happened:


Wczoraj, dlugo wyczekiwana poduszka Lancome w koncu trafila do sprzedazy w Japonii. Mialam okazje pomacac ja juz w zeszlym tygodniu i pomyslalam sobie, ze moze warto byloby postawic ja obok Lancome Miracle Cushion dostepna w Europie i zobaczyc co wyjdzie.

A wyszlo to:

Ha! Ten points if you can spot the difference.
Yep. You're right. It's "same, same" but different.

The same outer packaging, a different name.
Europe - Lancome Miracle Cushion.
Japan - Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact, which also claims to have a "fresh brightening effect".

Ha! Ekstra punkty jesli zauwazysz wszystkie roznice.
Tak, zgadza sie. Niby taki sam, ale jednak inny.

Takie samo pudelko, ale inna nazwa produktu.
W Europie - Lancome Miracle Cushion.
A Azji - Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact, ktory ponoc ma nam dac "swiezy, rozjasniajacy efekt."

~~~


According to the Lancome website, "the Blanc Expert range features the latest brightening technology designed to regulate melanin production and awaken the luminosity of the skin."

OK, so it would seem that Europe got the no frills version, while Japan - the brightening bells and whistles.
I wonder why? Was it the convoluted logic of a Western cosmetics company convinced that if you label it "blanc" or "brightening", and imply skin whitening properties, it would sell better in Asia?
Or was it simply the fact that there was no other way to dress up this very average, drugstore quality product to make it seem worth the high-end price?
Your guess is as good as mine.

This is interesting:


Wedlug strony Lancome "linia Blanc Expert zawiera najnowsza technologie rozjasniajaca sformulowana do regulacji produkcji melaniny i do obudzenia naturalnej jasnosci cery", czy jakos tak.

Wiec wychodzi na to, ze poduszka na rynek europejski to nic szczegolnego, ale ta na rynek azjatycki ma dzialanie rozjasniajace.
Ciekawe dlaczego? Pewnie dlatego, ze zachodnie firmy sa swiecie przekonane, ze Azjatki kupia byle g*wno, jesli tylko w nazwie bedzie widnialo slowo "rozjasnianie".
A moze dlatego, ze po prostu Lancome nie moglo wpasc na zaden inny pomysl jak usprawiedliwic wysoka cene tej bardzo przecietnej poduszki w Azji, gdzie tyle innych, duzo lepszych poduszek jest dostepnych o wiele taniej.
Ciort ich wie.

Ale to jest ciekawe:

While initially the ingredient lists seem different (due to a slightly different layout, which fooled me as well), they are in fact identical.
You have Miracle Cushion on the left, and Blanc Expert on the right. They're the same. Only the very final item, in the "may contain" category is different.
Yet the one on the right, upon landing in Japan, suddenly acquired a fancy "Blanc Expert" title.

Hmmm... the plot thickens...

There have been voices that Lancome Miracle Cushion is nothing else that Teint Miracle Foundation in a cushion form. A quick look at the ingredients lists for both products tells us that that is not true. Despite sharing the name "Miracle", those are, in fact, two different cosmetics. 

Na pierwszy rzut oka, lista skladnikow wydaje sie byc inna (to z powodu innej czcionki, sama nawet sie na to nabralam), ale w rzeczywistosci obie listy sa identyczne.
Miracle Cushion po lewej, Blanc Expert Cushion Compact po prawej. Takie same! Tylko ostatni punkt w liscie skladnikow, na szarym koncu w dopisku "moze zawierac" jest inny.

Ale jakims cudownym trafem, poduszka po prawej, po wyladowaniu w Japonii nabrala nagle mocy rozjasniajacej i dostala nowa nazwe - Blanc Expert.

No niezle, Lancome, niezle...

Pojawily sie rowniez glosy, ze poduszka Lancome Miracle Cushion to nic innego jak lancome'owski Teint Miracle podklad przelany w poduszkowe opakowanie. Ale rzut okiem na listy skladnikow obu tych kosmetykow i od razu widac, ze sa to dwa rozne produkty, pomimo tego, ze oba maja slowo "Miracle" w nazwie.

~~~

To fleece you in a typical Japanese fashion, this cushion is sold here piecemeal - you have to buy a compact case and a refill separately. While this is the usual way cosmetics are sold in Japan, this is nothing but an elaborate scam to make you part with as much money as possible.

Aby oskubac cie do maksymum, w typowym japonskim stylu, ta poduszka sprzedawana jest tutaj "po kawalku" - trzeba kupic osobno kompakt i osobno wklad. Innej mozliwosci nie ma. To jest normalny sposob sprzedawania kosmetykow w Japonii, ale w rzeczywistosci to po prostu typowa sciema, aby wyciagnac od klienta jak najwiecej kasy przy jak najmniejszej linii oporu.

And they don't come cheap.
The Blanc Expert Cushion Compact Case will set you back 1300 yen plus 8% tax.
The Blanc Expert Cushion Compact Refill costs an outrageous 5200 yen plus 8% tax.
So, in all, after getting the entire set you will be 7020 yen poorer (tax added). That is nearly 52 euro, or USD 59.00 (according to Yahoo currency converter).

