I hosted a Bloggers' Review Party with Lancôme recently for their latest release, Maqui Miracle Liquid Foundation and needless to say it was loads of girly fun especially with Zam - Lancôme's Colour Design Artist/Head Trainer conducting the demo. I did a write up for Maqui Miracle liquid foundation launch late April, click here.

Fabulous looking bunch!

L-R: Camie, Ann Elle, Ayna, Tammy, Wing, Jean, Zam (Lancôme), Me, Isabel, Stellar, Stacey, Traclyn, Amanda (Lancôme)

Do check out their blogs and see what they have to say. :)

Nice!

Maqui Miracle Compact vs Brand X Compact

By adding a tad bit of baby oil, Maqui Miracle on the left absorbs the oil while Brand X turns into a muddy texture

Model of the day was Jean as she came conveniently bare faced. Zam applied a step-by-step skincare to prep her skin before applying Maqui Miracle liquid foundation followed by make up.

Applying Lancome Genifique

Applying Maqui Miracle Liquid Foundation

*Tip from Zam: Apply in a circular motion. Plus, a little goes a long way.

Jean after skincare and foundation

Before & After

Colours used on Jean is from Lancôme's Fall 2011 Collection

Sneak Peak: Introducing Lancôme's Fall 2011 Collection

29, St.Honoré

Will do a separate post on this ;)

Maison Lancôme Blush

Blonde Fatalle 02 Eyeshadow Palette

Maqui Miracle Liquid Foundation Review

Some of you might already know that I have Combination/Oily skin which is such a pain especially when it comes to looking for foundation that will last through the day without melting away and looking blotchy only after a few hours. So I am always on the look out for a foundation that is suitable for my skin type. *Been on the prowl for a while now.. lol*

When I reviewed the Maqui Miracle Compact I mentioned that I rather liked it but it still did not give me that coverage I needed to cover my uneven skintone and acne scars. Maqui Miracle Liquid Foundation offers the same benefits as the compact but lasts much longer.

• Aura-Bright technology - For a fresh and radiant complexion
• Lasts up to 12 hours
• Lightweight, oil-free and mineral rich formulation
• SPF 26 PA+++ UV protection

All you need is a very small amount to apply onto the whole face. The trick to applying is that you get better results by using your fingers. Apply in circular motion onto the skin and there you have it, a brighter and radiant skin. It is really easy to blend and it goes on smooth and light. It offers a light to medium coverage which helps minimise the appearance of my acne scars. Then with a few dabs of concealer on those unsightly scars and tad bit of powder to set the foundation, I was ready to go!

My colour: O-04

Notice how light the texture is

Apply in circular motion to blend the foundation (as in circle)

After blending you get a smooth and radiant effect (as in circle)

Now to put it to the test. My 14 hour "long lasting" test. What can I say, it was a terribly long day but a great day for a foundation review. *winks*

0 hours : Freshly applied - I look bright and radiant!

After 1 hour

No sign of oiliness yet. *keeping fingers crossed*

After 5 hours

My skin feels oily but I still look clean and fresh

Now check this out.. When I blot, notice how only the oil is on the paper. There is no sign of foundation or smudges of it. It's still on my face after 5 hours!

After 7 hours

No touch ups!! This almost never happens. By this time my face would usually look blotchy and dull. But here it still looks bright.

After 10 hours

Coverage is still there! *photo below*

Yup there's loads of oil *no doubt about it* but no foundation smudges!

After 14 hours!

*Home at last.. and please ignore my panda eyes* Still looks pretty good. Given that my pores have oozed out loads of oil but the foundation has not melted away!

I have to say I am well impressed! After 14 hours it's still there!! Despite the oil and the blotting, Maqui Miracle has stayed on my skin for a whole day. It has managed to make my complexion appear bright, fresh and radiant through out. This is currently one of my faves!

Thanks loads Lancôme for the awesome party!! You guys rock!!

Head down to the nearest Lancôme counter to try it out especially if you have Combination/Oily skin. Available at Lancôme counters now.

Also check out my video testimonial on Lancôme Malaysia facebook.

Price: RM130 for 30ml

Latest from Lancôme, the first 12-hour lasting, brightening foundation, Maqui MIRACLE! It has been launched and you will be able to get your hands on it real soon. *woohooo*

I think you would generally agree with me that long lasting foundation is almost difficult to find especially when you have combination-oily skin. It can be such a nightmare when half way through the day, your foundation starts to melt under the wonderfully humid Malaysian weather. Lancôme might just have found the answer to your problem and mine. *wink wink*

How Maqui MIRACLE works to give you 12-hour lasting, brightening effects:

Zam - Lancome's Colour Design Artist/Head Trainer

Introducing the Maqui MIRACLE range

• Aura-Bright technology - if this sounds familiar, it is the same technology used for Lancôme's Teint Miracle launced last year. It works to reproduce and boost the pinkish and bluish tones of skin's inner light to reveal a naturally radiant and bright finish. To better understand this concept I refer you to my earlier post here.
• Resists sweat and humidity - to keep complexion looking fresh and radiant up to 12 hours.
• Lightweight, oil-free and mineral rich formulation - creates a perfect and pore-less finish.
• Features Lancôme NearoWhite complex - enhances skin's clarity.
• SPF 26 PA+++ UV protection - help prevents the appearance of brown spots & protect skin from damaging effects of daily UV exposure.

