Lancome UV Expert XL-Shield SPF 50 PA++++ (sunblock and BB Complete)

Sometimes you use a product, you like it a lot, but, for whatever reason, put it away to try new stuff. Then, after a long while, you go back to your old favorite. And there are two possible things that can happen:

1. - you realize just how bad it was and can't fathom why you were such a fan of it, and 
2. - you forgot how great it was.

That's how it went with me and Lancome UV Expert XL-Shield this past week.

It was Golden Week, I was going on a trip. I needed a heavy duty sunblock. I always carry a small tube of Anessa (Shiseido's famous sun protection line) with me, but I needed something... something... more.

I forgot I bought these two last year. So it was a good excuse to finally drag them out and start using them again.

And of those two possible things, which one was true in my case?

Damn, I forgot how good this stuff was!

Four days of constant sun (one day it rained), nearly 12 hours a day outside.
And what?
Nothing! Absolutely nothing on my face.
Not a smidge of sunburn. Not even a touch of tan. Not a single zit. Not a single bump. Not a clogged pore in sight. No redness, no irritation, no oily residue, no greasy finish, no white cast. No nothing.

While ripping apart Lancome Miracle Cushion, I mentioned there and then that I was a fan of UV Expert sunblock. And today, I am still a fan.

The blurb on the tube claims 12 hours of sun protection. True. Though I did top it off with a high SPF cushion as well.
The blurb says "feather-light texture". True.

It's light and non-greasy and worked great under the cushion. I did use a touch of pressed powder to complete the look, but after 12 hours outside, my face still looked very presentable, and dare I say it, fresh?
We were walking, we were sweating, we were hot and tired. On the way back to the hotel, I finally had a chance to look at myself in the mirror. I expected to see a sorry, red mess of a face.
And what a shock!
I looked surprisingly good. So good in fact, that I wanted to stare at myself in every reflective surface all the way back to the hotel. Just to be sure I wasn't hallucinating.

Lancome UV Expert XL-Shield SPF 50 PA++++ and BB Complete are both made in Japan for Asian markets.

They claim to be "studied, tested and developed for Asian skin".
I hate such claims. Because what? Asian skin is somehow special? Bullshit.
Asian women like to believe it is, but trust me, it's not.
So the logic of major brands to release special lines exclusively for Asia baffles me. What are we, Europeans? Chopped liver?

Why do the Asians get the good stuff? What about the rest of the world?  Ehhh...

When I bought them, the boxes came sealed in foil.
Inside, along with a 30ml tube of product, there was also a leaflet in multiple Asian languages: Korean, Thai, Chinese, and so on...

On the back of the box there was an additional sticker with a blurb in Japanese, along with the ingredient list:

"New Standard" says on the boxes, presumably referring to the 4-pluses PA rating.

Tubes, like tubes, nothing special here:

Flip tops! Yay! Hallelujah! See this, SK-II? Watch and learn!
The tops were sturdy enough to survive the mess of my makeup bag. Didn't accidentally open, nothing got spilled or squeezed out.

The back of the tube also had a Japanese sticker, which, of course, I promptly peeled off to see what was underneath.

The BB cream has this scary cold beige color that, while very popular in Asia, tends to terrify most Europeans.
I actually like it. It gives me that clean, fresh look that is all me, only better:

As you can see, on my skin it blends out perfectly.
The sunblock comes out white and disappears to a non-shiny finish.
I have dry skin and in my case there was no wet glow.
As you can see in the photo above - it was damn perfect.
Not near perfect, but perfect. Or rather, Perfect.

The ingredient lists are dreadful. I'm glad I bought these two before I started to obsessively read the formulations.

• Lancome UV Expert XL-Shield SPF 50 PA++++ ingredient list:

Yep, alcohol denat. in the top 10. But then again, these were meant for Asian summers. And Asian summers require certain drastic measures. One of them is alcohol in the formulations of most decent sunblocks.

• Lancome UV Expert XL-Shield BB Complete SPF 50 PA++++ ingredient list:

With the BB cream the story is much the same.

It's very close to L'Oreal RevitaLift UV Block BB SPF50 PA++++, which surprise, surprise, is also made in Japan. And which is also excellent. And a lot cheaper.

Final thoughts?

Lancome UV Expert XL-Shield was a favorite last year. And is still a favorite this year.
I honestly can't find anything to complain about here. And if you read this blog regularly, then you know how shockingly unusual that is.

They were on the pricier side, and if not for the buy 2 get a hefty discount, I don't think I would have gotten them.
But I'm glad I did. They're worth every yen.

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!

On bloggers and ingredients

Today let's talk about ingredients.
In cosmetics. In makeup and skincare products.

What inspired this post was a comment exchange I had earlier this week with a certain beauty blogger. She happened to like the Lancome Miracle Cushion (my review - here), and that's fine. I'm sure many people love it and for them it's the best thing since pushup bras.