A kase ciagna az milo.
Blanc Expert Cushion Compact obudowa kosztuje 1300 jenow plus 8% VAT.
Blanc Expert Cushion Compact wklad to 5200 jenow plus 8% podatku.
Wiec aby zaczac uzywac ta poduszke, musimy pozegnac sie z 7020 jenami (podatek juz wliczony), co wychodzi przy obecnym przeliczniku na 52 euro lub 59 dolarow (wedlug Yahoo currency converter).

Unlike in Europe, where Lancome Miracle Cushion comes in six shades, there are only two available in Japan.
As you can see, I got BO-01. I don't know, but somehow when I see "BO", I instinctively start sniffing. Despite this unfortunate color name, this cushion doesn't stink.

The other shade on sale in Japan is this:

Choc w Europie Lancome Miracle Cushion jest dostepna a 6 odcieniach, w Japonii Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact ma tylko dwa kolory.
Jak widac, ja wybralam BO-01.
Ten drugi dostepny to O-01.

BO-01 has beige tones, O-01 is yellow.

The lovely ladies at the Lancome counter swatched them for me and even helped to take a photo:


BO-01 ma bezowe tony, O-01 jest zolty.

Panie w stoisku Lancome byly bardzo mile i zeswatchowaly oba odcienie dla mnie i nawet pomogly zrobic zdjecie w jak najlepszym swietle.

I brought my Miracle Cushion for comparison purposes, and it turned out to be a great idea. The ladies were quite surprised to see that the cushion sold in Europe is "same, same, but different". You should have seen their faces when I pulled out the A-True compact out of my purse. And the Banila Co compact. And then my new Hera. They honestly had no idea that cushion foundation was not a Lancome invention.

The sales lady assembled my new cushion for me:

Wzielam ze soba moja Lancome Miracle Cushion dla porownania i okazalo sie to bardzo dobrym pomyslem. Panie w stoisku byly mocno zaskoczone, ze niby poduszka taka sama, ale inna. Wyraz twarzy mialy bezcenny, kiedy wyciagnelam z kosmetyczki poduszke A-true i poduszke Banila Co i moja nowa poduszke Hera Ultra Moisture.
Konsultantki Lancome nie mialy najbledszego pojecia, ze podklad w poduszce nie jest wynalazkiem Lancome i ze istnieje juz od paru lat.

Tutaj pani konsultantka sklada moja nowa poduszke:

And watching her do it, I got an idea.

You see, on the Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Case box it says this:

I kiedy tak na nia patrzylam, cos wpadlo mi do glowy.
Na odwrocie pudelka do Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Case (obudowa), mozemy przeczytac, ze:

It claims to be "specially designed for Blanc Expert Cushion Compact refill".
Of course that is not true. Lancome Miracle Cushion and its twin - Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion are both cheap, run of the mill, no frills, drugstore quality (both ingredient-wise, as well as package design wise) Korean cushions.

So it should be possible to fit any other refill of the same design into a Lancome cushion pact, and vice versa.

Let's check:


Ponoc jest to "specjalnie zaprojektowane dla Blanc Expert Cushion Compact wkladow".
Oczywiscie to bzdura. Lancome Miracle Cushion i blizniaczka Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion to tanie, typowe, drogeryjnej jakosci (i skladowo i opakowaniowo) koreanskie poduszki.

Wiec powinny pasowac do innych kompaktow tego samego typu i wice wersa. A kompaktow tego samego typu jest sporo. Ja mam dwa.
No to sprawdzamy:

Yep. It works with my A-true cushion case.
Pasuje do A-true obudowy.

And it works again with a Banila Co CC cushion case.
You should have seen the faces of those poor Lancome sales assistants when they saw it.

So... Specially designed? Nice try, Lancome. But next time, try harder.

While on the European cushion box we had blurbs in a bazillion different languages, the Japanese version has a simple sticker:

I pasuje do kasetki Banila Co CC cushion.
Biedne panie konsultantki mialy niemrawe miny jak to zobaczyly.

Wiec... specjalnie zaprojektowane? Czy Lancome naprawde mysli, ze ich klienci sa totalnymi durniami?

Na europejskiej wersji poduszki mielismy opisy w kilku jezykach. Japonska wersja ma prosta naklejke.

I guess this is yet another way that Lancome saves money. Since there is no leaflet in the box, it seems to me that different countries just slap stickers in their own languages on the back and call it a day.

Under the sticker (of course I peeled it off, duh!) we have this:

Przypuszczam, ze w ten sposob dusigrosze lancome'owskie oszczedzaja kase. Nie ma ulotki w pudelku, wiec wychodzi na to, ze zamiast drukowac wersje papierowa w kilku jezykach, w roznych krajach po prostu naklejaja info w roznych jezykach.

Pod naklejka (oczywiscie, ze ja oderwalam) jest to:

The "air cushion" wording is still here.

You can also see that it claims to have "shades designed for Asian skin". And that's all fine and dandy, but what are we, Europeans? Chopped liver? For us, Lancome, you released nasty dark yellows and shades totally not suitable for very pale and fair skinned people. And yet for Asia you bent over backwards to make it coloristically half-way decent and wearable.

This convoluted logic of western brands will never cease to amaze me.

Ok, let's go on...

