ALU In NYC – A Visit To The Lancome Boutique

A couple weeks ago, I went on a trip to NYC with a few of my beauty blogging pals to meet with some of our favorite beauty brands. I also spent some time interviewing a few nail and beauty industry pros (more to come on that) and saw my first Broadway show (Avenue Q). It was a packed five days but a total blast. I’ll be sharing some of the highlights of the trip with you over the next couple weeks.

One of the stops on our mini beauty tour was the Lancome Boutique on Columbus Ave (at 69th). The boutique is the ultimate Lancome playground with huge testing stations filled with every product Lancome makes. There are skilled and helpful makeup artists on hand to recommend and apply products and a spa room in back where you can receive facials, waxing and body treatments (men too!).

The day of our visit was a day after the Oscillation launch and everyone was buzzing about it and the major waiting list (21,000 people) to snag a tube. Of course finding willing volunteers to test out the mascara wasn’t hard. Connie and Janice (Specktra) jumped at the chance and all I can say is WOW. I could literally see their lashes growing before my eyes. Read all about Connie’s Oscillation Obsession on The Daily Obsession.

Now given the chance to bend the ear of Lancome’s VP of Public Relations, Kerry Diamond, I had to tell her how the fascination over last summer’s Le Magnetique magnetic nail lacquer still rages on and how we all hope for a return with new colors. *fingers crossed that our plea will be heard*

I originally thought this year’s holiday collection, C’est Magnifique (above), included a magnetic polish but I was mistaken due to some international promo images I saw online. Though I have seen images of an international L’oreal (Lancome’s parent company) magnet polish so perhaps it will return stateside in another form.

Though even without the return of Le Magnetique, the holiday collection includes a few items that immediately drew my eye and managed to jump into my bag. The nail colors, natch, the Hollywood Seductive Color Design Quad (below) and the LE Icon of Stage Juicy Tube (a rich crimson).

During playtime, I mentioned how much I loved the LE Pout-A-Porter series lipstick shade P.S. Kiss and my regret over not pre-ordering a tube so I was delighted to hear of a close dupe, Brick House (left). The lovely Lancome Makeup Artist, Lena Lekaj, grabbed a tube along with a matching liner and gloss to give me the perfect berry stained lip. While applying, she complimented the fullness and overall shape of my lips which was way flattering. I’ve always hated the unevenness of my bow.

And since all of us were drooling over the gorgeous Hollywood Seductive shadow quad, that had to come home with me as well. The picture really doesn’t justify the luminescence of the colors or how amazing they look together.

My only disappointment was that our visit didn’t last longer. I could have played for hours swatching the holiday palettes, sniffing the fragrances and testing the various skincare lotions and potions but I’ll just have to wait for my next trip to the city. And when I do, I’m totally making time to run across the street and grab a cupcake from the famous Magnolia Bakery. After being introduced to Sprinkles and Yummy Cupcakes (thanks Connie!) in LA, I just HAVE to compare them to the ones made famous by Sex And The City.

The C’est Magnifique collection is at Lancome counters now and online at Lancome-USA.com. And if you have the chance, I highly recommend you stop by one of the five US Lancome Boutiques for a little playtime of your own.