Treat your young skin to Lancome LCM!

I was one of the first people in the world to try out this range of skincare (really!) and have had the chance to test it over a relatively long period of time. Lancome LCM was launched as a range consisting 6 products here in Singapore in October 2002 and then subsequently in the rest of Asia. The reason why I said I was one of the first was because I made a beeline for the distribution counter for a free "discovery kit" (containing 50ml Foaming Cleansing Gel and 50ml Beautifying Skin Conditioner)in the morning of the first day of its launch...I even skipped a morning of lectures just for it! The reason I was so enthusiastic was that the LCM range seemed to be what I have been looking for. But is it all that it seems?

I'm very particuliar with my skin care products actually. The cleanser and moisturizer must come from the same brand, come from a reputable brand, look good, and of they can't be fragrance-free, they must at least smell good. Lancome LCM, I knew, would fit this bill.

Lancome LCM makes two variants- one for combination/oily skins and another for normal/dry skins. I'm reviewing the first one.
It claims to be a "transparent gel that turns to a light-as-air mousse as you massage away impurities and excess sebum without dryness or irritation."
The cleanser smells great- fruity, and even slightly citrusy. it turns into a mousse alright, but it is not as foam-my as I like. One of the things I didn't like about this is that the dispenser tends to dispense too much and the product spurts out everywhere but onto your palm if you are not careful. When the Lancome girls were demonstrating, they had the same problem so there's a warning.
The cleanser is certainly not drying. In fact, it doesn't have any oil-controlling properties. Prior to this, I have used with Lancome Mousse Controle with much success but this LCM cleanser seems to be much milder.
The thing that kept me away from this cleanser after the trial size bottle is gone is the fact that it stings my skin...yes, as much as I hate to say this, it produces a burning sensation the moment it is in contact with my face. Now I will not go as far as to say that I have sensitive skin. This is the only product that has ever done that to my face. I was rather disappointed after the first try. Thank goodness there was no redness after I rinsed off the cleanser. I tried it again before bedtime, and it produced the same kind of sensation, just not as severe as the first time. Used it again the next morning and the burning sensation was almost gone. For the next few days, I used another cleanser and the next time I used this LCM cleanser, the stinging sensation was back! At this time, I swore never to use this product again. Too bad. I really wanted to like this.

Can I really skip the toner?
That depends on what you use your toner for. If it is for removing the last traces of make-up and cleanser, then you will want to stick to your usual toner.
If you use a toner simply because you think you have to, toss out that toner now. I read the ingredients on my two bottles and compared them with my Lancome Tonique Controle and Tonique Clarte. The first four ingredients in my Conditioners completely correspond with that in the toners.

So are the products reccommended?
I have some reservations about the cleanser, but I really reccommend the Beautifying Skin Conditioner for it is scores high in affordability (I forsee my 100ml bottle lasting almost a year), pleasure and efficacy.