Fraza "air cushion" nadal tam widnieje.
Jest tez zapewnienie, ze "odcienie sa specjalnie sformulowane dla azjatyckiej skory". I spoko, nie mam nic przeciwko temu. Ale co to my, Europejki jestesmy? Niechciane bekarty? Dla nas, kochany Lancome, wypusciles ciemne i ohydne zolte kolory, ktore zupelnie nie nadaja sie dla jasnych kobiet z polnocy. Ale dla Azjatek, to od razu - specjalnie sformulowane.
Ta logika zachodnich firm nigdy nie przestanie mnie zadziwiac.

Ale, idzmy dalej...

Good grief, the fingerprints. I couldn't be bothered to wear gloves. Sorry.

The Japanese (or is it "generic Asian"?) version is also made in Korea:

Srebrne pudelka i odciski palcow. Nie chcialo mi sie wkladac rekawiczek. Sorry.
Wersja japonska (azjatycka) jest rowniez robiona w Korei.

And it has the same pitiful SPF23 / PA++. No comment.

OK, let's look at the compacts:

Ten sam nedzny filtr SPF23 / PA++. Bez komentarza.
Ok, tutaj kompakty.

Lancome Blanc Expert on the left, Lancome Miracle Cushion on the right.

And the other side:

Lancome Blanc Expert po lewej, Lancome Miracle Cushion po prawej.
I po drugiej stronie:

And opened:

I otwarte:

Other than the lid, they seem identical. So far.

Oprocz koloru obudowy wydaja sie byc indentyczne. Jak na razie.

Same...

And suddenly:


Takie same.
Ale nagle:

Different!

Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact on the left, Lancome Miracle Cushion on the right.
As you can see, the Blanc Expert inner sponge is marginally finer and better quality than Miracle Cushion.

And it might be just fine for most people.
Until you put it next to a very simple Korean cushion:

Inne!

Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact po lewej, Lancome Miracle Cushion po prawej.
Jak widac Blanc Expert wklad poduszkowy, srodkowa gabka, jest odrobine mniej porowata i nieco lepszej jakosci niz Miracle Cushion.

I to pewnie zadowala wiekszosc kobiet.
Ale tylko dopoki nie postawisz poduszek Lancome obok bardzo zwyklej koreanskiej poduszki.

Ah, Lancome, Lancome...
You'd think that for the Asian market, a huge multi-national brand that wants to be seen as high end would release something a bit less bargain-basement looking, and something a bit more fancy.
But I suppose in the name of maximizing profits and squeezing every last yen (cent) out of this deal, Lancome simply couldn't afford any higher quality sponge for this compact.

If only the foundation itself was worth the price...
Sadly, no.

The consistency of the Japanese version is a lot less runny than what's inside the European Miracle Cushion. The texture is slightly more creamy than Miracle Cushion and on par with most mid- and lower-end Korean cushion brands.

Aj, Lancome, Lancome...
Ktos moglby pomyslec, ze wielka miedzynarodowa firma kosmetyczna, ktora zalicza sie do wysokopolkowych, moglaby wypuscic na rynek azjatycki cos bardziej ekskluzywnego i nie wygladajacego jak gabka z kuchennego zlewozmywaka. Ale wychodzi na to, ze w imie wycisniecia z tego kosmetyku ostatniego grosza (centa, jena), Lancome nie bylo stac na lepsza gabke.

Zeby choc sam podklad byl wart tych 7020 jenow...
Ale niestety nie.

Konsystencja wersji na rynek azjatycki jest ciut mniej wodnista niz to co siedzi w srodku europejskiej Miracle Cushion.
Tekstura jest tez bardziej kremowa i zblizona do tego, co oferuja typowe koreanskie poduszki.

In conclusion...
Lancome tried to reinvent Miracle Cushion as Blanc Expert Cushion Compact for Japan. It made a half-assed effort to make it slightly more presentable and exciting for the naive and western brand hungry Japanese women. But it's still the same mediocre cushion.

A cushion of this very average quality, with this generic design, and these bare bones ingredients and low SPF, and without an extra refill in the box, shouldn't cost more than US$25.

Shame, shame on you Lancome.

Podsumowujac...

Lancome przeinaczylo Miracle Cushion na Blanc Expert Cushion Compact na rynki azjatyckie. Cos tam chcialo wizualnie ulepszyc, zeby wygladlo ciut lepiej dla bardziej wymagajacych klientow azjatyckich. Ale efekt koncowy to ta sama mierna poduszka.

Poduszka tak przecietnej jakosci, w tak przecietnym, masowo produkowanym kompakcie, z tak slabym skladem i niskim filtrem SPF, i bez dodatkowego wkladu w pudelku, nie powinna kosztowac wiecej niz jakies 25 dolarow.

Wstydz sie Lancome!

Haul - January and February

I've been accused of being lazy. And rightly so.
I have a sick backlog of posts that so far exist only as drafts, and gods know when they will see the light of internet. 
So, in order to lessen the load, I decided to join the throngs of beauty shopping addicts and start to at least throw a haul post here and there, from time to time.
Some of it you could see on IG already, but since not everyone is on IG, I got requests to share my recent haulings on the blog as well.