What was surprising was her explanation why. She had tried Korean cushions before - from Etude House and Laneige. And claimed that both of them broke her out. I'm not surprised by that. Every skin is different and we all have different breakout triggers.
But the blogger claimed that Korean cushions (as well as BB creams and foundations) are loaded with parabens, and she specifically singled out parabens as the reason for her breakouts.
According to her, the Lancome cushion is compatible to her skin, because what's inside it is better than what's inside Korean cushions.
When I pointed out how ill-informed and on how many levels that comment was, she deleted my replies. Oh well...

But that just goes to prove yet again that ingredient listings are a dangerous thing, especially in the hands of people who can't read.
Because if you blame your skin troubles on parabens in certain products, it might be a good idea to first check if there are parabens in said products. If there aren't any, you will end up looking less than credible, no matter how many comments you delete.

Dzis porozmawiajmy o skladach kosmetykow.
Czas najwyzszy.

Inspiracja do dzisiejszego wpisu byla wymiana komentarzy z pewna blogerka kosmetyczna (niepolska). Bardzo polubila sie z Lancome Miracle Cushion (moja recenzja tej poduszki - tutaj). I w porzadku. Wiele osob uwaza ta poduszke za cud, miod i orzeszki.

Co bylo dziwne w tym przypadku, to jej wyjasnienie dlaczego.
Otoz, probowala ona poprzednio koreanskich poduszek - Etude House i Laneige. I twierdzi, ze po obu z nich bardzo ja wysypalo. To samo w sobie nie jest dziwne. Kazda cera jest inna i reaguje inaczej.
Ale ta blogerka nie zatrzymala sie w tym miejscu i pedzila dalej.
Twierdzi ona, ze koreanskie poduszki (jak i BB kremy i podklady) sa naladowane parabenami i specjalnie podkreslila, ze to wlasnie parabeny ja wysypuja.
Wedlug niej, Lancome Miracle Cushion ma o wiele lepszy sklad niz koreanskie produkty.
Kiedy usilowalam jej wyjasnic, ze jest zle poinformowana na temat skladow koreanskich kosmetykow, usunela moje komentarze, zostawiajac tylko te, ktore "potwierdzaja" jej punkt widzenia.

To tylko dowodzi, ze sklady INCI to bardzo niebezpieczna rzecz, szczegolnie w rekach ludzi, ktorzy nie potrafia czytac.
Bo jesli winisz parabeny za swoje problemy skorne, to moze dobrze byloby zaczac od sprawdzenia czy dany produkt w ogole ma je w skladzie. Bo jesli nie, ale nadal upierasz sie przy swoim, to wyjdziesz na malo wiarygodna blogerke, bez wzgledu na to ile komentarzy skasujesz.

Like most of us, I use a lot of skincare products. I slather chemical compounds on my face, and other body parts, several times a day. All in the name of health and beauty.

Whether a cosmetic is natural, organic, or straight from the lab, does not matter to me.
What matters to me is whether its price tag reflects the contents.
Sadly, more often than not, this is not the case. We end up paying for pretty packaging and a luxury-evoking legacy name (yes, Global Shiseido, I'm looking at you!)
I don't mind bare bones ingredients, as long as the price of the product is also bare bones. By the same token, I'm willing to pay, even pay a lot, for ingredients and formulas that will never be found in cheap drugstore cosmetics. Whether those ingredients and formulas are proven to work, that's a whole different story. But hey, it doesn't hurt to try, right? Right.

Jak wiekszosc z nas, uzywam wielu kosmetykow. Klade na twarz i na cialo chemiczne czasteczki kilka razy dziennie. Wszystko dla zdrowia i urody.

