Saturday, April 21, 2012

Lancôme to the rescue

Note - this is a long arse entry. Go and get a cuppa tea or coffee if you need to. Potato chips would be great while reading! LOLX!

Lancôme has been a brand I forever tried to avoid when it comes to skincare or cosmetics. My mindset has forever been like Lancôme is a high-end brand and all the products should be amazingly expensive. Hence, I never had the chance to try out even their sample products.


Please bear in mind that I am not born with a silver or gold spoon, hence, I know my limits. Back then, I was just a degree student without moo-lah because I've spent all my money in crappy slimming centers. Skincare has never been something I would think of because I thought I was quite young to care how my skin would age. I was even obsessed with squeezing pimples and acnes. I was lazy to even wash my face properly or to apply the 3 essential skincare steps in my daily routine. I hated sunscreen or sunblock. I basically used to hate everything.

Yes, that was how b*tchy I was and I regret it so much now - look at my enlarged pores, oily skin and uneven skintone!

Horrendous!

Hideous!

No wonder nobody wants me #foreveralone...

Two months ago, I was with hommie at KLCC when we came across Lancôme roadshow. It was something really grand and hommie was attracted by the event. Actually, it was an event to promote one of their new products, Lancôme Blanc Expert Derm-Crystal.


Amazing big-arse poster at center court, KLCC. LOLX! I was attracted to it too but I ended up not buying anything because I am still trying to finish up my current products. I get free products all the times because everyone loves me because I have relatives working for certain skincare lines, but I can't possibly give all of them away because I don't like giving something that I don't want away to others, unless you request it from me, then, I might consider giving them for FREE.

Oh, perhaps, a blog GIVEAWAY?

Anyway, I went for a skin analysis and guess what? Let tell you the result... it wasn't too bad but it wasn't too good but overall, it was above average exception for a few skin problem here and there, as mentioned above.

My skin's hydration was like 78% higher than those of my age group.

Wrinkles were 33% less visible than those of my age group.

The chance to get pigmentation of my skin is like very low at 18% only comparing to people of my age group. I was like, WTF, so low?! Hahaha... it was good because that means I am less prone to get freckles or pigments as I age. The secret to it, USE SUNSCREEN or SUNBLOCK when you're outside, especially from 10am to 2pm, when the sun is shining like mad!

Bad thing was... my pores were enlarged 58% more than those of my age group. FML, FML, FML!!! This percentage was super high that I didn't want to believe how terrible my enlarged pores were!

Worse still, FML again because my uneven skintone was so god-forbidden obvious compared to others of my age group. I mean, WTF?!

It was then... I was introduced to Lancôme Visionnaire.

Not sure what Visionnaire is? Here's a picture!


Ah... I bet you've come across this picture somewhere in the shopping malls, right, right, right? In fact, during the trial session at the Lancôme roadshow at KLCC, I was super attracted by it's packaging - super expensive and sleek, especially Lancôme [LR 2412 4%] Advanced Skin Corrector.

If you are unsure, Visionnaire is the skincare line which promises to correct wrinkles, pores and uneven skintone. Hmmm... sounds like this line of product suits me!

The packaging comes in pump form which is great if hygiene is one of your main skincare concerns.

Lancôme [LR 2412 4%] Advanced Skin Corrector is actually a serum for wrinkles, pores and uneven skintone. This is a product vouched by a lot of women in fact.

This is what being claimed by Lancôme...

Our 1st advanced skin corrector. 
Wrinkles*, pores* and evenness. 
Much more than a wrinkle-corrector, our 1st skincare capable of fundamentally re-creating more beautiful skin. The first skincare with LR 2412, a molecule designed to propel through skin layers. On its path, it triggers a cascading series of micro-transformations.** 
Our new vision of skin perfection. One out of two women tempted by a cosmetic procedure decided to postpone it.*** 
The result: on the surface, wrinkles* and pores* are visibly corrected, imperfections like signs of UV damage and acne marks appear diminished. 
LR 2412: 12 years of research. 20 international patents. 
*Clinical study** Based on in-vitro testing*** After 4 weeks of consumer use. Consumer evaluation of women aged 35 to 49 years tempted by hyaluronic acid, laser or chemical peeling. Results not equal to a medical procedure.

I went through a lot of reviews done by other bloggers only to find out that majority of those who reviewed this serum actually do love it. Most of them find out that this serum does deliver what it claims! BAs at Lancôme actually recommend the use of Visionnaire serum with GénefiqueYouth Activating Concentrate, which is another type of serum. This will definitely speed up your skin's recovery!


I will not comment about Génefique since I did not even try it out but stupid sister did get it at RM295 for 30ml. It was quite pricey though. I'm not sure if Génefique works for her but I will seek her comments in two weeks to come when she has fully utilized this serum for a full one month.

So, courtesy of stupid sister, I managed to set my hands on Lancôme [LR 2412 4%] Advanced Skin Corrector. Oh, not fully stupid sister's courtesy because I did get Lancôme's mascara as well. LOLX!