Zarzucono mi lenistwo. I slusznie.
Mam niesamowita ilosc wpisow, ktore jak na razie, istnieja tylko w formie "draft" i bukwi kiedy ujrza swiatlo internetu.
Wiec, zeby sie po trochu zmobilizowac, postanowilam przylaczyc sie do rzeszy kosmetycznych zakupoholiczek i wrzucac podsumowania zakupowe od czasu do czasu.
Zazwyczaj laduja one na instagramie, ale poniewaz nie kazdy jest na IG, dostalam maile z prosbami, zeby wstawiac wpisy zakupowe rowniez na bloga.

~~~

OK, so here we go.

This one might be back from as far as the end of December:

No to jadymy z tym koksem.
Ten tutaj jest chyba z konca grudnia:

The famous Lalavesi Akma Cushion "Ice Cute" Special Edition.
I bought it, because just look at that compact! Mine!!!

Slynna poduszka Lalavesi Akma Cushion w limitowanej wersji "Ice Cute".
Kupilam ja, bo ten kompakt! Moj!!!

~~~

While in Taiwan I didn't do as much shopping as I had planned. Simply because everything was ridiculously expensive. More so than in Japan.
I did get a few sheet masks. 

Na Tajwanie nie szalalam z zakupami, bo bylo po prostu drogo. Drozej niz w Japonii.
Ale kupilam troche masek:

The My Beauty Diary sake masks were very very nice. The broccoli ones - not so much.

Sake maski My Beauty Diary byly bardzo mile. Te brokulowe juz duzo mniej.

~~~

I also got this Dr. Wu set:

Wzielam tez ten zestaw od Dr. Wu:

I wanted a ceramide set from For My Beloved, but it was sold out at every duty free place I looked. 

I couldn't find anything that interested me at the airport. I checked a few highly recommended things that turned out to be less than satisfying in real life.
Eventually, all I got was a couple of things from Anna Sui:


Chcialam zestaw ceramidowy od For My Beloved, ale w kazdym miejscu wolnoclowym byl wyprzedany.

Na lotniskach nie widzialam nic szczegolnego. Pomacalam kilka rzeczy, ktore byly upierdliwie polecane, ale na zywo wypadly bardzo blado.
W koncu jedyne co kupilam to dwie rzeczy od Anny Sui:

And this fragrance:

I ten tutaj zapach:

And I'm very pleased with both if them.

My obsession with A-True continues:


Z obu jestem bardzo zadowolona.

Moja obsesja A-True nadal trwa:

And continues:

I trwa:

And finally, it was time for a new mascara:

I na koniec, nowy tusz do rzes, bo potrzebowalam:

The kafunsho season has just started but so far so good and I'm happy with this combo from Dior.

Do you want to see more haul posts?
Yea or nay?

Have a great week everybody!
Monday is almost upon us.
Yuck!

Pora na alergie wlasnie sie zaczela, ale po tygodniu uzywania tej pary od Diora nie mam na co narzekac.

Czy mam wstawiac wpisy zakupowe czesciej?
Tak? Nie?

Poniedzialek juz prawie z nami, wiec zycze wszystkim pomyslnego tygodnia!
Nie dajcie sie! Bedzie dobrze! Do weekendu tylko 5 dni!

Memebox Unboxing - Korean Beauty Starter Set #5 Intro to Tea Version 2

Ok, so this is a clear sign that the end of times is near. Very near. I am doing a Memebox (Korean beauty box) unboxing. I'm sure if you look outside the pigs are flying right now. I'm also pretty sure that hell has frozen over.

But if you look closely at the contents of this set, you can very easily guess why I bought this box.

No to teraz mamy oficjalny sygnal, ze dni ostatnie sa tutaj. Bo wrzucam na blogaska wpis o Memeboxie. Memebox to koreanskie pudelko kosmetyczne, cos jak Glossybox, czy jak im tam, w Europie.
Fanka Memeboxa nie jestem, ale to pudelko kupilam w niesamowitym pospiechu i z niesamowita ekscytacja.

Normalnie koniec swiata. Jestem pewna, ze za chwile uslyszymy kopyta czterech jezdzcow.

Ale zaraz wszystko bedzie jasne dlaczego:

Yep. A-True.

I'm on my quest to try every single product this company has to offer.
This set had two A-True goodies, and that alone made it a fabulous deal.

Memebox was selling this set for US$40, but I had 2 points and a $3.00 coupon, so at US$35 with free shipping I couldn't say no.

It arrived today.

Tak. A-True.
