How Lancôme Advanced Génifique’s community of empowered women find and live their strength.
An effective formula made for women who want to feel empowered by youthful, resilient skin. This has been the simple but inspiring story of Lancôme Advanced Génifique so far. As one of the world’s most famous, beloved and powerful serums, it really needs no introduction. Nevertheless, the invincible science behind it begs mention every time.
This celebrated patented serum formula that innovatively harnesses microbiome science, consists of a unique complex of 7 pre- and probiotic fractions that work in balancing the integral part of our skin’s surface, what is known as our microbiome, which is invisible, yet fundamental, because it contributes to 3 major skin functions:
- it protects by defending skin against pathogens (bacteria) and frees up antioxidant proteins to help skin fight against free radicals;
- regulates the communication between skin cells, the key to preventing excessive inflammation; and
- also repairs by strengthening the skin’s barrier function, in which a balanced microbiome is vital, thereby allowing skin to recover daily and and unlock its youth potential and unveil its youthful appearance.
Fifteen years of hardnosed research has certainly paid off. It has been proven every time, by every user, that after 7 days of correctly and conscientiously applying Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum, skin becomes visibly firmer, smoother, more radiant and glowing, younger-looking, with major signs of ageing noticeably improved.
In addition to how marvellously the science of the serum works, this time you will also hear from Lancôme Advanced Génifique’s users too, about how Advanced Génifique has shaped their skin health, and about how other women can learn from their stories of steeliness and hardiness. All this happens through a nation-wide Génifique campaign that features 100 Singapore women, each with their own distinct narratives and lived experiences, who together with Lancôme, aspire to build a community of resilient, empowered women in Singapore. Each of these 100 women was also invited to complete the Lancôme Strength-Finder Personality Test, through which they share how they have discovered their potencies, conquered challenges and lived up to their strengths. Hear their unique stories when you visit the Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating virtual pop-up store, which will be launched on 28 August 2020.
Here and now, together with Lancôme, we spotlight 5 out of the 100 inspiring, accomplished women:
who share deeply, generously and truthfully on how to find, and #LiveYourStrength.
Inner Strength is a Decision
“I am not sure if I have truly discovered the full potential of my inner strength. This is because I believe the discovery to inner strength is a journey, and a very personal one.
I think inner strength can be shaped in many ways and for many of us, it is through experiences in life.
“One of my earliest memories of ‘failure’ as a child was when I failed my Math exams in Secondary Two. I was fortunate that my parents were not obsessed with grades. Nonetheless, it was tough coming home with that report card because for the first time, I realised that this was something I had to deal with on my own. My parents cannot practise sums, nor study on my behalf, nor can they sit for my Math exams. I think this was probably the start of the journey. I realised – I can and I will do this. So inner strength is a decision, it is a choice that you make. I believe this was the beginning of my journey.”
Fear Less
“When I started my Instagram account many years ago, I went with the IG handle @Fearlessfi. Many assumed it was because I was fearless. But really, it is a reminder to myself to fear less. When challenges come, make that choice to take them on. With every step that I took to deal with these challenges, I find myself fearing less. And that’s how I build inner strength.
“Instead of looking at inner strength as this huge mountain to conquer, I think about the smaller steps that I can possibly take. Courage can be found in daily decisions. Simply, choose to be courageous. I also think it is important to give myself a pat on the back for being courageous, whether or not the outcome is what I envisioned.
The thing about going through a period of hardship is that it is always the hardest when you’re going through it. You pretty much always never quite see the end of the tunnel, simply because you are still walking and finding your way out. And this is why, when you get to the end of the tunnel and you look back, you realise it really isn’t that bad. And suddenly, you’ve acquired new experiences and new coping mechanisms that will come in handy in the future.