To find out if the results are as they claim, Lancôme its Facebook fans to give the Maqui Miracle a trial run before it launch. 76 Malaysian women participated in the trial requiring to wear the fluid foundation for 5 consecutive days and to observe the comfort level of wearing itdailiy and its brightening and lasting power. *this includes me of course :)*

The results - of 76 women who participated

• 79% found it comfortable to wear
• 76% said that it clears up the face bu covering spots and blemishes
• 72% said it brightens up the complexion

Long wearing throughout the day:

• 
  After 4 hours - clean, fresh, radiant, glowing, still natural looking and brightness maintained
  
  
   
• After 8 hours - glowing fresh look, still fresh without discolouration, natural and still luminous
  
  
  
• After 12 hours - it stays on without looking oily, still looks great, coverage still there without patchiness

Demo on Atilia and Jane

Mell setting the liquid miracle with the compact miracle

Allan applying the liquid miracle on Joanne

What the Facebook fans say after the 5 day trial

• Carie Ng - "Excellent and long lasting coverage. It creates fresh, flawless and fairer look with natural glow all day long".
• Camie Lam - "A wonderful coverage that evens out skin-tone and gives it a brighter and more radiant complexion all day".
• Fatin Feisal (me! me! :P) - who fell in love with it, " The coverage and staying power is amazing! It makes my face appear healthy & glowing".

Also present at the official launch were Jazz princess Atilia Haron and actress Joanne Yew to model for Lancome Colour Design Artists Mell and Alan who demonstrated how to wear the Maqui MIRACLE fluid foundation with make-up colours.

Available in 6 shades, nationwide starting May 2011.

Price : RM130 for 30ml

I know you guys have read my thoughts on Maqui MIRACLE, but I will still review it because it's on my "I'll Die Without It" list now. :) Coming soon... plus there's a lil something extra. Read review here.

Cookie Monster for the afternoon.. cookies were yummy!



Lancôme's Maqui Miracle is the latest compact powder foundation made to match Asian skintones. It uses the same technology as the Teint Miracle that was launched late last year (read post here). Hence Maqui Miracle promises radiant and brighter skin that appears lit-from-within, beautifully bare and visibly flawless. The difference is that Maqui Miracle offers brightness that lasts all day unlike Teint Miralce that offers hydration that lasts up to 18 hours.

Zamri (Zam) - Lancôme's Color Design Artist/Trainer

A chic case with Lancôme's rose design grabbing your attention

Must knows about Maqui Miracle:

• 12 hours long lasting - Due to its composition, it takes longer to oxidise therefore making it stay longer on your skin. However, it may not last as long for very oily skin as it is not specifically targetted for an oil-control or mattifying effect.
• It incorporates 2 Aura Bright Technologies that uses a light system which contributes to the vibrancy of a fresh pure  complexion.
• Coverage: Sheer and light
• UV protection value of SPF 35/PA+++

I tried out Maqui Miracle yesterday to see how it would fair on my combination skin. Finding the right shade to match  my skin tone was the easy part. The shade for Maqui Miracle may not neccessarily correspond to your shade for Teint Miracle, though mine did.

I found the texture to be light and finely milled. It went on smoothly on my skin and it was very easy to blend. However, you have to use the specially designed dual sponge to apply it with. On one side it look like a normal sponge you would find in a compact, porous, but when you turn it over, the other side is velvety soft. Use the porous side to pick up the foundation and apply to your skin. Then flip over to the velvety soft side to blend out the foundation to give you that polished flawless look.

(Click for larger view)

Top: Porous side to apply with

Bottom: Velvety soft side to blend with

Applied with porous side

(Contrasting foundation shade used for clearer observation)

Blend out with velvety soft side

Trying out on Zamri's hand

Since Maqui Miracle has a sheer to light coverage, Zamri Lancôme's Color Design Artist/Trainer applied the Teint Miracle first to cover up my acne scars and imperfections that seem to always be around. After which he put on a thin layer of Maqui Miracle blending it out with the velvety soft side.

Applying Teint Miracle in O-04

Applying Maqui Blanc Miracle in O-04

Finish off a natural look with blusher, mascara and gloss

Tips from Zamri:

1) Apply a small amount of Teint Miracle on brow bone as highlight or to correct mistakes.

2) Apply blush with a cotton pad if you don't have a brush.

3) Line brows using a cotton tip and eyeshadow instead of liner for a softer look.

4) Blot off excess gloss for a light shine.

(Click for larger view)

Before & After

Here's what I think: I instantly looked brighter and radiant! My skin also appeared naturally smooth without feeling cakey. But I could still see bits of my scars, expected of a foundation with light coverage. I would wear Maqui Miracle on top of a liquid foundation like the Teint Miralce plus a tad bit of concealer. I'm yet to try to layer it on to see if I get a better coverage. As for the longevity of it, Maqui Miracle lasted quite long on top of a liquid foundation. Just not as long as 12 hours on my combination skin.

However if you are one of those lucky ones with a flawless complexion or minor imperfections then Maqui Miracle can be used on its own. Plus you can layer it on for a bit more coverage.

The powder foundation and compact are sold separately. So you have to assemble it yourself once out of the box. Not that it requires much work.. Lol! All you do is take the pan containing the foundation and click it on to the compact that has a hole on one side. No poking with a pin, trying to push it out and ending up in a mess. Easy!

Compact foundation comes with sponge: RM130

Slim compact with mirror: RM55

Drop by any Lancôme counter to try the New Maqui Miracle which is available in 8 shades and you will get a mini makeover (which includes mascara, gloss and blush). Check out Lancôme Facebook for more details.