Jestem na misji specjalnej, aby wyprobowac kazdy kosmetyk, jaki oferuje ta marka.
Ten zestaw mial dwie rzeczy od A-True, wiec to juz samo w sobie sprawilo, ze pudelko bylo swietna okazja i za swietna cene.

Membox sprzedawalo ten zestaw za US$40. Ja mialam dwa punkty i kupon na 3, wiec za US$35 z darmowa wysylka, musialam to miec.

Przyszlo dzisiaj.

Sent as registered mail and declared as a gift, the value was also nicely lowered, so no customs problems for me.

Inside the pink bubble wrapper we have the signature pink box:

Wyslane jako "polecony" i zadeklarowane jako "prezent". Wartosc tez ladnie zanizona, wiec nie bylo klopotow celnych.

W srodku rozowej babelkowej koperty - rozowe Memeboxowe pudelko:

And inside the box?
This:

A w srodku pudelka?
To:

The theme for this set was "tea" and all items were in one way or another had something to do with tea.

Because Memebox are asshats and decided to stop international shipping to countries other than the US, Korea, China (and possibly Japan) as of Valentine's Day, many of their faithful customers around the world are quite understandably quite unhappy right now.

There's also another reason why I feel that Memebox is particularly asshatty right now.
They remove the set and box descriptions very quickly from their website. So even though my box arrived today, I have no way of checking their product description page. Jerks. You have to be a bunch of total idiots to be pissing on your customers like that, if you ask me.

Oh well, anyway...
Moving on...

This is what was in this set, one by one.

First, the reason why I bought it. The price of A-True skincare alone made this box worth buying.


Tematem przewodnim byla "herbata", wiec wszystko tutaj ma jakis zwiazek z herbata.

Memebox to w chwili obecnej dno i wodorosty z dwoch powodow.
Po pierwsze zaprzestaja wysylki do krajow innych niz USA, Chiny, Korea i prawdopodobnie Japonia. Tak wiec rzesze ich wiernych fanow gdzie indziej na swiecie sa niezle wk*rwione.
Po drugie, z ich strony znikaja opisy zestawow i pudelek w ekspresowym tempie. Wiec mimo, ze moje pudelko doszlo do mnie dzis, opis zawartosci juz nie jest dostepny. Co za totalna banda idiotow. Olewaja klientow niezbyt cieplym sikiem, wiec to bedzie koniec mojej przygody z Memebox.

No ale, wracamy do tego zestawu.

W pierwszej kolejnosci, powod dla ktorego go kupilam.
Ceny A-True juz same w sobie sprawily, ze to pudelko bylo warte zakupienia.

I have tried samples of this watery gel cream and it was OK.
What I really wanted was this essence:

Probowalam juz probek tego kremowego zelu i byl w porzadku.
Najbardziej ciesze sie z tej esencji:

We shall see if it's as fabulous as everyone says.

This big bottle of Lavender Whitening Emulsion from The Skin House is not known to me:


Teraz bede mogla sama sie przekonac czy jest tak swietna, jak wiesc gminna niesie.

Ta wielka butla Lavender Whitening Emulsion od The Skin House nie jest mi znana:

I have a feeling I will end up using it as body moisturizer.

E Choice Sleeping Pack has the list price of US$2.00. Sorry. I am not going to put a bargain basement product on my face. But I might use it on my feet. They are awful enough, not much can make them any worse.


Mam dziwne przeczucie, ze bedzie ona uzywana jako moisturizer do ciala.

E Choice Sleeping Pack ma wartosc podana jako dwa dolary. Sorry, ale ja nie mam zamiaru smarowac sobie twarzy produktem z funciaka. Moze uzyje go na moje stopy, im juz nic nie zaszkodzi.

I'm not particularly interested in these last two products either.

A;T FOX Jasoyup Radiance Fixer, whatever that is:

Tymi dwoma ostatnimi produktami nie jestem zainteresowana.
A;T FOX Jasoyup Radiance Fixer, cokolwiek to ma byc:

And A;T FOX Tea Toc Water Clear Tablet:

So, all in all, US$35.00 for two A-True products was a crazy good deal, and I am very happy I bought this set.

Wiec 35 dolarow za dwa pelnowymiarowe A-True to swietna okazja i bardzo sie ciesze, ze udalo mi sie ten zestaw zamowic.

