Unboxing Beauty

I am a member of Rakuten Affiliate Network and every year, they produce Bonus Boxes ~ some quarterly, sometimes affiliated with a store.  I was extremely lucky to get the box for mega brand LANCÔME!  Lancôme is a French luxury perfumes and cosmetics house that has a global presence and it is a higher end brand.  Guillaume d’Ornano founded Lancôme in 1935 with Armand Petitjean in France.  It was originally a fragrance brand and the name was inspired by the Lancosme forest in Indre Valley, La Brenne.   Lancôme’s brand symbol is a single gold rose, which are renowned in Indre Valley.

Skin type/concerns:  Oily, aging, blemish prone, pores, hyper-pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles. 

I received these products complementary to review and was not paid.  All reviews are my own honest opinion and  I never have been asked to write copy for a brand.  This blog post might contain promo codes, affiliate and referral links, which using my links will help generate a small commission that helps support my blog at no extra cost to you.

La Vie Est Belle  Starting out from the beginning ~ a perfume!   “La vie est Belle” is a French expression meaning “Life is beautiful”.  I love the scent ~ iris gourmand, Tunisian orange blossom, patchouli essence with a touch of a sweet gourmand blend. Plus the bottle!! According to Lancôme ~ “A true testament to Lancôme’s heritage, the bottle is inspired by a masterpiece from the Lancôme archives. A modern take on “The Crystal Smile” created in 1949 by artistic director George Delhomme. This bottle captures Lancôme founder Armand Petitjean’s vision of femininity, represented here in the shape of a smile.”  Don’t be scared of the patchouli ~ it is very light and adds just enough dimension to this lovely flirty sweet fragrance. This is so seductive and long lasting. Totally beautiful. Highly recommend.   Even the box is so pretty ~ it has a glittery front

Définicils Mascara ~ I love the sleek black rectangular tube and the wand is a great size as well.  This isn’t a wet nor dry mascara, but just right ~ this jet black mascara really separates my lashes, lengthens and coats very evenly without any clumps.  I didn’t get the waterproof mascara and that is okay, as this doesn’t smudge or give me raccoon eyes as the day progresses, with normal activity.  Love this one and I will purchase it.  

Ingredients: Water, Paraffin, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire Dabeille, Acacia Senegal/Acacia Senegal Gum, Palmitic Acid, Cera, Carnauba/Carnauba Wax/Cire De Carnauba, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Sodium Polymethacrylate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Simethicone, Bht, Silica, Polyquaternium-10, [+/- May Contain: Ci 77499, Ci 77492, Ci 77491 / Iron Oxides, Ci 77007 /Ultramarines, Mica, Ci 77891/Titanium Dioxide, Ci 75470/Carmine, Ci 77510/Ferric Ferrocyanide].

Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Day Cream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15 I also received the Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Day Cream, which is supposed to help contour and lift my skin. This cream has a very light scent, nothing overpowering and has a “chewy” texture ~ meaning it bounces back in the jar!  It’s texture reminds me of cream cheese but once out of the jar, it is actually a medium weight cream with a lovely silky glide on my skin and it is very moisturizing. 

I use it at night time as this is more suitable for dry skin, and it does leave my skin plumped up without feeling greasy.  I haven’t seen any lifting action, though ~ no visibly lifted cheekbones, tighten jawline or improved facial contour definition, per its claims.  For me, having a cream with a sunscreen built in is not a feature I personally like ~ I do use sunscreen with an SPF 50/PA+++ or more rating, so SPF 15 is not going to cut it.  BUT, I also know that in America, many people do not use a sunblock daily, so even though I feel SPF 15 is way too low, it is better than nothing.   

Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 3%  Octisalate 5% Octocrylene 7%  Inactive Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Beeswax, Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate, Yeast Extract, Guanosine, Cyathea Medullaris Leaf Extract, Sucrose Stearate, Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Extract, Tocopherol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Red 4, Sodium Levulinate, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, Peg-100 Stearate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Palmitic Acid, Silica, Chlorphenesin, Yellow 5, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Limonene, Pentylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Xanthan Gum, Cinnamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Myristic Acid, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Disodium Edta, Citronellol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Coumarin, Levulinic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Fragrance cosDNA 

Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum  This, along with the perfume, are my favorite items in the box.  I had used a sample of this earlier this year and WAS thrilled to get a full sized version of this ~ they also have super sized versions of this serum, as that is how good it is.  This is made with anti-aging yeasty ferments

• Bifida ferment lysate is a probiotic and it is becoming quite popular to add this ingredient into skincare products now. The claims are that it works as a DNA repair agent when applied to your skin. Bifida lysate is the fermented result of bifida and it should help revitalize skin so it is clear and radiant, increase hydration and prevent dehydrated, rough skin. It should also firm and restore elasticity to your skin while strengthening your skin barrier to help prevent damage from environmental factors.  
• Faex or Yeast extracts is a fermented sugar produced by fungi (mushrooms) and it is an antioxidant that is the home to beta-glucan.  Cosmetic grade yeast extracts help create radiant skin, as they soften and moisturize. 

Vitamin C ascorbyl glucoside helps brighten your skin, as it inhibits melanine from forming. formation of melanine.  Sodium hyaluronate and glycerin are powerful hydrating ingredients, helping bind moisture to your skin while attracting it.  Salicyloyl phytosphingosine is a patented ingredient (salicylic acid and phytosphingosine) that has studies showing that it helps repair photo-aged skin (source). Applied topically, this ingredient improves fine lines and wrinkles, as well skin texture, softening and smoothing. And since this has salicylic acid, I would also think that this helps unclog pores and clear skin problems as well.  This serum is has a cooling sensation and it is light weight serum.  It isn’t watery, but it isn’t thick either.  It has a very light fragrance and disappears quickly. My skin immediately feels smoother and looks more hydrated.  This is supposed to help strengthen and protect my moisture level.   This serum took over 14 years of research and 197 formulation trials so I feel very hopeful that this will help keep my skin youthful!  It’s gentle on my skin, doesn’t make me breakout and it doesn’t leave a sticky residue.  My skin feels so fresh after using this.  I will purchase again. 

Ingredients: Water, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, Faex Extract/Yeast Extract, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine, Ammonium Polyacryldimethyltauramide/Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Limonene, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Octyldodecanol, Citronellol, Fragrance cosDNA

Final Thoughts

I know my mom and sister SWEAR by Lancôme, but I have never really tried much outside of their makeup line.  I am converted to the Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum and thankfully, a little goes a long way with that item, as it is not inexpensive.  No wonder they make a MEGA size of this serum!  I also love the La Vie Est Belle perfume, so pretty and sexy ~ very fem and the Définicils Mascara is looking to push my trusty HG Clinique mascara out of the way! Have you tried any of these products?  Which ones or what are your favorites from Lancôme?  Thank you so much, Lancôme and RAN.   I hope this unboxing helps you decide if you would like to try some of these items.

Lancôme USA 

You can find Lancôme globally, but here in the USA, they have their own store! 

• La Vie Est Belle 1 oz $72.00
• Définicils Mascara $27.50
• Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Day Cream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15 1.7 oz $99.00
• Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum 1 oz $78.00

Disclosure:  I received this box complementary from RAN (Rakuten Affiliate Network)  There are affiliate links in this blog post