Huzzah, it’s time for another Influenster Voxbox review spectacular! This time, you guessed it, we are talking all things hydration with some new skincare products from Lancôme and as a bonus, a lip product too.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Influesnter – it is a reviewing community that sometimes offers free products to its members to try out and review. I’ve been a member since 2014, and I must say, it’s a pretty exciting community, especially if you like to use and review a BUNCH of products. I occasionally get to try products that I’ve been eyeballing and or completely brand new products that haven’t hit stores yet. It’s pretty nice.

If you would like to learn more, I have a pretty extensive post – albeit a bit dated – talking all about Influenster HERE. It’s about two years old, and I’ve meant to update it – but all the relevant info is still useful. If you aren’t on Influenster and want to sign up, it’s free: www.influenster.com/r/1098124 [That is my referral code, but I don’t make any money off of it.]

The #HydraZen Voxbox included three items: the new Hydra Zen Anti-Stress Gel Moisturizer, the Tonique Confort toner, and one of the new L’Absolu Lacquer in 378 Be Unique. 

At first, I wasn’t quite sure I would like any of the products included in this voxbox. Lipgloss isn’t my thing most of the time, and I have a love-hate relationship with rose infused stuff due to their overwhelmingly rosy smell. I’m always down to try new things but when it comes to skincare – I need to walk cautiously due to my finicky, sensitive skin. Thankfully, I was surprised by all three… so let’s talk about them.

—– Tonique Confort  Re-Hydrating Comforting Tonger with Acacia Honey —–

A silky-soft moisturizing toner that gently purifies and immediately rehydrates complexion.

The instantly soothing formula made with honey and sweet almond extract gives skin a soft, fresh, clean, and incredibly comfortable feeling. Great for all skin types, it deeply hydrates for a healthy-looking complexion.

Price: $26 USD
Includes:6.7 oz / 200mL of product
Available: Sephora, Ulta, Macy’s, Nordstroms, and Lancome, etc…
Released: June 2018

Packaging: Tall, plastic, semi-translucent bottle with a tip-and-dispense “nozzle” secured with a screw cap top. It didn’t come in a box, just shrink-wrapped in plastic for hygienic and anti-tampering purposes. There are directions in several different languages on the back as well as distribution information, barcode, and shelf life suggestion.

Thoughts:
I was a little surprised when I dispensed the toner for the first time. It was a milky, light pink liquid that is a little more vicious than I was anticipating. Most if not all of my toners are water-like in their consistency and Tonique Confort threw me for a bit.

The application was easy enough. You have the option to put some product on a cotton pad and swipe that all around your face or just use your hands. I’ve tried both, but I think I like the cotton pad application… because it makes me feel bougie. At first, the product feels a little sticky or tacky on the skin, but after a minute or two the toner sinks in and starts its job of hydrating my face and making it all happy. There is the tiniest of floral scents to this toner, but not overpowering or off-putting at all, and the scent fades very fast upon applicating. 

My skin really likes this toner, and while I have sensitive skin, this product didn’t seem to bother me or agitate it at all which is pretty impressive. I have noticed that my skin is relatively more supple and or hydrated longer over the course of the day when using this product.

For the price and affect it had on my skin, the Tonique Confort is pretty solid in my book – even though it has an entirely too long title. I will most likely repurchase it after I use this bottle up.

—– Hydra Zen Anti Stress Gel Moisturizer —–

A comfortable cream-gel moisturizer with a delicate fragrance, ideal for combination skin.

This refreshing, rose-infused gel-cream is formulated with salicylic acid delivers 24-hour hydration for skin that feels smooth, comfortable, and nourished. The lightweight and oil-free formula reduces dullness and signs of fatigue—delivering a radiant and healthier-looking complexion. Redness and irritations are soothed as skin becomes more resistant to environmental aggressors.

Price: $48 USD
Includes:1.7 oz / 50mL of product
Available: Sephora, Ulta, Macy’s, Nordstroms, and Lancome, etc…
Released: June 2018

Packaging: Pink, frosted glass pot with a plastic metallic-finish screw on lid. Inside is somewhat of a “protective” plastic cap to minimize oxidation and contamination of the product everytime you go in for some… but it’s cumbersome and it’s just an extra thing to keep track of. It comes in a double walled cardboard box with the outside box containing information such as ingredients and directions in a few languages.

Thoughts:
When I first opened this product up, I was taken back by the overwhelmingly rosy scent. I’m not one for rose or floral scented things either for perfume or for products. It may be just me, but upon using it for the first week, it was a very heavily rose. Thankfully, after a few times opening and using the product, the overwhelming scent faded.

While this packaging is gorgeous, I wish more companies had the forethought to put their skincare products in airtight pump packaging. It’s less messy and more hygienic. This issue I have with this (*and all potted skincare and makeup products) is that everytime you open up the product, you are exposing it to air/particulates which can lead to contamination or premature spoiling of the product. To get around that, you can always scoop your product out and into one of those travel-friendly pump-dispensing containers or use a silicone brush to pull out product instead of using your fingers.