~~~

Below I pasted what Memebox had to say about this box:

Ponizej wkleilam, to co Memebox mialo do powiedzenia na temat tego zestawu (nie chce mi sie tlumaczyc, przepraszam bardzo).

Here’s a guide to a mix of full-sized natural remedies to address all your skin care concerns! Teas are natural wonders that have long been touted for their countless health and beauty benefits! Great for K-Beauty beginners and K-Beauty holics alike, this Intro to Tea set packs a punch with natural yet potent tea infused cosmetics that work to brighten dark spots, clear pores of impurities and perfect a glowing complexion. [Shipping starts Feb. 3rd] This set includes: $161 value for $40 + Free Shipping 

• A·TRUE White Snow Tea Brilliant Essence ($55) 

• A·TRUE Himalaya Black Tea Watery Gel Cream ($49) 

• A;T FOX Jasoyup Radiance Fixer ($12) 

• A;T FOX Tea Toc Water Clear Tablet ($2) 

• E CHOICE Fermented Tea Skin Drinks Sleeping Pack ($2) 

• THE SKIN HOUSE Lavender Lightening Emulsion ($41)

~~~

Now, what's this sound I hear outside? The four riders of the...?



Nah... False alarm. 
Just my local yankiis on their motorcycles.

Laneige BB Cushion SPF 50+ PA+++

Disclaimer:
This product was provided to me for review purposes, however the opinions presented here are mine, and mine only.

Ten kosmetyk otrzymalam do zrecenzowania, ale fakt ten nie wplynal na przedstawiona tutaj opinie, ktora jest tylko i wylacznie moja.

Ahhh, the famous, one and only Laneige BB Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ ...

Ahhhh, w koncu przyszedl czas na slynna, jedna jedyna, "oryginalna" poduszke Laneige - Laneige BB Cushion SPF 50+ PA+++...

If you're new to cushion foundations, please click on the "Cushion Foundations" tab in the top menu. 

Jesli pierwszy raz czytasz o podkladach w formie poduszki, to polecam najpierw kliknac na zakladke "Cushion Foundations" w gornym menu.

I read so much about it, and the general consensus was?
It was good. And it was bad. And it was too dark, And it was too light. And it was too sheer. And it was too heavy. And it wasn't good for dry skin. And it wasn't good for oily skin. And it makes you break out. And it doesn't make you break out. And it's too fragranced. And it's not fragranced at all. And it's an essential item to have. And if you already have a cushion, you don't need it.

Reading what them innertubes had to say left me more confused than ever.
I decided it was time to take a look for myself.

I had this cushion in my cart at one of the online stores where I like to shop, and I was still debating whether I wanted to try No. 13 Light Beige, or No. 14 Pink Beige.
And just at that moment Jolse (a very friendly and helpful internet shop with a nice selection of items) asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing a couple of cushions. Of course, I said yes. And Laneige Pink Beige (No. 14) BB Cushion was in my hands in no time.

Tyle sie o niej naczytalam. I czegoz tam nie bylo!
Ze jest dobra, ze jest nedzna, ze jest za ciemna, i ze za jasna. Ze za slabe krycie, ze za mocne krycie. Ze nie nadaje sie do suchej cery. Ze nie nadaje sie dla tlustej cery. Ze wysypuje po niej. Ze nie wysypuje po niej. Ze za bardzo pachnie. Ze wcale nie pachnie. Ze trzeba ja miec. Ze mozna sobie ja odpuscic.

Po przeczytaniu wszystkiego w internetach mialam w glowie metlik i postanowilam sprawdzic na wlasnej skorze. A raczej twarzy.
Wrzucilam ta poduszke do koszyka w moim ulubionym sklepie internetowym, ale debatowalam, ktory odcien bylby lepszy - No. 13 Light Beige (jasny bez) czy No. 14 Pink Beige (rozowy bez).
I dokladnie w tej samej chwili Jolse (bardzo mily koreanski sklep internetowy z szerokim wyborem kosmetykow) zapytal sie mnie czy nie chcialabym zrecenzowac paru poduszek. Oczywiscie, ze chcialam. I tak to Laneige Pink Beige (No. 14) BB Cushion znalazla sie w moich rekach.

This is actually a limited version (packaging only) from Laneige's collaboration with pushButton. pushButton is a Korean fashion brand. And what we have here is its signature "doggie's playing leopard" pattern from the 2014 fall/ winter collection. I'd prefer cats, but, oh well... We can't have it all, now, can we?

To tutaj to limitowana wersja opakowania z Laneige'owej kolaboracji z pushButton. pushButton to koreanska marka modowa? W ten sposob mamy tutaj wzorek "psiaka udajacego leoparda" z kolekcji pushButton na jesien/ zime 2014. Osobiscie wolalabym koty. Slyszysz to, pushButton?

Cute, but honestly, who cares? (Now, give me cats on a package, and I'll buy it sight unseen, LOL!)

Anyway, where was I?
Ah, yes, No. 14 Pink Beige... Laneige proudly claims that this shade (number 14) is "only Laneige". Though I'm pretty sure I've seen somewhere else as well.  Many brands offer number 13, but 14 is not as easily found.
Sadly the color names on Laneige cushions sold at Target stores in the US are different. Sorry, I have no idea how the standard shades of 13, 14, 21, 23, 31 and 33 compare to what's available in the States.

If Iope is the grandpa of all cushion foundations, then Laneige must be the grandma. Actually, it probably should be the other way round - Iope being the feminine name fits better to the role of grandma. Either way, you get it. These are the "original" cushions. The ones that started it all.

Slodkie, ale nie dla mnie. (Dajcie mi koty!!! Blagam was!!! LOL!)

No ale, gdzie ja bylam?
Ah, tak. No. 14 Pink Beige (rozowy bez).
Laneige dumnie twierdzi, ze ten odcien jest "only Laneige" (tylko Laneige). Ale jestem niemal pewna, ze gdzies indziej tez go widzialam. Wiele marek oferuje numer 13, ale 14 nie jest tak latwy do znalezienia.
Niestety dla czytelnikow w USA, oznaczenia kolorow na poduszkach Laneige dostepnych w sklepach sieci Target sa inne niz standardowe 13, 14, 21, 23, 31 i 33. I niestety nie wiem jak odcienie amerykanskie porownuja sie do koreanskich.

Jesli Iope to matka wszystkich poduszek, to Laneige mozna by nazwac ojcem. Te, ktore byly na "poczatku", kiedy jeszcze Amore Pacific rzadzil swiatem poduszek. Te, od ktorych to wszystko sie zaczelo.