Czy kosmetyk jest naturalny, organiczny, czy laboratoryjny, nie ma dla mnie najmniejszego znaczenia.
Co ma znaczenie to fakt, czy cena kosmetyku odzwierciedla jego sklad.
Niestety, bardzo czesto, nie. Placimy za piekne opakowania i mit markowej nazwy przywolujacej na mysl luksus (tak, globalne Shiseido, do ciebie pije).
Nie mam nic przeciwko ubogim skladom w kosmetykach, o ile ich cena tez jest dla ubogich.
I tak samo, jestem w stanie zaplacic duzo za skladniki i formuly, ktorych nie znajde w osiedlowej drogerii. Czy te skladniki i formuly dzialaja, to juz zupelnie inna bajka i temat na inny wpis. Ale przeciez nie szkodzi sprobowac, nieprawdaz?

~~~

Personally, I don't believe that the fountain of youth and smooth skin will come to us purely from nature. If it existed in nature, we'd have it by now, I'm pretty sure. Nature can offer us a lot of help, but the key to stopping cell death will be developed in a cutting edge research lab using bioengineering and genetic science.
What it means to me is that I am equally willing to try cosmetics full of natural plant extracts, as well as exclusively lab born and bred chemical wonders.
I don't discriminate. Or maybe I discriminate equally. What an ox and moron.
I believe in better living through chemistry. And the more varied products I try, the better I know my skin.

Usually I try to stay away from deep and pseudo-scienfitic ingredient analyses, because simply, I'm not a scientist. But I know what cosDNA is for and, usually, before I start spewing nonsense, I try to check what the system has to say. It's there for a reason, you know. Because maybe it's not the parabens that are breaking you out (especially if there aren't any in a product you are talking about), but other acne triggers and skin irritants.


Osobiscie nie wierze, ze zrodlo wiecznej mlodosci i gladkiej skory trafi do nas z natury. Gdyby istnialo w naturze, juz bysmy byli na jego tropie. Natura ma wiele co zaoferowania i wspomaga nasze wysilki ku wiecznie gladkiej cerze, ale klucz do zatrzymania zmian starzenia na poziomie komorkowym zostanie odkryty w laboratorium naukowym, przy uzyciu najnowszych osiagniec w dziedzinie biotechnologii i inzynierii genetycznej.

Dla mnie znaczy to tyle, ze jestem tak samo sklonna uzywac kosmetykow pelnych naturalnych skladnikow i ekstraktow, jak i tych "pelnych chemii".
Nie dyskryminuje. A raczej - dyskryminuje wszystko na rownym poziomie.
Moje motto to "lepsze zycie dzieki chemii". I im wiecej roznych kosmetykow probuje, tym lepiej poznaje swoja cere.

Zazwyczaj staram sie trzymac z daleka od pseudo-naukowych analiz skladnikowych, bo po prostu nie jestem naukowcem w tej dziedzinie. Ale wiem czym jest cosDNA i zazwyczaj, zanim zaczne bredzic od rzeczy, sprawdzam co ten system ma do powiedzenia o skladzie danego kosmetyku. Bo to moze nie parabeny cie wysypuja (szczegolnie jesli produkt o ktorym mowisz ich nie ma!), a inne substancje oznaczone jako potencjalne przyczyny problemow skornych.

~~~


For what it's worth, according to cosDNA Etude House Any Cushion is relatively free off acne triggers and major irritants.
Laneige cushion has a couple of 4-point acne triggers (Ethylhexyl Palmitate, and Isopropyl Palmitate).

Wedlug cosDNA poduszka Etude House nie zawiera zadnych silnych wysypywaczy.
Poduszka Laneige ma dwa skladniki oznaczone jako silne (4 punkty) potencjalne przyczyny wypryskow - Ethylhexyl Palmitate, and Isopropyl Palmitate.

But surprise, surprise, so does Lancome Miracle Cushion - Isopropyl Myristate (which according to cosDNA is a major acne trigger) and Ethylhexyl Palmitate. 

Ale niespodzianka, rowniez Lancome Miracle Cushion - Isopropyl Myristate (wedlug cosDNA stoi wysoko w kategorii "wysypywaczy") i Ethylhexyl Pamitate.

Link to the Lancome Miracle Cushion cosDNA analysis - here.
Link do analizy na stronie cosDNA - w zdaniu powyzej.


And as for parabens... well...
Apart from first checking if a given product has any, it might be a good idea to actually find out what parabens are what they do. But that would take some effort. And who has time for that?
Nonsensical pseudo-science is so much easier, right?

Even if you are allergic to science, Of Faces And Fingers (Beauty with an analytical perspective) has a very good write-up on parabens, in English, using simple words that even the dumbest blond (like me!) should be able to grasp. Enjoy!

A w temacie parabenow... hmmm...
Oprocz sprawdzenia skladu, czy dany kosmetyk rzeczywiscie je zawiera, dobrze byloby dowiedziec sie czym te parabeny sa i jakie maja zadanie. Ale to wymagaloby wysilku. A kto ma czas i ochote na wysilek?
Pseudo-naukowe bzdury sa przeciez duzo latwiejsze.

Nawet jesli masz alergiczna reakcje na nauki scisle, ten blog - Of Faces And Fingers (Beauty with an analytical perspective) ma bardzo dobry, rzetelny i szczegolowy wpis na ten temat. Nawet najglupsza blondynka (taka jak ja!) powinna zrozumiec o co chodzi. Wpis jest po angielsku, niestety.

Lancome Miracle Cushion

UPDATE:

A side-by-side comparison with Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact (sold in Japan) is here.

Porownanie z Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact (wersja na rynek japonski) jest tutaj.

UPDATE: 

I edited this entry to add the ingredient analysis from cosDNA, because who loves you, baby? 