“Create me time. During this time, do what makes you happy. Hopefully it’s something that keeps you grounded as you reflect on the goodness in your life. If you don’t fill you up, who else will? You must be filled to the brim so that your goodness will overflow to your loved ones or people around you. Own and celebrate your successes and failures. After that, let them go and that becomes part of the process of harnessing inner strength. Hanging on to them prevents you from being courageous in trying new things. Surround yourself with good naysayers, who can highlight your blind spots. Being forced to see them helps to build tenacity, inner strength and empowerment.”
My Super-Power Is…
“To be chill. By this I mean, with every challenge/hardship/obstacle that presents itself, I know objectively what is within my control (or not) and whether to invest emotionally. In that way, my decision-making is not clouded by emotions and dramas in my mind. And that’s how I rock and roll with positivity.”
My Lancôme Advanced Génifique Story
“In my 40s, my main skin concern is pigmentation. Pigmentation can be caused by stress and hormonal changes. I own my pigmentation and I wear them with pride, almost like my “war scars”. Having said that, with the Lancôme Génifique, I glow with my “war scars”! What I am trying to say is: be the best version of yourself at every stage in life (with or without pigmentation in my case). It’s important to invest in skincare that works as that’s when you will enjoy lasting results in the long run.”
When challenges come, make that choice to take them on. With every step that I took to deal with these challenges, I find myself fearing less.
Fiona Siew, Lecturer and Yoga Instructor
Hard-won Hardiness
“It was definitely an arduous build-up of inner strength for me. My life’s journey has been all about fighting hard for what I want to achieve. As a woman in the male-dominated field of vitreoretinal surgery, I have been told many times to give up on chasing my dream of pursuing a career as a vitreoretinal surgeon. I never gave up though; and with resilience and tenacity, I persevered in attending countless overseas interviews and international hospital attachments, even when I was the only female candidate. It finally paid off when I was awarded the vitreoretinal surgical fellowship at University of British Columbia in 2014, being the only woman in the world to have received this honour.”
Get in Touch and Get Tough
“When I’m going through a period of hardship, I take some time out to engage my inner feelings. Usually this involves going for a 5 to10km run with good music blasting in my ears. Being in tuned with my mind and body helps me restore confidence and power from within. Next, I focus on attaining short-term goals; which when I achieve, empowers me with a sense of accomplishment and motivates me to push on. Daily, what empowers me is also my love for my children, my connection with my patients and my passion for performing surgery. But most of all, having inner confidence empowers me to face any challenge in life.”
My Super-Power Is…
“My keen powers of perception. High perceptual intelligence is defined as the ability to interpret sensory data and arrive at a good decision. These powers of perception help me in 2 aspects: When I interact with my patients, within a short amount of time, I perceive what their concerns, preferences and expectations are, in order to match the best treatment to their needs. I recognise that the way we perceive situations in life can be moulded to convey a positive experience. I believe that by choosing the most empowering narrative, our life becomes what we make of it. And that has enabled me to live the most fulfilling life possible.”
My Lancôme Advanced Génifique Story
“I took the Lancôme Génifique 7-day challenge because it was a simple short-term goal for me, someone who loathes the feeling of sticky creams on my face. I was pleasantly surprised that Génifique leaves zero stickiness and residue, is easy to apply and leaves a nice firming effect on my skin. Before the week was up, I could see that my skin was already smoother, more radiant, and more hydrated than before. This made me feel good about myself and gave me renewed confidence to go makeup-free.
“Lancôme Génifique really surprised me. I would encourage other women to take the 7-day challenge and let it surprise them; let it be the stepping stone to building your inner confidence and inner strength. It is when we fully embrace our inner beauty that we will be empowered to achieve our greatest dreams.”
I believe that by choosing the most empowering narrative, our life becomes what we make of it.
Dr Claudine Pang, Eye Surgeon & Medical Director of Asia Retina Eye Surgery Centre, Founder of Eye Quotient & Eye Care Without Borders
Embrace Diversity
“One of my inner strengths is adaptability. Growing up, I was taught to embrace diversity and acceptance. I had no qualms hanging out with people from different backgrounds, and embracing their cultures and cuisines. Experiencing new and exciting things has always been an energy-driver for me.
