Lancôme Teint Miracle Hydrating Foundation - 2017 Formula Review

Teint Miracle (S$68) was the first foundation I bought from Lancôme years ago. I remember getting a couple of sample sachets (carefully squeezed into a travel jar and rationed out into several days of use) and had a light bulb moment when I when I realized foundation could refract and bounce light to give coverage and "fake" a natural-looking nude skin luminosity.

Teint Miracle has always had a spot (well, two spots because I buy this in two shades) in my foundation drawer since. Even though the market is now flooded with newer formulas, I come back to this one repeatedly because I trust it to deliver that my-skin-but-better effect without sacrificing too much coverage or a fresh feel. 

Lancôme Teint Miracle (2017)

Brands constantly upgrade formulas as new technology and better ingredients become available, so I wasn’t too worried about the new version not being good, but reformulations can cause things to sit differently on the skin, so I spent the past few days just testing out the new foundation repeatedly.

What I always loved about the Teint Miracle formula:

• natural looking radiance that mimics great skin and gives a brighter, more rested appearance
• lightweight feel with buildable to medium coverage
• hydrating but oil-free and non-tacky to the touch
• satin finish that looks like bare skin
• great fairer shade options on the yellow-based spectrum

The latest formula is supposed to deliver these, along with:

• deeper skin hydration from rose extract, glycerin and hyaluronic acid
• soothing and anti-aging benefits from rose and Moringa extract (rich in vitamin A) 
• oil-absorbent ingredients for better lasting power
• new "Universal Light Technology" to mimic that perfect glow regardless of lighting conditions

MY EXPERIENCE

The first difference I noticed was the disappearance of that opalescent effect that showed up on the sides of the glass (see below) in some of the older formulas. I didn't mind it because the foundation never looked shimmery or pearly on the skin once applied, but the new pigments will definitely perform better under flash photography than the older ones.

SHADES

The shade selection leans on the fair to medium side for Singapore. For those unfamiliar with Lancome's shade markers, there are 2 yellow based shades (BO tag), 5 neutrals (O) and 1 pink (PO).

Teint Miracle shades available in Singapore as of Sep 2017

For reference, I used to go between BO-02 (around MAC C2, NC20) and O-025 (NC25, Chanel 20). 

I swatched the colors side by side for visual comparison, although you should always try to test foundations out in store, directly on your jaw/neck. And give it time to set and see if it oxidizes. Many artists and sales assistants will just swatch something on your jaw or neck and then tell you "yup, this one is right for you". 

Give it a few minutes, THEN confirm which shade works best for you. Better yet, grab a free sample and bring it home for a few wear tests to see how it looks over the day. Samples are always available at Lancôme counters: https://www.lancome.com.sg/store-locator/

Teint Miracle foundation shade swatches

This formula will darken slightly as it sets. I did swatch tests checking fresh swatches against 5-minute old swatches, and most of these will settle about half a tone deeper than when fresh out of the bottle. It's just the way certain pigments settle and reflect less light when volatile components in the formula evaporate. Don't confuse this with "oxidation", which is when color pigments actually morph and change to a deeper and more orange shade after a few hours of exposure to air and sebum. In my experience, Teint Miracle does not oxidize noticeably after that.

Do note that the new shades don't all go from light to deep depending on numbers, and they don’t all correspond with other formulas in the Lancome range. O-025 in the new formula is deeper and more peachy than the original so don't just grab it off the shelf based on your old shade.

BO-02 is still a good match to the original but the new O-015 and O-03 (black caps) are both a better match for my old O-025 than the current O-025.

New O-025 (black cap) vs old O-025 (clear cap)

Besides the slight initial darkening over a few minutes as the product dries down and sets (which is quite normal), the color does not darken through the day. I haven't had the new formula long enough to say, but with all my previous Teint Miracle foundations, I've never experienced the formula darkening and changing shades in the bottle after a few months.

There are not many shade options for tan to darker skin tones locally at the moment.

INGREDIENTS

Like the older formula, the new Teint Miracle does contain alcohol somewhat high on the ingredient list. There are some who indiscriminately bash foundations and skin products containing alcohol, as if their face will collapse once it touches their skin. I personally don't have a problem with it unless the product has a high concentration of alcohol that is not balanced by other skin-conditioning ingredients.

Sometimes alcohol is there to enhance a product's texture and ability to dry down, and sometimes it is there to allow skincare ingredients to better penetrate the epidermis. If you know that you have extremely sensitive skin and bad reactions to alcohol-containing products in general, then maybe this is not for you. But otherwise, I would caution against jumping on the overly extreme internet-driven "ingredient boycott" bandwagons.

