Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation Review and Swatch

We breathlessly wrote about this pre-launch way back in July and Lancome's newest foundation, Teint Miracle, €35.50, has been on counter now for a couple of months.  It promises a lot: a new way to absorb and reflect light, excellent hydration and fancy ingredients like byron, a new pigment designed to maximise radiance.

While that could mean the fluid is jam-packed with sparkle, thankfully it isn't at all.  This is very light-weight, very liquidy as you can see above, spreads and blends like a dream and retains a moist, dewy appearance on the skin. I love using it - it feels really comfortable and wears well all day with no dry patches.  The coverage is sheer-to-not-quite-medium, so it does that 'my skin but better' thing really well. There's none of the mask-like clagging you can often find in heavier products and for my dry skin, it's a real winner.

Except for one thing.

The shade choices - eight in all - are terrible for classic Irish skintones. I have the palest shade, 01 Beige Albatre, and it's just way too orange for me. I had a sneaking suspicion it was a little too dark and yellow-toned but the evidence presented to me in the form of last week's Rouge Pur Couture shots was incontrovertible: I can't wear this anymore, I look crazy.

It's a real shame - this would definitely have become a go-to, so fingers crossed the brand does bring out some paler, pinker-toned shades in a later release. Because if you do have the right shade, this is one of those products that makes you look like you have great skin, and not merely great foundation.

With an SPF 15, 40% more water yet 10 times less fillers than traditional foundations and soothing rose extracts, this could just be the product to release older women from their makeup masks too. There's a temptation as we age to go for ever thicker, full-coverage base, but that has the opposite effect to making you look youthful. Instead, a light, hydrating foundation and judicious use of concealer are far more likely to make you look young and fresh.

So, while sadly this isn't a keeper for me purely based on the shade, anyone with a darker tone to their skin will probably find it fantastic.