“My inner strength became more apparent as Hegen expanded into overseas markets. Other than the language barrier, nothing stopped me from embracing all the unique cultures of the new cities I visited. This adaptability helps me with how I handle people and navigate tough situations.”
Stay Humble, Be Grateful
“When the going gets tough, I remind myself of these things, many of which I learnt from my dad: Constantly be positive, keep a grateful heart; look at things from a positive angle, count my blessings big or small and continue to do throughout the day what drives and reinforces this positive energy. For example: Make it a point to say “Hi” with a bright smile to everyone at work or home, including my helper. This sets the tone for the day; surround myself with positive people and upbeat music; take nature walks, cycle, and let Mother Nature feed my soul.”
My Super-Power Is…
“The love I feel when I’m around my family – it makes me feel invincible! Juggling a career, raising 3 boys, 1 girl, and breastfeeding non-stop for 10 years is a definite super power! But also my empathy – I can sense and feel people’s pain and that makes me want to help in whatever way I can. As a mother, I am more attuned to the needs of fellow mums and mums-to-be. Creating a mother and baby brand was a natural progression for me, almost like having my fifth child! I aim to do more to support working mothers and encourage them to prolong their breastfeeding journeys by creating more awareness among business communities and the public.”
My Lancôme Génifique Story
“Lancôme Génifique’s respect for science and R&D is something I can relate to as I appreciate products with good design and innovation. It reminds me of the early days when I put pen to paper to create Hegen. I love innovating and slowly seeing the evolution from blueprint to prototype to the physical product. I feel it’s time for me to start creating again and serve mothers with better products to enrich their breastfeeding journey and beyond!
“I believe that inner strength is the secret to unlocking outer beauty. Just like Lancôme’s strong foundation in R&D, you need to build on your strength – whether it’s your drive and tenacity or special talent – to give you the confidence to succeed. The world we live in today offers so much diversity and equal opportunities for women to become entrepreneurs; to excel and lead, whether in academia, the workforce or even politics. Given our diverse perspective, unique experiences and position in the world, my hope for women is to play a bigger role to promote harmony, inclusivity and cohesiveness. Embrace motherhood as a beautiful life progression, and not a deterrent to achieving your career goals and personal dreams.”
Constantly be positive, keep a grateful heart; look at things from a positive angle, count my blessings big or small and continue to do throughout the day what drives and reinforces this positive energy.
Yvon Bock, Founder and CEO, Hegen
Be Authentic
“Life throws a lot of things at you, some are happy moments and some are challenges. The most important relationship in life is what you have with yourself and by being yourself, which involves never lying to yourself and being demanding towards yourself. I often stand in front of the mirror, admire my inner strength and I’m certainly proud of it. I teach my children the same principles of life.
Keep Calm and Battle On
“Challenges and hardships are very much part of everyone’s life. Taking a calm approach which is not always easy, however I regularly demand myself to do so. It’s the thinking process that lets the mind digest the problem first. If there is something that really bothers me, I usually write a response, read it a few times and delete it. I don’t like admiring the problem and I’m happy to eliminate it as soon as possible in order to move on. It all comes down to loving yourself first.”
My Super-Power Is…
“The confidence I have in myself. It is self-confidence that helps me maintain my relationships in business and in my personal life. My kids and my husband are the most important people in my life. They empower me. My husband’s beliefs are the same as mine. Marriage is a partnership which comprises of love and respect for each other in all aspects of life. Without his and my children’s support, I couldn’t build my fashion empire, Jo Kilda; not without their constant love, support, and especially their confidence in me. Then there are some very special people in my life, my soul sisters who come from different walks of life, who are successful and own the power of their confidence, empathy, and philanthropy.”