Teint Miracle (2017 formula) ingredients

TEXTURE AND WEAR

In terms of texture and feel on the skin, I have to say the old and new formulas feel about the same applied on the skin. It's a fresh fluid texture that is easy to work with. I always test foundations with my fingers, as a baseline for comparison, and this goes on fine and blends well without tools. 

The older formula is runnier and requires a slightly longer shake, while the newer one has an airier "whipped" texture so it looks a little more gel-like, less liquid. This will probably allow it to work a bit better with application tools as it doesn't get sucked up into bristles and sponges as much.

As an oil-free hydrating formula, this gives you a decent amount of time to blend and move the product around before it dries down and sets to a satin finish. It's not a long-wear foundation so you will need a little setting powder for the product to hold up through sweat, humid weather or on combination skins. I would maybe not suggest this for oily skins as it is not designed to be specifically oil-resistant in spite of the sebum-absorbent ingredients. As with any hydrating formula, it is meant to hold moisture and not made to cope with excessive oil.

I find I need to use a sheet of oil-blotter at mid-day to lift some excess shine off my T-zone, but the rest of my face looked fine. Once it sets, my skin feels comfortable and clean, and there is no tacky after-feel. 

There was slight fading around the usual spots around my nose and eyes after about four or so hours going in and out of humid weather, but most of it stayed on well. I have worn this for full work days (about 11-12 hours out) and it hasn't gone dark and orange, or started breaking down, shifting, or caking around pores.

COVERAGE

Like the original, the new Teint Miracle has decent coverage that you can sheer out or build up to medium opacity. Which is one of the things that impressed me in the beginning. I was used to light-feeling "nude skin" type foundations having minimal coverage.

Coverage level is more or less the same as the old formula in my experience. It blurs discolorations and while it doesn't mattify or cover pores, the particles do seem to subtly diffuse the appearance of pores without removing the glow.

I have a couple of new marks from recent pimples (yay for hormones...) so it's a perfect way to demonstrate coverage. Below is a shot taken with a full layer of foundation. I patted on with fingers (you always maximize coverage by patting instead of rubbing) on bare, un-primed skin and did not apply concealer. 

One generous coat applied with fingers, without primer, concealer or powder

The foundation is able to brighten and lift sallow undertones and even a bit of my dark circles (you can still see the original discoloration around my eyelid where I did not apply product) and almost totally covered up my hyper-pigmentation marks without concealer. And despite it being a "glowy" foundation, it did smooth over and reduce the appearance of pores around my inner cheek area.

It leaves a radiant (but not shiny) finish on the skin, and I definitely recommend it for normal, combination and dry skins. I also think this would be gorgeous on dull or mature skins, or when you need a little glow boost when you're hungover or tired. Because this does not mattify or conceal texture, it will not hide raised acne bumps and pitted scars in very textured skin. And the pore blurring effect will go away once you get slightly shinier over time. 

In general, if you need more coverage in areas, use a separate concealer. This looks natural but like most foundations, if you apply an overly heavy layer, you can affect its ability to set properly and sit nicely for a whole day.

With setting powder, you can still create a velvety demi-matte effect without losing the "lit from within" radiance. And true to its original intent, this foundation looks good in all sorts of lighting conditions.

Teint Miracle foundation, shot in bright daylight

Makeup notes:

Blush Subtil Powder Blush 003 Peau de Peche 

L'Absolu Rouge 239 Au Naturel and 343 Suspense (layered and blotted for a matte finish) 

Hypnose Star Palette in ST3 Terre D'Ivoire
Teint Miracle Hydrating Foundation O-015 mixed with BO-02

FINAL VERDICT

In my opinion, if you have normal, combi (but not exceedingly oily), and dry skin without too much texture issues and blemishes you need to mask, this is a beautiful product to have in your arsenal. 

In fact, I'd call it a great "first-date" or date night foundation because it goes on like a BB, covers like a foundation, and looks (and feels) like great skin up close. I probably wouldn't suggest this as the #1 option for surviving 12-hours in humid heat, but for a night out it will make you look beautifully radiant.

Also, if you love cushion foundations, this actually gives all the benefits (glow, buildable coverage, hydration, lightweight feel) in a hygienic pump bottle, and at better value considering the volume of product you get. I don't touch up my liquid foundation on the go so I don't mind it not being in a compact. 

INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY: 

Don't miss a chance to win a full-size bottle of the new Teint Miracle Foundation. Stop by Instagram and look for the corresponding image to this post to enter the giveaway; 5 winners will receive a bottle in their perfect shade! Contest closes 30 Oct.