I went with the classic Laneige BB Cushion, though there are other kinds available as well: Whitening, and Pore Control.
On the other side of the box we have the usual thingies written in Korean, along with the universal mark that the contents are good for 12 months from the moment you open the product.

Jak widac wybralam "klasyczna" Laneige BB Cushion, bo sa jeszcze wersje Whitening i Pore Control.
Na tylnej stronie pudelka mamy cos tam po koreansku (oznaczenie koloru i krotki opis produktu), wraz ze znaczkiem, ze zawartosc ma przydatnosc do zuzycia w ciagu 12 miesiecy od chwili otwarcia.

As you can see above, the compact is also decorated with doggies playing leopards. (Cats!!! give me cats!!!)

In the box, along with the compact (15 grams of product), we also get a refill pack (another 15 grams there) and an informational leaflet, mostly in Korean, and very partly in English.

Jak widac na jednym z powyzszych zdjec, kompakt jest rowniez udekorowany psio-leopadrowym wzorkiem. (Koty!!! gdzie moje koty!!!)

W pudelku, oprocz kompaktu (15 gramow produktu), jest tez wymienny wklad (kolejne 15 gramow) i ulotka, glownie po koreansku i bardzo czesciowo po angielsku.

What the leaflet tells us is this:

Na ulotce mozna przeczytac to:

You can see, this claims to be a heavy duty cushion - there's whitening and sunscreen and sweatproofing and soothing and makeup.

Czego tu nie ma? Jest i rozjasnianie i filtr i odpornosc na pot i ukojenie dla skory i podklad.

It also incorporates Laneige's patented Melacrusher™ Whitening Technology. I wrote about it earlier in my Laneige White Plus Renew review.

The sunblock claims of blocking UV rays even under strong sunlight I always take with a grain of salt. We simply don't use enough of this product to be adequately protected against UV rays. Please don't fall for this marketing gimmick and always use a stand-alone, proper sunblock. Your skin will thank you when you get old.

Mamy tu rowniez Laneige'owska opatentowana technologie Melacrusher™. Wspominalam juz o niej przy okazji opisywania Laneige White Plus Renew.
To, ze filtr ma blokowac promienie UV nawet w silnym sloncu to typowy chwyt marketingowy. Po prostu nie damy rady nalozyc na twarz wystarczajacej ilosci tego kosmetyku, aby osiagnac reklamowany poziom ochrony przed sloncem. Nie dajcie sie nabrac na te zapewnienia i zawsze uzywajcie osobnego filtru (filtra?) przeciwslonecznego. Wasza skora podziekuje wam na starosc.

On the other side of the compact we have a manufacturing date and not very important (I'm guessing) details in Korean.

Laneige is one of the brands (just like Hera, and Hanyul and Sulwhasoo and Iope and many others) from Amore Pacific. And just like other Amore Pacific cushions, it features its signature white and blue Rubycell applicator sponge.

Na spodzie kompaktu widnieje data produkcji i inne, malo wazne detale (tak zgaduje) po koreansku.
Laneige to jedna z marek (tak samo jak Hera i Hanyul i Sulwhasoo i Iope i wiele innych) ze stajni Amore Pacific. I tak jak wszystkie inne poduszki z tej firmy, i ta rowniez wyposazona jest w typowy dla Amore Pacific bialo-niebieski Rubycell aplikator.

And on the other side?
Blue:

Tutaj bialy, a z drugiej strony?
Niebieski.

The compact is white and simple and as always with cushion foundations, a total bitch to keep clean.

Kompakt jest bialy i prosty i jak zawsze z podkladami w poduszkach, ciezko to dziadostwo utrzymac w nieskazitelnej czystosci.

The inner lid keeps the contents fresh.

Wewnetrzna pokrywka utrzymuje zawartosc w stanie wzglednej swiezosci.

And we have the ubiquitous sticker telling us it's a new cushion that hasn't been opened yet.

Peel off the sticker, and voila!

Pod pokrywka mamy juz nam bardzo dobrze znana z innych poduszek naklejke ochronna - widac, ze nikt przed nami nie macal tego kosmetyku.

Zrywamy naklejke i mamy nasza poduszke!

When reading about the recently launched Lancome Miracle Cushion (my review of the european version is here), I noticed voices that claimed that it was very similar to the cushions made by Laneige.
Really?
Let's check:

Kiedy czytalam recenzje niedawno wypuszczonej Lancome Miracle Cushion (moja opinia na temat wersji na Europe jest tutaj), spotkalam sie ze zdaniem, ze Lancome jest bardzo podobny i wizualnie i jakosciowo do poduszki Laneige wlasnie.
Naprawde?
Mozemy sprawdzic:

Nice try but not quite. 

Now the stuff that you've all been waiting for - the color.

Piatka za wysilek, ale trojka za koncowy rezultat dla Lancome.
A tutaj to, na co wszyscy czekacie - kolorek.

Here it is next to MAC NC15 (unedited photo in natural light):
(Bez filtrow w swietle naturalnym):

I purposely tried to spackle MAC to show you the differences in textures. Laneige, like almost all cushion foundations, is impossible to overapply.
It's indeed pink, and it's beige. As close to a perfect match for me as one can get.
I have read complaints that Laneige cushion colors run darker than other Korean cushions, and now I can confirm that. What Laneige labels as No. 14 can be compared to No 21 in Hera, Verite or Iope, or No 1 in Hanyul Luminant Cushion.

The good thing about Laneige is, that unlike other Korean brands, it also offers darker shades, such as 31 and 33. I appreciate that. It shows that the company understands that there is a world outside of Korea where women come in all different skin tones.

Celowo nawalilam tego MACa, zeby pokazac roznice w konsystencji i teksturze. Laneige, tak jak i inne poduszkowe podklady jest niemozliwy do przedobrzenia podczas nakladania.
Rzeczywiscie jest bezowy i ma rozowy podcien. Prawie idealny dla mnie.
Czytalam juz poprzednio, ze poduszki Laneige sa ciemniejsze niz innych firm o tych samych numerach odcieni. Teraz moge to potwierdzic. Co u Laneige jest numerem 14 odpowiada numerowi 21 u Hery, Verite lub Iope, lub numerowi 1 u Hanyul Luminant Cushion.

Co mi sie u Laneige bardzo podoba, to fakt, ze oferuja rowniez ciemniejsze odcienie, jak 31 i 33. Pokazuje to, ze firma zdaje sobie sprawe, ze swiat istnieje rowniez poza Korea, i ze kobiety na tym swiecie maja rozne kolory skory.

