Dior Diorsnow BB Creme: First Impressions

 Dior, Foundation, Skin care  37 Responses »
Jun 052012
 

Last week, I picked up Dior ‘Diorsnow UV Shield ‘ White Reveal BB Crème SPF 50 PA+++ ($50/1.2 oz.). I’ve been curious about BB cremes, which began their formulation in Asian markets and are intended to provide skin care benefits along with foundation-like coverage. Dior has been at this a while–it has a formulation of a BB Creme under its Hydralife series sold at Sephora. Recently, Dior  released this  formulation to its whitening Diorsnow line in the U.S. market.

According to the description on Nordstrom’s website, Diorsnow BB Creme:

  • Is a clinically proven brightening-treatment collection that evens the complexion, diminishes the appearance of dark spots and increases radiance
  • Powered by Icelandic glacial water and Dior’s exclusive transparency-enhancing complex, the new formulas counteract skin acidity and target all five features of a radiant complexion (evenness, luminosity, moisture, texture and plumpness).
  • Immediately skin is illuminated with a flawless, even radiance that is intensified day after day.
The product is packaged in a pump-tube. Because the product is fairly thick, it helps to tilt the pump downward (gravity is your friend here). Some thoughts:
  • Diorsnow BB Creme comes out a bit dryer and heavier than a traditional foundation.  Some mix it with a moisturizer. I used it just as it is.
  • This product looks just terrible when it is first applied–gray, thick, pore-emphasizing. Wait. After about two full minutes, the foundation seems to settle and color adjust.  It looks significantly different a few minutes after application. If you are testing it at a counter, insist on a full-face trial.
  • I found coverage medium toward heavy (it is certainly more pigmented than Nars Tinted Moisturizer, or Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua fluid). Still, you don’t need much product to get full-face coverage.
  • It feels a little heavier on my skin compared to some of the new lightweight foundations. As I said earlier, you might mix this with a moisturizer to lighten the coverage. I didn’t and not much of my own skin texture showed through.
  • Once it settled in, the texture was very fine and worthy of a high-end foundation category. I really enjoyed the way that it looked.
  • Because the coverage is strong, I really needed a bronzer/blush to add dimension to my face.
  • Diorsnow BB Creme holds up beautifully in 90 degree heat. This BB creme goes the distant in warm weather–I’m getting a 16 hour day out of this with no problems so far.
  • This leaves my forehead with a little glow–a powder helps. Interestingly, I do not typically have to re-powder during the day.
Currently, I was able to find only one color of Diorsnow BB Creme at my local counter, although it appears that there are two colors released in Asia (see this review at My Woman Stuff, with comparison swatches). I found that this color runs warm and light, which works for my NC15/20 skin tone. Here is a swatch–at the bottom, you can see how unnatural it looks when the product is first applied before it dries down (at the bottom).
Dior’s Diorsnow BB Creme has one of the highest rated sun protection on the market–this is rated at SPF 50. Still, never one to rely on my foundation alone, I’ve been wearing this over my Chanel UV Essential 50 sunscreen. My face is quite pale right now, i can assure you. Nothing seems to get through that combination. Ingredient list (click to enlarge):
Because I just purchased this last Friday, I can’t speak to the skincare benefits. You will typically need to use a lightening product for a good 6 to 8 weeks (or longer) in my opinion to tell whether it can deliver. I have not experienced any breakouts or clogging so far. As with any foundation and sunscreen, I remove everything at the end of the day with a Clarisonic brush, followed by a gentle toner. Active ingredients (from the tube):
Like some other reviewers, I was surprised to see Octinoxate listed although it appears that one study has concluded this is a safe sunscreen ingredient. To be honest, I’m neither a chemist nor an oncologist. Just a friendly beauty blogger.
 
As such, as far as a summer foundation– so far, so good. It does well in heat, it has a respectable SPF rating (although one should typically wear a sunscreen anyway), medium to heavy coverage without using much product. It feels a bit heavy. I’m interested to see if I will obtain any skincare benefit. Certainly sample-worthy. This is available (with free shipping) at Nordstrom.com.
Although I was playing with the idea of exploring more BB cremes, I’m wondering if it is possible that I’ve stumbled on a “best in class.”  Have you tried any? Which have you loved (or hated)?
This post contains affiliate link (for more information, please see “About Cafe Makeup”)

 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact: A Few More Swatches

 Chanel, Foundation  8 Responses »
May 302012
 

By popular request, I’m posting a few more very fast swatches for the following Chanel foundations:

  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact B20
  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact BR22
  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Fluid in B10
  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Fluid in B20 (much darker than B10!)
  • Chanel Lift Lumiere Foudnation in Ivoire 14
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere B20
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere BR12
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere BR22
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere BR32
I hope that this is helpful!

