It’s not a secret that I’m a big fan of MAC Cosmetics and while I do get press samples as part of my job, I have also been a customer of the brand since the 1990s. My favorites are the lipsticks and the face powders, especially the Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. I also love their Lightful C line, which is called a hybrid.
In this context, hybrid means a product that combines makeup with skincare. Let me tell you that one of the reasons why I love MAC is because they were ahead of their time. One of my favorite MAC products is Strobe Cream, a highlighter-moisturizer. The brand has been “using” the word strobe to refer to highlighters a full decade before it became fashionable to do so.
Anyway, back to the Lightful C line. I’ve only owned two products from the line. One is the Lightful C Tinted Cream with Radiance Booster Broad Spectrum SPF 30. The other is the MAC Lightful C Marine-Bright Formula Softening Lotion.
Lightful C Tinted Cream with Radiance Booster Broad Spectrum SPF 30 was one of my go-to base before the pandemic. It’s offered enough coverage for several hours. Meanwhile, the soothing lotion helped calm redness.
The Lightful C line has had a big revamp and it’s now known as Lightful C3. First, they’re no longer in the white and silver packaging but in pretty like pink. The 10 products in the Asia-exclusive line include a cleanser, micellar water, lotion, emulsion, tone-up cream and eye cream.
On the makeup side, the line includes a primer, powder foundation, liquid foundation and cushion.
I attended the online launch of Lightful C3 over the weekend and had the privilege of listening to the line’s introduction by Yumiko Nishikawa, senior director for product development in Asia Pacific for The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Nishikawa said Lightful C3 offers tangible elements, meaning you see results every time you use the products, sensorial experiences with superior textures and beautiful radiant skin as a result.
“Vitamin C will give you an even skin tone. Coral grass is a humectant that will hydrate your skin. Cherry blossom is an antioxidant while pink pearls provide radiance,” said Nishikawa. Nishikawa said that if there is one item in the line that she cannot live without, it would be the Radiant Hydration Skin Renewal Lotion, which is used after cleansing.
Senior artist Rumiko Ikeda Harris said the lotion hydrates the skin after cleansing. Another star product from the line, Radiant Hydration Skin Renewal Emulsion, is to be used after the lotion.
Rumiko Ikeda Harris taught us how to use it—in soft patting motions from the center of the face outwards.Another popular product from the Lightful C3 line is the Lightful C+ Coral Grass Tinted Primer SPF44/PA++++.
Nishikawa urged us to get a bottle or two of this as it is a best seller in Japan and Korea.
Regan Rabanal, MAC’s education director for Asia Pacific, said the Coral Grass Tinted Primer should be applied on the cheeks and then blended “to protect, perfect and prime in an instant.”
“I’m a fan of the original Lightful C franchise. I was able to try the new Lightful C3 earlier before the launch and I’ve been amazed by the beautiful rosy glow it helped me achieve,” said MAC Cosmetics global ambassador Lisa Manobal.
The prices of the products in the Lightful C3 line start from P1,500. The most expensive product is the Coral Grass Tinted Primer for P2,700. The line is available at all MAC locations in the Philippines.
Image credits: JULIANA MAXINE VASQUEZ