Ten wpis zostal uaktualniony analiza skladu wedlug cosDNA.

~~~

I like Lancome. A lot.
Their made in Japan products specifically for the Japanese market are superb. They are fully, truly Asian and hold their own next to any high(er) end Asian brand.
So last December, when I heard that Lancome was making forays into Korean-dominated cushion foundation land, I got very excited.

If you are new to cushion foundations, please click on the "Cushion Foundations" tab in the top menu. Cushion foundations have been around in Korea for a few years now. In the US, Laneige cushions are available at Target stores, and Amore Pacific at Sephora (the US only).

There are also American made cushion foundations out there, for example by Pur Minerals, or It Cosmetics, but I haven't tried them and can't tell you anything about them. Though the hilarious overuse of a photo editing makeup application on the It Cosmetics cushion page does not inspire much confidence.

Lubie Lancome. Nawet bardzo.
Ich kosmetyki robione w Japonii z mysla o japonskim rynku, sa swietne. Niestety z tego co sie orientuje, to wersje made in Japan, nie sa dostepne w Europie. A szkoda.
Wiec w grudniu, kiedy uslyszalam, ze Lancome ma wypuscic pierwszy "zachodni" podklad w poduszce, bardzo sie ucieszylam.

Jesli nigdy poprzednio nie slyszalas/les o podkladach w formie poduszki, kliknij na zakladke "Cushion Foundations" w gornym menu. Podklady w formie poduszki istnieja w Azji juz od kilku dobrych lat. Mozna je nabyc stacjonarnie w USA - Laneige w sklepach Target, a Amore Pacific w Sephorze.

Sa rowniez amerykanskie firmy, ktore maja poduszki w swoich ofertach, na przyklad Pur Minerals, czy It Cosmetics, ale nie mialam ich w reku i nie moge nic powiedziec na temat ich jakosci. Choc sposob w jaki zdjecie makijazu na stronie poduszki It Cosmetics zostalo "przeleciane" przez aplikacje makeupowa w smartphonie, nie napawa optymizmem.

I wanted to get my hands on this cushion. Badly. I got offered a PR sample, but the only available shade was 03, and as I'm not into the Oompa Loompa look, I took a pass.
Then I saw on social media here and there some girls selling their review samples and complaining that the color was much too dark.
I don't know what Lancome was thinking by offering 03 Beige Peche for review purposes. I was told that 03 Beige Peche was indeed the intended target shade for European customers. But judging from the reactions of the women who tried to sell their review cushions complaining that they were much too dark, that target was missed by a large margin. Does Lancome still believe that dark, tanned skin is in? Though maybe in Europe it indeed is. 
If you have naturally dark skin, then rejoice, Lancome has got you covered. As for the rest of us, oh well..., whatever. 

Chcialam dorwac ta podusie. Zaoferowano mi egzemplarz do recenzji, ale niestety byl on dostepny tylko w odcieniu 03. O duzo dla mnie za ciemny, wiec podziekowalam.
Na social media pojawily sie cichaczem glosy dziewczyn, ktore te poduszki do recenzji po kryjomu odsprzedawaly, bo dla nich rowniez byly za ciemne.
Nie wiem co Lancome mial na mysli wybierajac odcien 03 jako docelowy na Europe. Czy naprawde uwazaja, ze przecietna Europejka ma tak ciemna cere? No ale moze i ma. Z tego co widze, to opalenizna nadal kroluje na starym kontynencie.
Jesli masz naturalnie ciemniejsza karnacje, to dobra nowina dla ciebie - Lancome o ciemniejszych karnacjach pamietalo. Ale o bladziochach juz niestety nie.

This cushion is going to be released in Japan on February 20th, but thanks to my lovely I.P. in France, I received it this past weekend. Thank you so much!!! You are an angel!

So, let's get this show started.


In Europe Lancome Miracle Cushion retails for 45 euro. It's not cheap. Definitely Lancome's price range.
What we get for this price is 14 grams of product in a shiny compact, packaged in a shiny box. There is a leaflet in the box, but no refill. That you will have to purchase separately.
1st disappointment.

W Japonii ten podklad w poduszce zostanie wypuszczony 20-tego lutego, ale dzieki uprzejmosci wspanialej I.P. z Francji, otrzymalam ta poduszke w zeszly weekend. Bardzo Ci dziekuje! Jestes aniolem! :-)

No ale, do rzeczy...

W Europie Lancome Miracle Cushion ma cene 45 euro. Ile w Polsce nie wiem, nie chce mi sie sprawdzac na stronie Sephory. Nie jest to tania zabawa.
Za ta cene dostajemy 14 gramow produktu zapakowanego w srebrny kompakt zapakowany w srebrne pudelko. W pudelku jest ulotka informacyjna, ale wkladu wymiennego niet. To trzeba dokupic osobno.
Pierwsze rozczarowanie...

I wanted to compare this cushion to the flagship Amore Pacific cushion. Above you can see the boxes side by side.

Amore Pacific is often referred to as the Lancome of Korea. And as both brands consider themselves to be high(er) end, I thought it would be beneficial to see how they stack up side by side.

Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion will set you back about 60 dollars. But you do get a refill for that price, as well.

The first difference right off the bat is the SPF.

While most (well, nearly all) Korean cushions have SPF50 +/ PA+++, Lancome Miracle Cushion offers a very modest SPF 23 / PA++.

For 45 euro I'd expect more.
2nd disappointment.

Chcialam porownac Lancome Miracle Cushion do flagowej poduszki marki Amore Pacific. Na zdjeciu powyzej oba pudelka jedno przy drugim.
Amore Pacific jest czesto okreslany jako "koreanski Lancome". I skoro obie te marki uwazja sie za selektywne, to myslalam, ze warto zobaczyc jak wygladaja w porownaniu.

Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion to wydatek rzedu okolo 60 dolarow. Ale w tej cenie znajduje sie rowniez wymienny cartridge.

Pierwsza roznica, ktora od razu rzuca sie w oczy to filtr SPF.
Niemal wszystkie koreanskie poduszki oferuja SPF 50+/ PA+++. Lancome Miracle Cushion daje nam bardzo skromne SPF 23 / PA++.

Za 45 euro oczekiwalabym czegos wiecej.
Drugie rozczarowanie...

