Availability: Lancome
Lancome Shimmer Mandarin Sky Blush ($29.50 for 0.18 oz.) is one of the prettiest shades of coral-pink with peachy-gold shimmer and sheen. Even though it seems reminiscent of such cult favorites as NARS Orgasm and MAC Springsheen, the way the gold sheen reflects light makes it stand out. It’s so wearable you could wear it as an everyday blush, but it can be worn subtly or intensely, depending on the look you’re going for. It blends beautifully with skin because of the soft, smooth texture of the powder. I always forget how gorgeous this shade is until I pull it out. It’s even pretty in the pan, but it’s truly at its best when worn. Very glowy without being shimmery.
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RECOMMENDATION: If you’re a fan of coral blush, definitely check this shade out next time you’re near a Lancome counter or Boutique.
Lancome Hot Number Color Fever Gloss ($26.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a just-bitten kind of pink with silver shimmer. It is a weird color, because it doesn’t look like much swatched, but it really brightened my natural lip color and brought out natural redness I didn’t even know I had. It has a very glossy look while still being fairly sheer. Color Fever Glosses are non-sticky while still being hydrating and lightweight on lips. I like Lancome’s signature applicator–it’s like a sponge-tip wand, but yet not, and it really curves around lips well.
The Summer Season is a series of posts featuring bright, vibrant shades of coral, orange, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for a summer of fun — that runs through July 2010.
Lancome Groupie Color Design Lipstick ($22.00) is a deep copper-bronzed pinky-red. It’s not quite a full-on red, and the copper-bronze shimmer made it feel like summer to me, even though the color was just borderline “summer.” It’s a rich, opaque color with a frost/metallic finish. It could even double as a holiday-esque lipstick with a lil’ red gloss slicked on top. It didn’t have any taste/smell either, which was surprisingly, as I know some other Lancome lipsticks do! The wear time was about average here–three hours before it started to noticeably fade.
The Summer Season is a series of posts featuring bright, vibrant shades of coral, orange, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for a summer of fun — that runs through July 2010.
Lancome Aqua Fusion Teinte Continuous Infusing Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 ($38.50 for 1.7 oz.) is a lovely light to light-medium coverage tinted moisturizer available in four shades: Naturel 1, Sand 2, Bisque 3, and Bronze 4. The active ingredient for sun-protection is octinoxate (7.5%), which covers the UVB range, but it doesn’t get the UVA range, unfortunately, so you’ll still need a product with an ingredient like zinc oxide or avobenzone for broad spectrum coverage.
My favorite part about this tinted moisturizer is the coverage it gives. It still has an amazingly lightweight feel, but it delivers more than sheer coverage–I’d even go as far as to say light-medium (not quite medium). It covered some healing acne and post-acne marks on my face and gave me a lovely, natural finish. I also love that this moisturizer absorbs and sinks in quickly and doesn’t leave behind a dewy finish. It has a nearly matte finish, so it’s great for my oily-skinned friends, in particular.
It has a mango-ish scent–defintely fruity, but not overly sweet or tropical–and I’d say it lingers for about fifteen to twenty minutes before it fades away entirely (at least to my nose). The packaging is a slim tube, so it’s easy to apply the amount you need, plus it is travel friendly, being under 3 oz.
Even though I love, love the feel and coverage of the product, there are a few noteworthy drawbacks. If you’re pale, I don’t know if you’re going to find a good match. Surprisingly, I’m Naturel 1–the lightest shade–in Lancome’s Tinted Moisturizer. I originally tested out Sand 2, because I assumed it would work well for my medium skin tone, but it was definitely too dark on me. This is why I caution those with paler skin tones to try it at a counter first, if possible. Sand 2 would work for those who are definitely medium or medium-dark, though. I think Sand 2 might work for me after the summer, perhaps, but right now, Naturel 1 is a much better match.
I’d also prefer to see broad-spectrum protection here, because it is moisturizing enough (without being heavy or greasy) to be worn without an additional moisturizer, but since it lacks UVA protection, you’ll need to use another product to get broad-spectrum protection (like a moisturizer!). It’s not advertised as broad-spectrum, so I didn’t reduce points, but it’s certainly something I’d love to see in the future.
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Recommendation: Fabulous coverage for those who want more than ultra sheer coverage that most tinted moisturizers provide but still has the lightweight feel of a tinted moisturizer.
Availability: Nordstrom
Lancome 100% Natural Juicy Tubes: Rose Pretty, Blushing Beauty
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Lancome’s Juicy Tubes, the brand has created four shades of 100% Natural Origins Juicy Tubes. The gloss is made out of 100% natural ingredients, natural flavors and fragrances, natural coloring agents, and FSC certified 100% recyclable material carton.
It is available in four shades: Blushing Beauty (sheer pale pink), Sheerfully Sweet (sheer nude-brown), Pink Precious (soft pink), and Rose Pretty (sheer strawberry). Each retails for $18.
Juicy Tubes are certainly on the sheerer side of things, and to be honest, I’m definitely not an expert on Juicy Tubes in general. These are some of the first Juicy Tubes I’ve tried in quite awhile. I like them for a slick of gloss, but if you’re looking for color, definitely look elsewhere. I tried three of the four shades and they all looked the same on me: clear but ultra glossy.
The gloss looks slick, juicy, and incredibly glossy. It’s a moisturizing gloss with a thicker, jelly texture. I find they last around two to three hours on my lips. I don’t find these particularly sticky–I’d say marginally sticky to non-sticky–but the thicker texture may make you feel like they’re a little sticky. They taste like sweetness (likely from the honey in it) and have an overall sweet scent that’s pleasing and not overwhelming.
I think they’re nice, but since they are on the sheerer side, I don’t see the need to own all four shades–just one will do. If you have very little natural pigment in your lip, you might see a smidgen of color, but on more pigmented lips, they’re definitely going to look pretty clear.
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Recommendation: Those who love glossy lips with little color will like Juicy Tubes. They’re a great gloss that doesn’t dry out lips with a sweet taste and scent. If you’re more of a colored lip gloss kind of person, you may find these not to your taste.
Availability: Nordstrom