My Lancôme Génifique Story
“I get immense pleasure in seeing my clients dressed in Jo Kilda, feeling the confidence from not only the outside, but the inside too. Lancôme Génifique completes my entire look, clearly reflecting through my perfect, glowing, youthful skin and thriving confidence. Lancôme Génifique serum has given a lift to our Jo Kilda 100% silk mask merchandise. Combining both products has made me feel secure and looked after. There is no turning back for me. I use Lancôme Génifique to generate inner cells and to activate the next steps in my beauty regime to give my skin the desired outer glow. That’s exactly what my loved ones contribute to my confidence – they give me inner strength. I love the relationship I have with Lancôme; it is one of mutual trust. The product works effortlessly to give my skin suppleness and a noticeably more youthful difference.”
The most important relationship in life is what you have with yourself and by being yourself, which involves never lying to yourself and being demanding towards yourself.
Jyoti Singh, Creative Director/Founder, Jo Kilda
Believe in Yourself
“As an entrepreneur, you can’t hesitate or second guess yourself. That’s really how I discovered my inner strength. Inner strength is a deep, unstoppable belief in yourself. It doesn’t depend on the actions of anyone else, and it doesn’t depend on your circumstances.
“To me, inner strength is the ability to be courageous. It’s something that I always look for within, and it’s something you have to summon on a daily basis, whether you’re about to go into a war zone or face another ordinary day. I believe we all depend on our inner strength to overcome our fears and failures, no matter what we do in life. We need to believe in our capabilities in order to trust ourselves. I don’t know anybody who’s been successful in life and business, who hasn’t been devastated multiple times. The only difference is, they get back up immediately. And that resilience comes from inner strength.
“We all need reminders for ourselves. We all have times of greatness in our lives, times when we’ve felt on top of the world. So the best way to harness your inner strength, is to remind yourself of these times, to reinforce that you are a strong, amazing woman/mother, even if you don’t feel like one at that particular point of time. Life can be a constant struggle between what you don’t think you can do and what you absolutely can do. Strength comes from doing what you thought you couldn’t do. When you swap out comfort for challenge, change happens and the result is a better, stronger you. .”
My Super-Power Is…
“Being able to multi-task – every mom’s super-power. On normal days, I’d carry my baby while cooking lunch, doing laundry and all other household chores. I’ll be carrying my baby while prepping my orders in the kitchen, and replying to my customer enquiries at the same time. There are also times when I bounce while putting her to sleep, while munching on my late lunch sandwich. That’s my super-power.
“Knowledge and experience too. They enable me to stay calm, not freak out, ride out change, keep my cool in the face of aggression coming at me, see the end game.
However, a positive mindset and an even pace will get you through even the roughest times. Your body is stronger than you think and it will give you what you need, if you feed it the right mindset. That’s as important as the right nutrients.”
My Lancôme Génifique Story
“Inner strength is also about confidence. In order to feel good about yourself, you need to feel confident. I’ve been using Lancôme Génifique for about a year now, and it has somehow made me feel more confident about my skin. It feels good to have clearer, healthier skin. I feel more confident going out bare face. As a result, it makes me feel better as a person too.
“To develop inner strength, first you must take the time to get to know yourself better. To understand your aspirations, values, limits, and personal goals. In a way, building inner strength is a journey of self-discovery and self-growth. Like what it has been for me with Lancôme Génifique. It’s a path towards a better version of yourself. But most importantly, be patient. Growth doesn’t happen overnight. You might not feel the positive effects today or tomorrow, but rest assured knowing that as long as you stick to this path, good things are bound to happen.”
Inner strength is a deep, unstoppable belief in yourself. It doesn’t depend on the actions of anyone else, and it doesn’t depend on your circumstances.
Lydia Izzati, Entrepreneur, Satay Ummi
Beauty online shopping with an immersive, educational, 3D twist. These are just the tips of the iceberg for what’s in store within the Lancôme Advanced Génifique virtual flagship store that goes live from 28 August till 20 September.
