A Guide to Lancôme’s Super Luxury Line — Absolue

There’s no doubt that luxury skincare has been booming — especially in Asia — and almost every major brand has launched a line of premium beauty products to cater to this demand. These tend to be skincare lines with top-of-the-line ingredients and technologically-advanced formulations, and they cost a lot. If you’re going to invest in high-end beauty products, you’ll want to know what goes into them and what they ultimately do.

I was recently introduced to Lancôme’s super luxury line — Absolue, a collection that centres around the brand’s exclusive invention: the Lancôme Rose. This flower is a result of thousands of hybridisations and was selected for its resilient nature and regenerative powers. It also makes the entire Absolue line smell incredible; like walking through a garden of fresh roses in bloom — and it’s not overpowering. With all their expertise, the French laboratory devised a perfectly balanced scent that is light, aromatic and refreshing.

There are quite a few products in the entire Absolue line, including a cushion compact (the only makeup item at the moment), and two new skincare products with brightening ingredients. Based on the high prices and advanced formulations, I would recommend the following products for those in their 30s and above.

NOTES:

• If you’re on a budget, the cheapest item is the Gel Cleanser at $120.

• The one product to start with is the Revitalizing Oleo Serum, which gives the fastest results of them all.

• A great gift for mum would be the Absolue Soft Cream, with a pampering soft, smooth and light texture that moisturises deeply.

• If you really want to treat yourself, get the Absolue Smoothing Liquid Cushion Compact and bring it everywhere you go.

1. lancôme absolue purifying brightening GEL CLEANSER, $120 (125ml):

This is the only face wash in the range, with a formula that contains the brand’s Grand Rose Extracts (a trio of roses that includes the Lancôme Rose, Centifolia Rose and Rose Damascena). The gel texture feels light and foamy, but rich and moisturising at the same time. After cleansing, the face feels soft, clearer, more radiant, and instantly refreshed.

2. lancôme absolue ROSE 80 LOTION, $160 (150ml):

The clear fluid lotion has a blend of 80% rose extracts, infused with rose water, rose oil and rose extract. Apply this directly with your hands or with a cotton pad for a clearer and immediately brighter complexion. The skin absorbs the lotion quickly, and feels soft and smooth, prepped for the next steps of skincare.

3. lancôme absolue REVITALIZING OLEO SERUM, $410 (30ml):

This serum is the must-have in the collection; it is also enriched with Absolue Grand Rose Extracts, and has a hydrid oil-in-serum texture that penetrates deeply, activating skin regeneration. After just a week of use, you’ll notice skin appears plumper, more supple and wrinkles are diminished.

4. lancôme absolue REVITALIZING EYE SERUM, $210 (15ml):

This too has the brand’s Grand Rose Extracts, and has a silky smooth texture that just glides across the delicate skin around the eye area. Over time and use, eyes will look less tired, less puffy, and wrinkles around the eyes will appear less prominent.

5. lancôme absolue REVITALIZING eye cream, $205 (20ml):

This is similar to the Revitalizing Eye Serum but slightly cheaper. It does the same thing but in a cream format.

6. lancôme absolue soft cream, $450 (60ml) / $360 (refill)
7. lancôme absolue rich cream, $480 (60ml) / $380 (refill)

Both these cream moisturisers are infused with Lancôme’s Grand Rose Extracts, and being deeply hydrating, truly transform skin overnight! The Soft Cream is the newer launch which came out in 2018, and has a unique “thick-thin-thick” texture. It goes on thick and luxurious, but feels thin and lightweight on the skin, then replumps skin with a luscious hydrating feeling worthy of its price. The Rich Cream is good for more dry and sensitive skin types, wrapping and cocooning skin in a comforting cream.

BELOW: THE TEXTURE OF lancôme absolue SOFT CREAM.

BELOW: THE TEXTURE OF lancôme absolue RICH CREAM.

8. lancôme ABSOLUE UV precious cells, $135 (30ml):

This is the ultimate sunscreen from Lancôme. It has an ultra-light and fresh texture that absorbs readily into skin, protecting for up to 12 hours with SPF 50 PA ++++ and UVB / UVA PPD.

9. lancôme ABSOLUE SMOOTHING LIQUID CUSHION COMPACT spf 50+ / pa+++, $140 / $100 for refill (available from 1 june 2019):

I first tried this cushion earlier this month and loved it so much, I wrote about it here. The foundation comes out as a creamy liquid, and provides good, buildable coverage, evening out pigmentation and sun spots. This finish is soft and semi-matte, with a subtle sheen where the light hits the skin. As part of the Absolue line, it includes key skincare ingredients such as rose, citrus and camellia oils, all of which soothe, smooth, and hydrate skin. It launches 1st June 2019, and you won’t regret this purchase.

10. lancôme absolue WHITE AURA SERUM, $420 (30ml)

This looks and feels like the line’s Revitalizing Oleo Serum but its formula includes brightening and illuminating ingredients such as Actyl-P. It’s good for uneven skin with discolouration caused by freckles, the sun and past blemishes.

11. lancôme absolue WHITE AURA FRESH CREAM, $450 (60ml) / $360 (refill)

This moisturiser just launched earlier this month on the 1st of May, and claims to be the ultimate formula for luminous glowing skin. It’s a reformulation of Absolue White Aura and includes Lancôme’s signature Grand Rose Extracts, plus other high-tech brightening ingredients like Actyl-C. The texture is a refreshing gel that feels like a burst of water on the skin, and like all the other products in the Absolue skincare line, has the signature Lancôme Rose scent that is simply divine.

the lancôme ABSOLUE range of SKINCARE and MAKEUP is available  at lancôme counters and online at TANGS.COM.

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