I was surprised one day to receive an invitation to attend a little event hosted by Lancome for some bloggers at the Lancome Beauty Institute in Bangsar Village II. This is the place where you can get facials and body treatments using Lancome products and I can safely tell you that it is a wonderfully luxurious place! I’ll return some day for a facial and then we’ll get a proper review ;)
What I was there for however, was to attend a special preview for the Lancome Maquicake UV Infinite 2-way powder foundation. This powder foundation is already available in the stores but Lancome wanted to show us some nifty little experiments that prove their selling points!
We were treated to a little talk and explanation of the product by Lancome’s National Makeup Artist Zamri Zainol. The man has been with Lancome for nearly 10 years now and boy is he knowledgeable! I tried to pry out information on trends for 2009 since he had just returned from Paris (*envy*) but he was tight lipped about it :( We’ll just have to wait and see I guess. Still, I was promised that it would be new and exciting and for a serious brand like Lancome, “new and exciting” sounds good to me!
The Lancome Maquicake UV Infinite 2-way powder foundation is specially formulated for Asian skin and feels very light and soft with a silky smooth texture. It also contains SPF20/PA++ I tried doing some research online but it appears that the Maquicake UV Infinite is available in Asia only for now.
The Maquicake UV Infinite promises to be:-
- anti-sweat
- anti-sebum
- long lasting
- waterproof or water resistant
- Light velvety texture
To prove their claims, Lancome undertook 2 tests.
Test #1 – Maquicake UV Infinite is Waterproof
Zamri came around with a brand new Maquicake UV Infinite foundation and had us all test it. Amid exclamations of “Ooh! So soft” and “So smooth!” he proceeded to dunk the whole compact into a beaker of water!
That powder better jolly well be waterproof or it would be a waste of a perfectly good powder foundation! But not to worry. A few minutes later, he fished it out of the beaker, dabbed the water off it and got us to test it again. The powder surface was bone dry and the powder applied as normal! Amazing! I asked how long it could remain submerged and I was told that they had tried leaving it for a week and it still worked fine. So, if you are going diving or swimming and can’t leave home without your makeup, Maquicake UV Infinite might be the powder for you! ;)
Zamri says that the Maquicake UV Infinite will repel water so you have no fear about getting rained on but it will easily clean off. Waterproof makeup does not mean makeup that sticks to your skin but think of it like Teflon – it will repel water and keep looking good unless you wipe it off. So, the trick is to dab off sweat and water and you will be fine.
Test #2 – Maquicake UV Infinite is light as air
From touch you can tell that the Maquicake UV Infinite foundation is light. But Lancome claims that it is so light, it will feel like next to nothing on your skin.
Zamri scrapped some powder off the surface of the compact into another beaker and voila! The powder floats. Not only does it float, it remains floating on top of the water even when stirred and left on the table. No gunky residue at the bottom of the beaker. It felt like I was back in the chem lab to see and play with beakers and glass rods all over again :)
Because it is so light on the skin, Maquicake UV Infinite foundation offers a translucent velvety soft finish. Believe me, I will be putting all this to the test when I review the Maquicake UV Infinite in an upcoming review. ;)
The Lancome Maquicake UV Infinite 2-way powder foundation can be used dry for sheer coverage or with a damp sponge for medium coverage. This powder foundation is presently in 6 shades and it is available in refills. The case is RM50 and the refills are RM126 each but it will fit into other Lancome powder foundation cases too.
And what’s meeting a makeup artist without getting some makeup tips off him?
Tip #1 – If you feel your face getting shiny throughout the day, use a piece of tissue to DAB on the shiny areas. Do not wipe or your makeup will streak and look unsightly.
Tip #2 – When applying powder foundation, dab it on lightly with a sponge then blend outwards towards your hairline for a more natural look and finish. If you just wipe it on downwards with your sponge the coverage maybe too thick and you risk looking cakey.
Thanks for the tips Zamri and thank you Lancome for a most entertaining and instructive evening!
Wow, great experiments, especially on the dunking of the powders! At last you get to see their claims in action ;)
Hi ParisB,
It looks fabulous! Especially the second experiment….What I would like to know is whether there are shades that suit Indian skin. I have always thought of Lancome and several other brands as not catering for people with golden complexions.
I noticed that the cosmetic companies in M’sia are more pro bloggers. Over here, I hardly hear from them. It’s always their HQ who contacts me.
great meeting you again last night!!! i enjoyed myself too, learnt a lot of stuff.
*mouth agape*
Those experiments are awesome! It really does sell their products well. Now I definitely want to check this out.
Those experiments sure are impressive. Though it makes me wonder how safe that “teflon”-like coating is for our skin!
Very very curious now, as I have such oily skin and this sounds appealing.
@Tine : Yeah it was quite surreal.
@JackieA: If you are looking for dark foundations I don’t think they have it in very dark shades. The ones I saw were maybe around medium dark max. Pity.
@Sesame: Hey, being contacted by the HQ is pretty awesome! :)
@Kimberlycun: It was nice to meet up again too. I can’t wait for the makeup stint!
@rinnah : Yep a sure way to sell their stuff.
@Monstro: Well they do say its very light on ;) so maybe its like teflon that floats on the skin and if you have oily skin, it might just be made for you!
wah so shiok…damn..now i’ll have to go and try this out!
Wow… makes me want to go and get it! But too bad I’m sticking to mineral foundation.
@beetrice : It does feel nice to the touch. I’ll be taking it on its road test soon.
@Stephanie: If it works for you stick with it.
Hi parisB
i’m a bit confuse… if the cakepan itself is waterproof… then how’s the usage with damp sponge is possible…
@Affy : Its the powder that’s waterproof not the cake pan per se. So, if you use a damp sponge you are taking off the top layer of the powder and transfering this onto your face. :)
Oh my… I hope they let me test this out at the counters. It may just kick my beloved minerals outta the water. (I’m finding them a little tricky to use when in a rush for work now)