~~~

Apparently some reddit users assumed that I actually take the cushion SPF level seriously and consider it my sole source of sun protection.
Rest assured, no, I don't.
I'm well aware of the fact that SPF in BB creams, foundations and cushions is a vanity selling point. I think most people who live in Asia know that. It's common sense.
But if I am comparing two similar products, as is the case here, then the big difference in SPF is very obvious and very disappointing.  

Wyszlo na to, ze sporo czytelnikow z reddit mysli, ze ja biore ten SPF bardzo na powaznie i traktuje go jako pelnowartosciowa ochrone przed sloncem.
Na szczescie nie.
Doskonale zdaje sobie sprawe z tego, ze SPF w kremach BB, podkladach i poduszkach to tylko marketingowy chwyt. To logiczne i chyba kazdy, kto mieszka w Azji to rozumie.
Ale jesli porownuje dwa podobne produkty, to naturalnie taka ogromna roznica w SPF od razu rzuca sie w oczy.

My Miracle Cushion is marked as 01 Pure Porcelaine, and the coverage level is described as medium (2 dots out of 4).

Moja Miracle Cushion ma oznaczenie koloru jako 01 Pure Porcelaine i poziom krycia jest oznaczony jako sredni (dwie z czterech kropek).

On the back you have the usual promotional drivel in five different languages.
"Liquid cushion compact - Fresh dewy hydration", it says.
"Absolute weightlessness and glow - SPF23 / PA++", it says.

I don't want to debate the usage of "weightlessness" here, but trust me, Lancome's copywriters ain't no physicists, that's for sure.

Na odwrocie pudelka mamy zwyczajowy marketingowy belkot w pieciu roznych jezykach.

"Liquid cushion compact - Fresh dewy hydration", pisze.

"Absolute weightlessness and glow - SPF23 / PA++", chwali sie.

The ingredient list is printed on the side of the box:
Sklad na jednej ze stron pudelka:

Compared to Korean cushions, it's really bare bones here. This costs 45 euro?
3rd disappointment.

W porownaniu do koreanskich poduszek ten sklad jest bardzo ubogi. I to kosztowalo 45 euro?
Trzecie rozczarowanie.

~~~

The real kicker is on the other side of the box.

Many people, well, all the reviews I've read so far, consider this to be a western cushion (as opposed to a Korean cushion).
True, it comes from a French brand.
But in reality, it's actually a Korean product.
Don't believe me?

Take a look:

Ale najwieksza niespodzianka jest na drugiej stronie pudelka.

Wiekszosc ludzi mowiacych o tej poduszce i niemal kazda recenzja, jaka do tej pory czytalam, uwaza Lancome Miracle Cushion za kosmetyk "zachodni" (w przeciwienstwie do koreanskich).
Fakt, ma w nazwie znana francuska marke.
Ale w rzeczywistosci, jest to produkt koreanski.

Nie wierzysz?
Spojrz na druga strone pudelka:

Yep, Lancome's cushion is made in Korea.
It's manufactured by Cosmax, a company responsible for production of brands such as Etude House, Tony Moly, Too Cool for School, Clio, and many, many others.

Amore Pacific is NOT manufactured by Cosmax. At least the higher end products are not. The easiest way to see for yourself is to read the manufacturer info provided, among others, on KoreaDepart.
Does Cosmax manufacture high quality products? That all depends on your definition of high quality. 
For me, no, it doesn't. But everyone has different standards, and I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule.

Tak, Lancome Miracle Cushion jest robiona w Korei.
Produkowana jest przez firme Cosmax, ktora jest rowniez odpowiedzialna za formulacje i produkcje takich marek jak Etude House, Tony Moly, Too Cool for School, Clio, i wiele, wiele innych.

Amore Pacific wytwarza swoje kosmetyki (przynajmniej te z gorniejszej polki) we wlasnym zakresie. Cosmax nie produkuje kosmetykow dla koncernu Amore Pacific.

Czy Cosmax wytwarza kosmetyki wysokiej jakosci? To zalezy od naszej definicji "wysokiej jakosci". Jesli chodzi o mnie, to nie, nie uwazam, aby byly one wysokiej jakosci. Ale kazdy na inne standardy i inne oczekiwania odnosnie kosmetykow. I jestem pewna, ze w fabryce Cosmaxu znajduja sie tez chlubne wyjatki.

