Haul & Swatches: Lancome Sale

I was really chuffed to snag some discount Lancome goodies in Debenhams the other week, because you know me, I'm usually the first one at the counter to buy all this stuff when it launches, so it was a pleasant change. Even more so, because they were items I'd wanted when they first came out but talked myself out of splurging. I wonder if I can find the original post about the 'In Love' collection...here it is. My non-makeup wearing Mum bought the Baume In Love lipbalm while I resisted the whole collection to pick up another ArtLiner and qualify for a GWP at the time. Good things must come to those who wait because this collection launched in February, proving I do have some patience! Of course you never know what's going to sell out or if anything will be reduced, so it's a risk.
There were two shades of Blush In Love and only one left in this colour and a few of the other. Showing I not only have patience, but willpower, I only purchased the one colour. Even with 50% off, which I would normally justify by buying twice the amount! Can I get a whoop, whoop? Thank you! The shade is 10 Peche Joue-Joue and even although my only grasp of the French language is from selling brands like Lancome and Clarins in my teens and learning some completely random words (which will be of no use to anyone) for ballet classes when I was younger, I can work out that this is the peachy shade (the other being pink).
Unusually Lancome have opted for a sturdy card container for the blush rather than plastic. For what it is and given that powder doesn't 'go off' the way cream or liquid does, it feels substantial enough. I think with Emma Watson in the campaign images, they were aiming for a younger demographic with funkier packaging (just excluded myself from that group by saying 'funky'). Inside the lid is a mirror which pulls out (with a little ribbon), which is quite a nifty feature ('nifty' gah another retro word).
The blush itself is made up of several colours with a branded (and raised) ivory square in the centre. Surrounding that is the peach colour with roses carved into the surface and coloured in shimmering lilac which I suspect is just overspray. The pink version was much brighter (almost neon when swatched) and although I like my blushes colourful, something drew me to the peach one that day.
I have some swatches for you, later in the post. First though is the Khol In Love eye pencil. This was completely jammy, as it was the only one left and I remember this being my favourite colour last time I swatched them. 20 Jade Crush is a vivid, bright turquoise and again the packaging is really pretty and fun. Usually pencils are pretty boring right? It has a matte, almost powdery looking soft finish.
It's an absolute joy to use this pencil. The colour is extremely pigmented and bright. It feels soft and velvety and does not in any way drag upon application. Yet it is so long-lasting and budge-proof. I'd obviously forgotten just how budge-proof, as I applied the tester to my hand before this purchase and then could not remove it with a tissue or my Soap & Glory Hand Maid! I've worn this twice already here and here and you can see how vivid it is. There's absolutely no transfer to the upper lids when wearing this, once it's applied, it's there to stay without fading or bleeding. I would imagine it would be difficult to remove if you made a mistake when applying, but I get around this by applying my eye makeup before my base, although the pencil makes it so easy to draw a precise, straight line, that I've never needed to. I think it looks amazing as a bright pop of colour along the top lashline.
My swatches are both without the flash, but in different light.
Outwith the In Love collection, were some other bits and bobs including these Ombre Absolue Mono eyeshadows in shade...wait for it...Erika F. (133 G40)!! Before I began blogging, I passed my time on MakeupAlley, a global community for makeup enthusiasts and this eyeshadow was like gold dust there. It was a European shade and much sought after. US peeps were desperate to get their hands on it and it quickly became this cult item with soaring prices on eBay and desperate 'please bring it back from your Europe holiday/trip' requests! Even within Europe, it was constantly out of stock, not surprising given it's universally flattering shade.
It's a beautiful shimmering, complex pewter leaning towards green and one of those colours that I just can't get enough of. I finally got my hands on one, years ago, although I've mainly used the (same) colour in a GWP palette before taking the plunge to use the full-size one. I'm not sure if it was half price because they are updating the packaging or discontinuing it altogether (jeez it's like a Baume Eclat cleanser freak-out all over again), whatever the reason may be, I wanted the security of knowing I had another one "just in case". I don't think they fetch the same (ridiculous) prices on eBay as they once did, so I didn't buy the entire lot as my sole pension plan!
The flash (above) best shows the beautiful sparkles.  Not hard to see it's cult status and why it launched a thousand similar shades by high-end and high-street brands.
I'd hope Lancome were savvy enough to know that this is the kind of go-to shade one requires for the rest of their life and therefore not something to be discontinued. I was comforted by the notion that it would 'always be there' should my current run out, so it's a little disconcerting to think these two palettes are it for me now. It's still online (full price) which is a good sign though. Here is the Blush In Love swatch I promised earlier, alongside Erika F, again both without the flash but in different lights.
For some reason the 'In Love' collection isn't discounted online and certainly last week when I was instore the whole lot had gone, so you'll have to check your local counter and see if you strike it lucky. The whole point of my trip was to spend £15 I had saved on my beauty card, but the Urban Decay concealer I'd wanted, they didn't have. I wasn't sure if I could use my loyalty points on this, but it was no problem. So £67 worth of items were mine for £33.50 (less than the price of the blush) and I actually only paid £18.50. I also got some fragrance samples thrown in, so it was a good day!