~~~


Here it is next to Lancome 01 Pure Porcelaine (unedited photo in natural light):
(Bez filtrow w swietle naturalnym):

The texture is light without being too runny (my major complaint about Lancome Miracle Cushion). The coverage (according to me, who likes sheer and glowy) is medium and delicately dewy. It's not as light as Hanyul Luminant Cushion, and not as glowing as Hera UV Moist. To me it seems a bit heavier than Iope XP (or RX) N type. But if you're into foundations with industrial levels of coverage, this is not a product for you.

On my dry skin its lasting power was about 6 hours (no primer, no base, no finishing powder). After the first couple of hours the glow vanished but the evened out skin tone and coverage remained.

It did not accentuate fine lines or pores (at least in my case - I have plenty of small wrinkles and my pores are normal size, for the most part).

It did not break me out, it did not dry me out. But it wasn't particularly moisturizing either.
The smell that some people complained about did not bother me. 
To be honest, I'm so congested these days that I really didn't notice it at all. 

Konsystencja jest lekka, ale nie wodnista (to bylo moim glownym punktem narzekania na Lancome Miracle Cushion).
Krycie jest (wedlug mnie, lubiacej sheer and glow) srednie i delikatnie dewy. Nie tak lekkie jak przy Hanyul Luminant Cushion, i nie tak dewy i glowing jak Hera UV Moist. Dla mnie wydaje sie mocniejsze niz Iope XP (i RX) w wersji N (natural, nie porownywalam do wersji kryjacej, bo takowej nie posiadam).
Zwolenniczki matu i szpachli beda jednak rozczarowane.

Na mojej suchej skorze wytrzymal (bez bazy i bez pudru) okolo 6 godzin. Po kilku pierwszych godzinach efekt dewy zniknal, ale krycie zostalo.
Nie podkreslil mojej siatki delikatnych zmarszczek i nie wyolbrzymil porow (ale pory mam raczej malo problemowe, natomiast zmarszczki - wszedzie).
Nie wysypal mnie, nie wysuszyl. Ale nie byl tez i nawilzajacy.
Zapach, ktory denerwowal niektore dziewczyny, dla mnie byl malo wyczuwalny. Ale moj nos jest tak zatkany ostatnimi dniami, ze ja ogolnie malo co wyczuwam w tej chwili.

In conclusion:

It's a solid, good, reasonably priced BB cushion. Not much to complain about here. 
Definitely worth trying.
I'm very glad I agreed to review it.
Now I want to try the whitening or the pore control versions, as well.

After all, if Laneige BB Cushion is good enough for Lisa Eldridge, then who am to complain. Right? LOL!

Podsumowujac:

To solidna, dobra poduszka w rozsadnej cenie. Nie mam jej wiele do zarzucenia.
Warta sprobowania.
Bardzo sie ciesze, ze zgodzilam sie na jej zrecenzowanie.
Narobila mi ona ochoty na wersje whitening i pore control.

I ogolnie, jesli Laneige BB Cushion nadawala sie dla Lisy Eldridge, to powinna sie nadawac dla wiekszosci z nas.

~~~

The ingredients for No. 14 differ from the other shades, so for your reading pleasure, I am posting both versions.

Sklad dla odcienia No. 14 rozni sie od pozostalych odcieni, wiec podaje tutaj obie wersje.


* Laneige BB Cushion No. 14 ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/ Dicaprate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Arbutin, Butylene Glycol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Yeast Extract, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Melia Azadirachta Extract, Acrylates/ Ethylhexyl Acrylate/ Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, HDI/ Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Lecithin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isostearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/ Stearyl Acrylate/ Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Dimethicone/ Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Edta, Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Irion Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Fragrance

* Laneige BB Cushion No. 13, 21, 23, 31, 33 ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/ Dicaprate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Arbutin, Butylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Yeast Extract, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Melia Azadirachta Extract, Acrylates/ Ethylhexyl Acrylate/ Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, HDI/ Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Lecithin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isostearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/ Stearyl Acrylate/ Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Dimethicone/ Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Edta, Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Irion Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Fragrance

I got my cushion courtesy of Jolse, where it retails for US$22.88.

Ja otrzymalam moja poduszke od Jolse, gdzie mozna ja zakupic za US$22.88, ale jest rowniez do nabycia i w innych sklepach internetowych oferujacych koreanskie kosmetyki.

Now, let me play with the new Hera cushion (yes, another one! woot woot!) that just arrived today. Yay!
A teraz ide sie bawic moja nowa Hera, ktora wlasnie dzis do mnie przyszla!