Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact

Lancome launched its cushion foundation to great fanfare in the West earlier this year, but was released rather quietly out here in Asia.  It is understandable, as most of Asia has already been accustomed to this whole notion of cushion foundations, and so Lancome quite rightly chose to spend its marketing dollar and customer eduction elsewhere.  On the other hand, it also made the right decision to market its cushion foundation with brightening properties and renamed it Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact.

The Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact comes in an all white case with silver rims and the signature Lancome rose printed in silver on top of the cover.  This is different from the mirrored silver cover of the Miracle Cushion which is sold in Europe and US.  The initial purchase will set you back SGD75 for 1 case which comes with 1 single cartridge and refills are sold separately at SGD55 each.  This puts Lancome’s cushion on the upper end of the market, especially since most other cushions come with an additional refill in the box.  And with only 14gm of product in each cushion, you will get through them fairly quickly (not to mention these things dry out too!).

Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact comes with SPF23 PA++ which is minimal, and far lower than other Asian-branded cushions, but still nice to have.  A mixture of ester oil and glycerin keeps skin moist and plumped for up to 4 hours, which may seem short, but so far I’ve been wearing this all day and it hasn’t dried me out!

The cushion surprised me when I opened it up as it is the most porous cushion that I’ve seen yet, and it also felt softer to the touch.  I first attempted to apply it with a foundation brush as I’ve always done with all my cushions, but due to the softness and porous nature of the cushion, my brush picked up way too much product and ended up looking quite cakey.  As this Blanc Expert Cushion dries very quickly, I had a difficult time blending out all the foundation without it leaving streaks.  I have also tried using the puff that comes included with the cushion, and as always, I simply can’t do with it.  The best way to apply this, is to use a beauty blender or something similar like the Dior Backstage Blender.  You don’t have to wet it, simply dab and apply on the face.  This way, I was able to get a light-medium coverage which is buildable by dabbing additional product on spots as needed.

Please click to enlarge

As you can see from the half face comparison above, the effect of Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact is really very subtle.  The shade I am using is BO-01, which is my Blanc Miracle foundation [reviewed here] shade match.  When I first applied it, it seems lighter than my neck, but a good match for the actual shade of my face.  However, within minutes, it actually oxidises to become a good match for my neck.  Despite being fairly light in coverage when applied with a beauty blender, it adequately covers up my dark eye rings, and evened out my skin tone throughout.  I found that on my dry skin, this Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact leaves a glowy finish and just very slightly dewy.  On those with oily skin, I’m not sure if this may end up being too dewy.  Regardless, I found it wore well throughout the day without creasing or fading, and it feels incredibly lightweight on my skin.

In conclusion, Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion is a lovely lightweight foundation in an easy to tote around cushion compact.  It is slightly more expensive on a per gram basis than its competitors, and I was all ready to dislike it, but I surprised myself by falling in love with it (which is a tall order because I generally am not the biggest fan of cushions)!!  The experience varies a lot with the tools you use, and I personally prefer applying this with a beauty blender.  The only drawback of this is that it oxidises, although it does that quickly within minutes of application and then stops.  So be sure to test this out on your face at the counters before deciding on a shade!  There are now 8 available shades – BO-01, BO-02, O-01, O-02, P-01, P-02, P-03, P-04.

Have you tried this out yet?

_{This post featured a product that was sent to me for my consideration.  Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.}