The application is smearing the product all over the face with your hands. Simple. Direct. Easy as pie although both the art of making pie and calculating or counting pi isn’t that easy for someone who doesn’t work with numbers. Ha. See what I did there? I’m hilarious. The gel is very soft feeling on the skin, and it sinks in somewhat quickly, although I always feel a slight residue for a few hours after application. I wait a good 10 minutes after applying the Tonique Confort before going in with the Hydra Zen, so I know that it’s not the two products layered on each other one right after the other. Have you had this feeling or am I just weird?

While the product did a relatively decent job at hydrating and “reducing stressors on my skin” by slightly plumping and reducing redness… the rosy roseness is a bit much for me, as is the packaging. Am I going to use the rest of it after the “Influenster Trial Period” is over, yes – because not to would be wasteful and I think it pairs beautifully with the toner… but I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing the product.

—– L’Absolu Lacquer Longwear Lip Gloss —–

A lip lacquer and long-wear stain that’s buildable for high-impact color and shine.

This brilliant lip lacquer combines the comfort and shine of a gloss, the pigment of a lipstick, and the lasting power of a stain. The high-shine finish and vivid color payoff are buildable from sheer to full coverage in as little as three coats. Lancôme’s innovative oil-in-water emulsion is lightweight and non-sticky, providing up to six hours of wear. Enriched with glycerin, this formula keeps lips feeling hydrated throughout the day.

Shade: 378 “Be Unique”
Price:$26 USD
Includes:0.27 oz / 8mL of product
Available: Sephora, Ulta, Macy’s, Nordstroms, and Lancome, etc…
Released: June 2018

Packaging: The lip gloss comes in Lancome’s signature silvery cardboard packaging and has the ingredients and all that jazz including the shade name written on various sides of the box. The lip gloss container is plastic with a transparent see-thru to opaque glossy black ombre showing the product’s color and gold branding. The lid is nice because there is a little click when you’ve got it closed securely. As far as the applicator, it’s a pointed doe-foot applicator – like most lip glosses and liquid lipsticks nowadays. The top of the lipgloss has a little gold Lancome rose, and the bottom of the container has a few informational bits and only has the shade number – not it’s “name” if that makes sense.

Thoughts:
Alright, so out of the three products I received – this was my least favorite. It has that typical Lancome lip product smell which doesn’t fade quickly, and I found the product to be overly sticky and or thick for the first hour or two before becoming comfortably wearable. It has a very smooth, gel-like texture when it first goes on, as well. It did leave a beautiful stain afterward which I enjoyed. I have dry lips with fine lines around the edges, and I did find that the more coats I used, the more it bled or clung to dry patches. 

The 1,2,3 option of wear – where one coat is sheer, two layers is semi-opaque, and three coats for full coverage is not sensationally new or anything.

The color is a bit bold for me – as I don’t venture into the bright pinks or reds very often, so I did purchase a more nude-ish muted tone which I liked better than the one I received. Below is a picture of Mr. Chaos and me on a date night. I was wearing the other shade that I purchased, #306 Infra Rose, which is pretty darn close to my natural lip color on a good day. I have worn this shade several times and generally only apply one coat for a lovely sheer wash/stain. I also found that this one isn’t as thick or sticky feeling on my lips. Go figure. 

PS: Isn’t Mr. Chaos adorkable and I love him lots. Also, yes I am taller than him by about 3.5 inches – more if I’m wearing anything with a heel. 

If you’re curious what 378 BE UNIQUE looks like on mah lips – there ya go. This photo above was taken in between two and three coats while the picture below has the full three coats and a macro ring light close to it, so the color looks more vivid. I did find that the more layers I applied, the more the product would move around on me.

Makeup Information for the finished look:
Lancome’s Skin Feels Good Skin Tint in 01N Nudey mixed with Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer, Bite Beauty Blondie Multistick, Lancome Dual Finish Powder in 120 Ivory, Glossier Boy Brow in Black, European Body Art AAM for the freckles, MUFE Aqua XL Cream Paint in I-80 and Artist Color Pencil in 612 Dimensional Dark Brown, Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara, and of course the 378 Be Unique L’Absolu Laquer on the lips with no added lip liner.

Overall, I am very thankful that I still get sent voxboxes full of products to try out via Influenster. This VoxBox will be my THIRD Lancome campaign that I’ve been a part of, and hopefully, I did a decent job reviewing it for yous guys.

As with all my Influenster posts, I was sent these products for reviewing purposes – but I am not being paid to post this. All opinions stated are 100% my own. 

Random, not random aside: I wanted the pictures to be fancy, so I bought several dozen roses in similar or complementary hues to the packaging… you know – to be extra. I took so many pictures, by the end, the heat from my lights had started to wilt the flowers a bit. I hope you guys like all the pretty product pictures. Product photography is one of the things I do as a job, so I enjoy being extra with products from time to time.

Were you included in the Lancome Hydra Zen VoxBox? Did you like it? Did you not? Have you tried these products elsewhere? Let me know your thoughts and throw any other questions my way down in the comments section.