~~~

So, anyway, what we have here is a Lancome-branded Korean cushion made by a company that specializes in low-end cosmetics. We're talking drugstore stuff here. The Maybellines and Cover Girls of Korean makeup.

And for this Lancome charges 45 euro?
4th disappointment.

So much for my Amore Pacific comparison plan.

Oh well, moving on...


No wiec, mamy tutaj poduszke marki Lancome, wyprodukowana w Korei przez firme, ktora specjalizuje sie w niskopolkowych kosmetykach drogeryjnych. W koreanskich odpowiednikach Maybelline i Cover Girl i pojecia nie mam co tam jest dostepne w drogeriach w Polsce.

I niestety za to Lancome zyczy sobie 45 euro.
Czwarte rozczarowanie.

I tak prysnal moj pomysl porownania Lancome Miracle Cushion z Amore Pacific.

The compact, like the box is very shiny. I feel sorry for the sales staff that has to handle it on a daily basis. It took forever to wipe off all fingerprints of these shiny surfaces.

As you can see, it's a very generic looking compact. No bells and whistles here. No funky design. Amore Pacific it's not.
Definitely a cheap, assembly line product.

5th disappointment.

The compact felt vaguely familiar, so I went to the bathroom to take a closer look.
And voila!

Kompakt, tak jak i pudelko, jest bardzo srebrny i bardzo swiecacy. Szkoda mi pan w perfumeriach, ktore musza to brac do reki w rekawiczkach.
Wycieranie odciskow palcow, aby pudelko wygladalo prezentacyjnie do zjecia zajelo nam sporo czasu.

Jak widac kompakt jest bardzo prosty. Zadnych wymyslnych dizjanow. To bardzo generyczny kompakt. I wydawal mi sie dziwnie znajomy.

Poszlam poszukac w lazience. I znalazlam to:
Piate rozczarowanie.

Twins! Separated at birth.

A-True was very quick to deny the rumor that their products are developed or manufactured by Cosmax. See? This is what a company that wants to be seen as mid-range does when Cosmax is being mentioned.

The bottom side tells you more of the same. Yes, it's 01 Pure Porcelaine.
And yes, it was made in Korea.

Noz to przeciez blizniaki!
A-True bardzo szybko wyjasnilo mi, ze z firma Cosmax nie maja nic wspolnego. Taka reakcja marki, ktora chce sie uwazac za sredniopolkowa w strone wyzszej, potwierdza moje przypuszczenia dotyczace jakosci i daje wiele do myslenia.

Spod kompaktu ma znowu oznaczenie koloru jako 01 Pure Porcelaine.
I jak widac, znowu informacja, ze "made in Korea."

Ok, let's open it.

Czas aby go otworzyc.

Side by side with Amore Pacific, Lancome holds its own. It looks very handsome.

The applicator puff rests on the inner lid, all as it should be.

Obok Amore Pacific, Lancome Miracle Cushion wyglada bardzo do rzeczy.
Gabeczka do nakladania lezy na wewnetrznym wieczku.
Wszystko wyglada tak jak nalezy.

I'm actually quite pleased that they didn't skimp the money here and gave us a proper cushion foundation applicator. Good choice, Lancome! Because a good cushion puff equals good application equals good results where it matters most - on our faces.

Przyznam sie, ze bylam mile zaskoczona, ze Lancome nie poskapilo kasy na porzadna gabeczke do nakladania kosmetyku. Bo dobra gabeczka to polowa sukcesu, jesli chodzi o nakladanie poduszkowego podkladu.

But yet again, I have this strange feeling that I've seen this compact somewhere before.

Let me check.

Be right back!

Ale znowu mialam to odczucie, ze ten kompakt juz gdzies widzialam.

Zaraz sprawdze i zaraz wracam!