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation and Swatches

 Chanel, Foundation  27 Responses »
May 292012
 

This is a somewhat imperfect review of Chanel Vitalumeire Aqua Foundation ($58), introduced about a month or two ago. This foundation is a medium-coverage cream foundation sold in a luxe round compact. I found that it gave a flawless finish, particularly when applied with Chanel’s Blending Foundation Brush #7 ($54) (review forthcoming).

When applied, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua feels like air, there is no heavy foundation feeling or any oiliness. I find that cream foundations like this look amazing for formal occasions, whether for work or social activity. It provides an airbrushed finish. There is a very slight “silicon” feeling to the foundation. It lasts well throughout a long day and holds up beautifully without a powder. No breakout for me.

Here are some swatches of most of the shades (B50 and  BR32 are missing, but I’ll try to fill in the gaps throughout the week). As you can see, the “B” tones are warmer, and the “BR” tones seem to have a touch of cool rose.

And now for the imperfect part of the post–a beauty confession. I was matched to B30 at a mass make-over at a local department store, although I realized it was too dark I went ahead anyway. As frustrated as I am with myself, now that my overly generous sample has been used (it lasted about five days), I may exchange my untouched full sized B30 for another more appropriate color.

Thank you to Tressa from Nordsrom Seattle for patiently sending me these samples for us all to enjoy. To be clear, Tressa took no part in the color matching for me, or my own personal decision to cave to the makeup artist’s inaccurate recommendation.

Onward and upward, and I hope you learn from my mistake.

 

Edward Bess Makeover at Bergdorfs

 Blush, Edward Bess, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow, Foundation, Highlighter, Mascara  47 Responses »
Mar 222012
 

Liz and I were so fortunate to meet Edward Bess in person at Bergdorf’s last week. As we were walking through the magical beauty floor, we found him standing near a counter of his beautifully formulated makeup line. Even more incredibly, he offered to do our makeup. I took some pictures for you to enjoy–and we hope that you do!

First of all, Edward Bess is even more charming and knowledgable in person than we had imagined–and we are some of his biggest fans. A prodigy, his taste level and expertise is incredible. Also, his personality is so pleasant and easy-going–he had us laughing along with him throughout. If you could choose anyone to do your makeover, Edward Bess would be a most delightful (and talented) choice.

Edward began with Liz’s eyes–he explained that cleanups are so much easier if the color product somehow migrates.  We were so lucky to try his new Edward Bess Eye Primer.   This product, which comes in three different shades, is distributed via a brush pen to the lid. Above, the product is coming out of the tube before it is smoothed out (with fingers or the built-in brush). It creates a blank canvas on the lid, drying to an opaque matte finish. I noticed that both Liz’s and my eye makeup lasted beautifully until we removed it much later that evening. The finish is amazing. I cannot wait until this product is available in the next 2-3 weeks. I need it.

With a few exceptions, nearly all of the color products used on both Liz and I were from the Edward Bess Back to Basics Palette ($75). Although I realized that this was a very versatile travel palette, I was stunned to see how easily Bess could use this palette to create our “you but more glamorous” looks. With just a few of his brushes and his fingers, Edward used some of his collection’s favorite colors. You can see Sabrina’s review and swatches of this palette here at The Beauty Look Book.

The eyeshadows were used to create a very natural eye, using the neutral colors on the lid, and the darker shade just above the crease. Edward used his Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush ($40) (pictured with the palette, above, which I couldn’t resist buying).

A little Edward Bess Defining Eye Liner ($29)….

 More work on the eye area:

 And bringing some color under the eyes:

Edward gave Liz incredibly long, defined lashes with his Edward Bess Lash Designer Volumizing Mascara ($30):

Edward mixed his Edward Bess Platinum Concealer ($38) with a touch of his moisturizing Edward Bess Black Sea Deep Hydration Cream ($90) to do Liz’s under eye area. He also used a mix of this moisturizer with his Edward Bess Sheer Satin Cream Compact Foundation ($60), which he dabbed on Liz with fingers. Although I don’t own this foundation yet, it did provide a very lightweight, moisturizing feel. The finish was lovely. I do own at least three of the Platinum Concealers, which I keep at home, work, and in my purse.  It has amazing coverage and the quality is excellent. I’m discontinuing the use of the Cle de Peau stick concealer in favor of the Edward Bess.

He then began to dab on the blush and highlighter from the Back to Basics Palette to add subtle color to Liz’s cheeks:

He used very soft lipstick and pencil on lips:

Edward then used the South of France Quad Royale ($45) applied with his Luxury Face Brush ($56) to add a glow to Liz’s complexion.  This quad gave Liz a very natural sheen–really, we couldn’t leave the counter without picking one up for her.

The Beauty Look Book’s review and swatches of the South of France Quad Royale are here. If you love a soft, subtle, beautiful glow, this is a must have.

I hope you enjoyed this little essay–we certainly felt very fortunate to have met with Edward Bess. What an enormous talent–I cannot wait to see what else he will be releasing in the coming months.

