From The Straits Times    |

These 2 products are great for treating dark spots and pigmentation.jpg

Image: Robert Freeman/Corbis

Did you know that not all brown spots are created equal? The most obvious kind are flat ones such as freckles and melasma – you can see the spots, but they aren’t raised. The second kind are relief spots, which feel slightly bumpy and textured.

According to a study conducted by French beauty giant Lancome, 90 per cent of Asian women have both types of brown spots, which is why the brand has developed two products designed to combat both types: the new Blanc Expert Melanolyser [AI] Brightness Diffusing Essence In Lotion ($110) and the reformulated Blanc Expert Melanolyser [AI] Spot Eraser ($160).

Lancome Blanc Expert Melanolyser [AI] Brightness Diffusing Essence In Lotion is a toner-and-serum hybrid that should be used after a cleanser. It lightly hydrates and preps skin to receive the active ingredients in the skincare applied after, and is formulated with gentian extract to reduce inflammation and flatten raised spots, as well as actyl C, a vitamin C derivative that reportedly slows down melanin production and fades brown marks. The texture of this lotion is slightly thicker than a regular toner, but it sinks quickly into skin and leaves it feeling refreshed.

Lancome Blanc Expert Melanolyser [AI] Spot Eraser has a velvety cream texture and has been reformulated to target relief spots in addition to flat ones. It has vitamin CG (a synthetic form of vitamin C), ellagic acid and red dulce extract to supposedly break down excess melanin in skin, and salicylic acid to refine brown spots and make them smoother.

These 2 products are great for treating dark spots and pigmentation lotion and spot eraser.jpg

Lancome Blanc Expert Melanolyser [AI] Brightness Diffusing Essence In Lotion, $110. Lancome Blanc Expert Melanolyser [AI] Spot Eraser, $160. Image: Jasper Yu.

Time for a new cushion
Lancome’s new, easy-to-use compact, the Blanc Expert Cushion Compact, comes in four shades (for light to medium skin tones) and provides natural coverage. The texture is light, (somewhere between that of a lotion and a cream) and it glides onto skin smoothly. You don’t need to blend much; just pat it in with the provided applicator. If you have good skin, use it as a sunscreen (it has SPF50) or tinted moisturiser. Otherwise, use it under foundation – it acts like a primer, and helps foundation adhere longer to skin and stay fresh all day.

These 2 products are great for treating dark spots and pigmentation cushion.jpg

Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact, $75. Image: Jasper Yu.

This story was first published in HerWorld Magazine May 2015.

Struggling to get rid of your dark spots? Here are 5 potent serums and masks that might do the trick!

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