Twins! (or is it triplets now?) Separated at birth!

Yes, the 45 euro priced Lancome Miracle Cushion is a twin sister of Banila Co "it Radiant" CC Cushion SPF 35 / PA++. Surprise, surprise, also manufactured by Cosmax.

Wow, this gift just keeps on giving...

I znowu blizniaki. A moze juz trojaczki?

Tak, nasza Lancome Miracle Cushion, kosztujaca 45 euro to blizniaczka podusi Banila Co "it Radiant" CC Cushion SPF 35/ PA++. I szok na sali, rowniez robionej przez Cosmax.

No cuda przyrody po prostu.

Please excuse the Banila puff, it's been used, that's why it's a bit darker now.

As you can notice above, when the inner lid is lifted you can see this:

Gabeczki do nakladania z drugiej strony. Ta z Banila Co jest nieco ciemniejsza, bo byla uzywana.
Na zdjeciu powyzej mozna zauwazyc naklejke chroniaca powierzchnie poduszki.

Very nice. I like it when the surface of the cushion is protected by a seal. 

You peel off the seal and...

Bardzo mnie to cieszy, kiedy firmy podchodza do tego na powaznie i zaklejaja powierzchnie poduszki.
Kiedy zerwiemy naklejke, mamy to:

WTF is that???

Did somebody grab if from the kitchen sink and shoved it inside this cushion? 

This horrible and nasty cushion costs 45 euro?

Seriously?

What is this thing?

Let me show you what a high-end cushion looks like:

Co to w ogole jest?
Szok jakis!
Ktos wepchnal kuchenna gabke do szorowania garow do poduszki? Bo tak to wyglada.
To ohydztwo kosztuje 45 euro?
Naprawde?
Co to ma byc?

Tak nie powinna wygladac poduszka za 45 euro.
Dla tych, ktorzy nie zdaja sobie z tego sprawy, tutaj zdjecie jak powinna wygladac gabka w "rasowym", markowym, gorno-polkowym podkladzie poduszkowym.

Here you have Lancome Miracle Cushion next to Amore Pacific cushion.

See the difference?

No?

Ok, let's try it again.

Na zdjeciu powyzej Lancome Miracle Cushion obok Amore Pacific CC Cushion.

Widac roznice?
Nie?
No to drugie podejscie tutaj.

Here you have Lancome Miracle Cushion next to Hanyul Luminant Cushion.

I understand that if this is someone's very first cushion and they have no idea how a high(er) end cushion looks like, they will be overjoyed and feel pretty smug and stylish. 

But just take a look at it again. This stuff is just nasty.

Ok, let's try it next to a more drugstore quality cushion:

Powyzej Lancome Miracle Cushion obok Hanyul Luminant Cushion.

Zdaje sobie sprawe z tego, ze jesli Lancome to czyjas pierwsza poduszka, to bedzie oczarowany i zaskoczony. Jesli ktos nigdy nie mial w reku koreanskiej poduszki, to bedzie Lancomem zachwycony.

Ale dla tych, co koreanskie poduszki znaja, Lancome Miracle Cushion to jakas abominacja.

No ale sprobujmy raz ostatni. Tutaj obok drogeryjnej Lioele:

And here you have Lancome Miracle Cushion next to Lioele Crystal Beam cushion.

For 45 euro you'd think they could afford something that didn't look like a chunk of my grandma's bath sponge.

This is disappointment number what? Sorry, I lost count.

I decided to close the cushion compact and read the enclosed leaflet instead. And what do I see?

Wyglada rownie ohydnie obok Lioele Crystal Beam cushion.
Za 45 euro mogliby sie postarac o gabke, ktora wyglada lepiej niz cos rodem z wanny, lub zlewozmywaku.

Ktore to rozczarowanie juz nie wiem, bo przestalam liczyc.

Zamknelam ta poduszke i postanowilam poczytac sobie ulotke informacyjna.
I co ja tam pacze????

Hmmm... "Air cushion"? Really Lancome? Really?

I'm pretty sure that describing your own product using another company's trademarked product name breaks all sorts of intellectual property laws. No wonder Amore Pacific is furious.

And no wonder I haven't seen any promotional materials or ads for Lancome Miracle Cushion in Asia yet. And it's supposed to hit the stores here next month. 

Ok, let's swatch this baby, so I can cry myself to sleep.

"Air cushion"? Naprawde? Lancome, naprawde?
Przeciez "Air Cushion" to nazwa, chroniona prawami autorskimi, poduszek Iope (ze stajni Amore Pacific). I jestem pewna, ze uzywanie innej firmy trademarkowej frazy do opisania wlasnego produktu lamie roznego rodzaju prawa wlasnosci intelektualnych.

Teraz czas na myzniecia i moge sobie plakac do snu.