The virtual flagship pop-up shop showcases the brand’s iconic Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating serum, which has grown into a global phenomenon since its launch 11 years ago. With more than 35 million bottles sold worldwide and over 170 awards under its belt, the beauty icon was reborn with the launch of the Advanced Génifique in 2019 as an updated, patented formula powered by microbiome science, and that pushes the frontiers of skincare into a new era of efficacy.
But the devil is in the details, and there’s lots to uncover here. This cutting-edge innovative pop-up shopping experience marries two fun yet needful leisure pursuits, retail and entertainment, to bring you a full-on retail-tainment experience that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home. The Lancôme Advanced Génifique shop-perience promises to take you on a riveting journey through five unique zones to uncover the secrets of the Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum, while encouraging you to discover your inner strength, as well as your skin’s inner resilience. You are also invited to discover the potency of Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Serum yourself by signing up for a 7-day Lancôme Advanced Génifique trial kit.
Knowledge is power, so here’s where you’ll learn about microbiome science and how Advanced Génifique’s unique complex of seven pre- and probiotic fractions strengthen your skin’s microbiome.
From learning to deep self-discovery. Here is also where you’ll discover your strength type (yes, every woman has one) through the Lancôme Strength-Finder Personality Test and learn how to live by your particular personal strength. The Lancôme Strength-Finder Personality Test, designed exclusively by clinical psychologist Dr. Perpertua Neo, is strongly rooted in science and aligned to Lancôme’s niche on research and innovation. There are a total of 6 strength archetypes:
- Joyful Optimism;
- Fearless Independence;
- Poised Composure;
- Steadfast Discipline;
- Fiery Conviction; and
- Intrinsic Wisdom.
This test will pique your curiosity, make you reflect, and then act – certainly the best steps to harness your super-power and through it, live your best most youthful self.
Here is where the skin fun begins while you experience a virtual skin consultation with just one simple selfie, through the E-Youth Finder, Lancôme’s first-ever mobile skin diagnosis tool powered by artificial intelligence. The E-Youth Finder is a breakthrough combination of artificial intelligence and advanced algorithms, and the device can measure your key skin parameters with just a selfie, allowing the technology to do the rest and providing your diagnosis and a customised skincare routine. On-screen consultations are available as well, if prefer a more in-depth consultation with a Lancôme beauty advisor.
This zone features the highly-anticipated nation-wide Find Your Strength with Lancôme campaign, which presents 100 women in Singapore who share their personal stories of inner strength and how they live their strengths. Their inspiring stories are the stuff of empowerment and courage, and will surely jumpstart your own road to self-discovery and building inner strength. Here is also where you can connect with the greater community of Lancôme Advanced Génifique women in Singapore. The women are also spilt by their Strength Archetypes, having taken the Strength-Finder test in advance, the better for you to find and relate to those with a similar archetype as you. Hear also, some of these women’s personal testimonials of Advanced Génifique, and how they bring their skin’s inner strength to life.
We all love it live, don’t we? This fourth zone hosts a series of authentic livestream sessions organised throughout the duration of the virtual pop-up store. Highlights include appearances by regional and local celebrities, and opportunities for you to discuss with them an array of topics pertaining to personal journeys of empowerment, courage and how to #LiveYourStrength.
Finally, enjoy exclusive deals by Lancôme at the last zone of the virtual flagship and add them to your shopping cart. This zone, modelled after the physical Lancôme store, showcases the full range of Advanced Génifique products. You can also order and purchase personalised Lancôme memorabilia products created by Lancôme’s personalisation machine, as gifts to commemorate this first-ever virtual pop-up retail-tainment store by Lancôme.
Visit the Lancôme virtual flagship here.
Images courtesy of Lancôme, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
Related links:
The Science behind Lancôme’s New Advanced Génifique
Lancôme Advanced Génifique: Inner-Glow in a Bottle
Lancôme’s Advanced Génifique: The Universal Truth Serum
