My love affair with serum’s started at a Dior counter a few years ago and while I didn’t find one that worked for me, the thin silky texture and the softness they gave my skin had me hooked. Many months later when checking out a foundation at a Lancome counter I was given a couple of samples of the Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector and the romance began in earnest.
Before I begin, it’s worth pointing out that alcohol is high on the ingredient list so if you are sensitive to alcohol this may not be for you. Personally my skin tolerates it very well. If you read the Paula’s Choice review, this product is nothing but bad because of the high alcohol content but consider this. The active ingredient LR 2412 is a lipid which is insoluble in water (think oil and water – the two just won’t stay mixed due to their polar properties). The alcohol increases its solubility and helps it penetrate the skin, and what many people fail to remember is that alcohol evaporates very quickly - it’s not going to linger on your skin, sadistically eating away at it. You do need to work quickly when applying this as the alcohol also increases the dry down time dramatically. I dab this over my cheeks, chin, nose and forehead before quickly smoothing it out over my face and neck. I usually only get 2 or 3 passes before the alcohol has evaporated and the remaining ingredients are completely absorbed.
It comes in a tall sleek blue green bottle which has an inner bottle that is opaque and a pump dispenser. It doesn’t pump out a huge amount and two pumps is the perfect amount to cover my entire face and neck.
Product claims:
More than a wrinkle-corrector, this product is capable of fundamentally re-creating more beautiful skin. The first skincare product with LR 2412, a molecule designed to propel through skin layers, it triggers a cascading series of micro-transformations along its path. On the surface, wrinkles and pores are visibly corrected. Imperfections like signs of UV damage and acne marks appear diminished.
Now I have to note here that if it wasn’t for the fact that I had two sachets to trial I probably would have written this one off too. I managed to stretch the samples to last two weeks using just a small amount every morning and I only really noticed the difference to my skin after the first 10 days or so.
Late teenage and adult acne, two pregnancies and a basically non-existent skin care regime until my mid 30’s left my skin with lots of pigmentation marks and an uneven texture but within those first two weeks I saw the discolouration ease and my skin felt smoother and softer. I had been using a fairly strong glycolic treatment (Alpha-H Liquid Gold) for months before this which went a long way to improving my skin tone but together they’ve proven to be a powerful team.
Other than affecting dark spots and uneven skin tone, Lancome also claim that Visionnaire can reduce the appearance of pores and wrinkles. You can take this serum right up under your lashline and while it’s not earth shattering, I have noticed a smoothing of the fine lines at the outer edges of my eyes. Personally I didn’t see a difference in the size of my pores but then I never expected this to be a magic bullet for all my skin issues. I don’t think any single beauty product is.
The serum does have a fragrance which I quite like but it dissipates fairly quickly. And it also contains mica, an ingredient I usually steer clear of as it tends to highlight my wrinkles rather give my skin radiance, but I don’t find either effect here. To me it basically gives the serum its pretty pearlescent appearance and nothing more.
I’ve been using this serum for well over a year now and have recently purchased my third bottle. In Australia this retails at $97 for the 30ml size and $135 for the 50ml size which certainly isn’t cheap but is in line with the majority of other high end brands in Aus. The 50ml bottle lasts me around 7-8 months with almost twice daily use.
Overall, I’m really happy with this product and am looking forward to trialling the new formulation that was recently released which is supposed to have a higher concentration of LR 2412 and is gentler on the skin. If it’s as good as the original I can see myself continuing to use it for some time to come.
Would I recommend it: Yes
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