Unedited photos taken in natural light.
Bez filtrow w swietle naturalnym.

01 Pure Porcelaine (czysta porcelana) is pretty dark. And very, very yellow. It makes MAC NC15 look positively pink by comparison.

01 Pure Porcelaine jest dosyc ciemny. I bardzo bardzo zolty. Obok MACa NC15 Lancome'owa czysta porcelana wyglada niesamowicie malo czysto.

I'd chance to say that it's as dark as N23 Iope Air Cushion XP. 

The coverage is not medium. It's minimal. Very, very minimal. Similar to that of Lioele Crystal Beam cushion. 

Lancome calls it "foundation". It's not. It's a cc cushion, plain and simple. That's all it does. It offers slight color correction and not much else. 

Despite being very liquid (more so than any of my Korean cushions), it dried very fast. 

On my very dry skin, the much hyped "dewy" effect was minimal and very short lived. 

When used without a primer, the "foundation" set into my wrinkles and accentuated dry lines.

The cooling effect was there, but not as pronounced as with Iope Air Cushion.

I suppose I can get a bit more use out of it during summer when it's hot and humid here and when minimal coverage is all I need.

But how am I going to deal with the yellow undertone? No idea.

Jesli mialabym zgadywac, to jest on chyba tak ciemny, a moze nawet ciemniejszy niz Iope Air Cushion XP w odcieniu N23.

Krycie nie jest srednie. Jest minimalne. Bardzo podobne do tego od Lioele Crystal Beam.
Lancome nazywa to "podkladem". Lecz to zdecydowanie nie jest podklad. To poduszka CC. Jedyne co robi to wyrownuje koloryt cery.

Pomimo bycia bardzo rzadka i bardzo plynna (bardziej niz ktorakolwiek z moich poduszek koreanskich), wysychala na skorze bardzo szybko. Na mojej suchej cerze obiecywany efekt "dewy" byl bardzo krotkotrwaly.
Kiedy uzylam tej poduszki bez uprzedniej bazy lub primera, to brzydko osadzila mi sie ona w zmarszczkach i podkreslala je.
Efekt chlodzacy byl, ale nie az taki jak przy Iope Air Cushion.

Mam nadzieje, ze bede mogla tej poduszki pouzywac troche latem, kiedy jest tu goraco i wilgotno.
Tylko co ja mam zrobic z ta zoltoscia?

Final thoughts?

If you really, truly, absolutely must have this cushion, then by all means, go ahead and buy it. Just don't say later that you haven't been warned.

But if you don't have 45 euro to spend on a dud, then hop over to any reputable online Korean store and get yourself a proper cushion.

You're welcome!

Podsumowanie?

Jesli brak tej poduszki spedza ci sen z powiek, to oczywiscie, kup ja. Tylko nie mow potem, ze nikt cie nie ostrzegl.
Ale jesli nie masz 45 euro do wyrzucenia, to duzo lepszym rozwiazaniem jest kupienie poduszki z prawdziwego zdarzenia w koreanskim sklepie internetowym.

Nie ma za co!

~~~


PS. (Updated on January 31, 2015)

Because many people care about ingredients, and because there are bloggers out there saying how much better ingredient-wise this Lancome Miracle Cushion is compared to Korean cushion products, I entered the ingredient list into cosDNA.

Here's the analysis:
(You're welcome!)

Poniewaz wiele osob przyklada duza wage do skladow kosmetykow, i poniewaz pojawily sie glosy na blogach, ze poduszka Lancome jest skladowo duzo lepsza niz koreanskie produkty, dodalam sklad do cosDNA do przeanalizowania.

Tutaj rezultaty:
(Nie ma za co!)

If you click on the image, it will take you directly to the page on cosDNA.

And here are a couple of photos from a Sephora shop in France (thank you, I.P!!!) to show you how they display Lancome's "revolutionary" makeup product.

Jesli klikniesz na zdjecie analizy skladu, to wejdziesz bezposrednio na strone cosDNA.

A tutaj mamy zdjecia z Sephory w pewnym francuskim miescie (dziekuje Ci slicznie, I.P!), aby zobaczyc jak Sephora wystawila na sprzedaz "rewolucyjny" podklad w poduszce Lancome'u.

The compact is attached to the display. Only the refills are available as testers.

Kompakt jest przyklejony do wystawy, a do macania sa tylko refille.

To answer some readers questions as to what I am going to do with my Lancome Miracle Cushion - I will continue to use it for reference purposes when reviewing Korean cushion products.

Thank you for reading!

Now, onto bigger, better, brighter things... 

Niektorzy czytelnicy przyslali maile z zapytaniem co teraz zrobie z moja Lancome Miracle Cushion. Odpowiedz - bede jej uzywac w celach porownawczych, kiedy opisuje koreanskie poduszki.

Dziekuje za uwage!