One of the friendly BAs at Parkson 1 Utama actually was kind enough to offer me a full 2-week usage of this serum! I was really happy and grateful because I am that type of person who will never buy anything without test period or something. She told me she is sure I'd be back to get a full-sized product soon. I laughed and told her, "We'll see, we'll see."

So, I was given this amount of free samples!


From the look of these samples, do not be fooled by the packaging. One pack can at least last for 6 usage, meaning, 3 days - once during the day and once during the night. Not too bad, right?

So, I religiously started using this serum the next day because I ran out serum since two days ago and I couldn't find something to replace my Tony Moly Floria Pore Tightening Essence. Well, like what I've mentioned in that entry, it did almost NOTHING to my pores! Nothing at all... I finished up this serum after 5 to 6 months of purchasing it. Nothing, nothing, nothing, hence... more disappointment in Tony Moly's products.

Anyway, yeah, this is how Visionnaire's serum look like out of the packaging. I'm sorry that I didn't take any pictures. Obviously, I forgot because I was too estatic!

~ Pictures credit to Cosmetic Candy ~

Since I'm done using up all the samples, I might as well comment a bit on the product as well as my opinions on it after the full 2-week course.

The texture feels really light however it is not runny at all. The consistency is quite good because it doesn't drip or anything as long as you pour it properly on the palm of your hands. One thing I love about this product is the fragrance! OMG, I freaking love the fragrance because it is not too strong and not weak - mild enough fragrance for one to notice, "Hey, are you using Lancôme Visionnaire?" 

However, giving the light texture, you have to apply it onto your skin immediately because it tends to dry out really fast. I would give a credit to that point because my skin is combination to oily, hence, if product is not absorbed fast enough, it'll make my face my frying pan with oil in it only in a matter of 1 to 2 hours! 

Exaggeration? No, I am not because Lancôme doesn't pay me to write this. This entry is purely based on my own opinions.

I've read reviews that immediately after the first usage, you may be able to see the result - less visible pores and wrinkles. I personally do not vouch for that because I did not see any difference after the first usage or first day

To me, the fragrance of this product was what that kept me addicted. Hahaha... I simply adore products with fragrances. 

Lemme brief you on what I noticed during my 2-week journey of using Lancôme Visionnaire. I will not go through day-to-day thingy but it would be something general.

Day 1
Obvious broken capillaries around the sides of my nose. Unevenness of skintone especially on my jawline. Enlarged pores at their glories seen on my cheeks. 

Day 4 
Actually I could almost seen less visible broken capillaries on the the sides of my nose on the second day already. It was really good and I was amazed! 

Day 7
Uneven skintone was still seen because I was aware this product is not magic. You need to be consistent in using it for at least a month for the result to show. However, I was out with hommie when all of a sudden, she took a really close look at me and said, "Hey, what product did you use? Your pores are less visible now!"

Day 12
Uneven skintone began to fade a little and yeah... broken capillaries were seen to be less and less visible around my nose. Pardon my pimples because it was that time of the month during Day 7 to Day 12 but pimple is not my main concern because I only get them during that time of the month. On other days, my skin is perfectly fine.

Day 15
Amazing at how Visionnaire could make my skin felt so smooth in just two weeks! Pores and wrinkles were still there but I was happy that they were less visible. Uneven skintone especially on my jawline was evened out not completely but definitely better! Even more amazed that my dark circles seemed to be less visible too

Here are two pictures for you to see the differences.


**You may click on the pictures above for an enlarged version if you want but do bear in mind that all my imperfections are shown in their glories in those pictures. Be warned.

On the whole, the process of using this serum was really pleasing!

I am really amazed that in 2 weeks, my skin is transformed. I am skipping BB creams, concealers and foundations now. I mean, my skin is still not near perfect but at least Visionnaire solved my problems! Here's a close up look on Day 10.


I guess the BA was right.

I would definitely go back to get a full-sized product. Hahaha... But that'll have to wait until I get my first official salary. Let's cross our fingers and hope I will get a job soon after I've submitted my documents to the university!


Pros
Light and not runny texture. Nice fragrance and fast absorption if you do have oily skin like mine. Product delivers what it claims even though you may need perhaps 2 to 4 weeks to actually see the result. Pump, pump, pump for product which is very hygienic! 30ml can last up to 4 to 5 months! 

Cons
I am sorry if you're running tight on budget because this product is quite expensive if you were to compare it to other brands. Fragrance might turn off certain people with sensitive skin though.

Price - RM295 for 30ml and RM395 for 50ml
Product - 4 out of 5
Packaging - 3.5 out of 5
Availability - Lancôme counters or Sephora
Re-purchase - Yes, yes and yes!

I used to think that there is NO difference between low-end and high-end products but after being exposed to this product, now, I do have to agree with the fact that low and high end products do have vast differences!

Have you tried Lancôme Visionnaire yet?

P/S - I am not paid to do this entry so, please do not judge me. This entry is written based on my personal opinions and what the product has delivered to my skin.

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