Teint Miracle

Ohhh lala! I have found another great foundation! Meet Lancome's Teint Miracle! Okay, it's not new cos the liquid foundation was launched awhile ago but then now, they've just launched the Teint Miracle 2-way cake.

I got both the liquid foundation and the 2-way cake cos I couldn't decide which one to get so screw it, just get both (clearly the inner thrifty Chinese Jew has ran away from home...or was there even one to begin with? Ha). It's quite pricey cos the liquid is $69 and the 2-way cake is $69 also but you gotta buy the freaking case for the 2-way cake and that's $22 bucks...Ouch...I dunno why the hell these powder cases are so expensive cos bloody hell, they're just freaking plastic! And I'm sure the production cost of these cases can't be more than say $2 US dollars cos they produce in such big bulk...very very annoying! But well, vanity trumps as always...yeah, it's freaking easy to earn my money in the name of beauty. What to do?

So the verdict? The liquid version is the winner! It covers well cos the coverage is a good medium one which is great for daily use. The texture is quite runny but it spreads very well and you only need very little, like 1 pump for me, to cover the entire face plus it's quite easy to blend. The trick is to dab small dots all over the face to spread out and blend instead of putting one big blob on one spot and then blend out. Anyway, because you only need very little for it to spread really well, a bottle will probably last you quite some time and it's got a SPF 20 which is good enough unless you spend a lot of time in the sun. It gives the skin a dewy look so if you're after that dewy effect, wear this on its own. The only problem is that dewy look doesn't quite work too well in our humidity and heat. It'll get a bit greasy after awhile, so maybe it'll be fine if you wear it for a dinner date and not the whole day. But our sticky climate aside, the effect is wonderful cos you face really brighten up and glow and it pretty much lives up to the hype it's created. I wear it with a loose powder to set it and that's actually good enough for me and it won't melt in the heat.

The 2-way cake on the other hand, is alright. It's convenient and it's supposed to gives your face a glow. Previously I use the Ettusais Sparkling Pack (read more here) and I totally love it cos it makes your face glow with good coverage but then I've finished mine recently and wanted to try something new and I got the  Lancome Teint Miracle. The powder for Lancome is SO VERY SMOOTH! When I tried it at the counter, it felt ridiculously smooth on the skin and it's like silk! Plus, it's got a pretty high SPF of 35 which is great if you're gonna be in the sun for a bit.

The effect is okay, not as glowing and dewy as the liquid version but then again, liquid foundation simply tends to give you more glowing effect anyway. I was actually expecting more from this cos after all, I spent a freaking $22 on the bloody case.  This one, however, doesn't gives you as much glow as the liquid version, so I personally prefer the liquid one. Good thing is, you can use it to touch up in the day cos it comes with a special sponge that has 2 different sides, a smoother one for touch up and the rougher one for application. It's pretty long-wearing as well and it doesn't oxidize so your skin tone wouldn't get darker with the sebum on your face, but then again, most foundations these days don't. But I do find it a bit cakey at the end of the day. When you just apply it, it's okay but then once your face gets a bit of shine, it seems to have that "melted" look which isn't cute. If I blot my face with an oil blotter, it's okay but there's one day I was so busy that I didn't get time for that and when I look into the mirror at the end of the day, it's got that gooey look as if I've worked the whole day frying curry puffs at Old Chang Kee. So well, liquid is the way to go. I should have just got the liquid really cos for compact foundation, I would still go for Ettusais. But well, if I only get the liquid, I would keep thinking about the compact till I get it...blahhh...whatever.... Well, do play with it at their counter and maybe let me know which version you prefer! But the liquid is the winner in my book!