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 PA+++ Review

 Foundation, NARS  13 Responses »
Mar 022012
 

I’ve been wearing the just-released Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 Sunscreen/ PA +++ ($42) for about one month. I picked up the product when I read the Nars brochure, which promised broad spectrum sun protection, increased hydration, giving skin a more radiant and luminous surface and “helping to reduce the appearance of discoloration and dark spots in just four weeks.”

Part of me wondered whether Nars Tinted Moisturizer was an ambitious effort to deliver skin care protection in an everyday foundation-type product. Last year, Le Metier de Beaute’s Peau Vierge promised skin care benefits in its tinted moisturizer, why not other companies? As many of you have noticed, the BB Creme trend promises skin care as well, and currently Dior, Estee Lauder, Boscia and others are introducing those products to the U.S. I chose to investigate Nars, in part because it seemed to offer something seriously different than the others. Nars Tinted Moisturizer improves skin through protection and hydration, relying on Octinoxate 7.4% and Titanium Dioxide 6.1% to keep skin protected from the sun.

Nars Tinted Moisturizer comes in nine shades. At my local Nordstrom, I was matched to Alaska (the 2nd lightest shade), which is a touch too yellow and slightly dark, although not noticeably so once I add bronzer and blush. Some Makeupalley users wear Alaska and they are NC 20/25. Note that I’m really pale now in this post-winter phase, although sometimes I lean NC 15/20, I’m definitely a solid NC15 now.

If I apply this with my fingers, I get medium coverage (with a brush, I can sheer it out). The texture is very lightweight and it feels a little like a gel. It’s weightless and lasts the entire day (14-16 hours). It gives a slightly glowy look that I absolutely love. It doesn’t emphasize any pores. No breakouts or clogging.

The most delightful part is that my skin has noticeably improved. Some darker old acne marks have noticeably lightened. Although the formula is hydrating, it doesn’t feel oily or heavy (the brochure says that the product is oil-free). I love the small size, which I can tuck into my bag without the weight or breakage of a glass product (will be loving this for travel!). It’s a generous 1.9 oz. size (most foundations have 1 ounce only).

Dear reader, I know that foundations are very much “your mileage may vary.” I’ve been absolutely loving this one for me. Unlike Chanel Perfection Lumiere, the Nars has more “life” and luminosity. It has a solid dose of sun protection, which I greatly appreciate living in sunny California. Unlike the vast majority of my foundations, I’ve seen improvement in the texture and even toned texture of my skin. Great, lightweight formula. Love.

The ingredient list for Alaska is:  Water, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Titanium Dioxide, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Diethylhexyl Succinate, Glycerin, Nylon-12, Cyclomethicone, Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Aluminum Hydroxide, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate, Stearic Acid · Phenoxyethanol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Fragrance, Dimethicone/Vinyl, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Trisodium, Edta, Aluminum Distearate, Talc, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Polysilicone-2, Vibrio Alginolyticus Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol, Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate, Maris Sal (Sea Salt), Hydrogen Dimethicone, Bht, Algae (Algae Extract), Sodium Metabisulfite, Curcuma Longa [Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract], Potassium Sorbate, Geraniol, Limonene, Citral, Linalool [+/- (May Contain): Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77491 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77492 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides)].   Note that Sephora.com has the ingredient list for all shades.

An Introduction to Koh Gen Do Foundations

 Foundation, Ken Gen Do  25 Responses »
Oct 072011
 

I’ve begun experimenting with foundations by Koh Gen Do based on their stellar reputation. Up until now, they’ve been carried online on Koh Gen Do at at Barney’s New York’s. Recently, they’ve been added to Sephora’s online store. I’m hoping that they’ll also reach Sephora brick & mortar stores although I honestly don’t know. Liz and I have been flirting with the counter testers at Barney’s location in San Francisco for a few months, so finally I took the plunge.

Since Chanel has now discontinued the Pro Lumiere line, Chanel’s only “glowy” foundation is Vitalumiere fluid (which feels heavy on my skin) and Tient Innocence Compact (which has too much coverage for my skin type). There are reports that Chanel will release new Vitalumiere compact products in Spring 2012, although I’m not certain how those products will be formulated. Right now, my glowiest foundation is Guerlain’s Parure Gold (reviewed here), which is a very elegant foundation with medium coverage. When I wear Parure Gold, I sometimes cut it with a good moisturizer to make it slightly more sheer.

As background, Koh Gen Do has been formulating high definition foundations designed for makeup artists for use in film. The science relies on the use of deep sea waters which include minerals and nutrients that are easily absorbed into the skin. These foundations are blended with a perfect ratio (or “golden ratio,” as the company says) of pigment, deep sea water and emolients/oil) to give lustrous, moisturized coverage. If you love a soft glow, you will want to take a look. Both have a lightweight feel.

I’ve been trying two–the first is Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation ($62/ 1.0 oz). This has been featured at Into the Gloss and The Beauty Look Book, and given favorable reviews on both. The Aqua comes in a glass pump bottle. This foundation feels lightweight and moisturizing on the skin. The color range is insanely small–only four colors. Four!! OC-1 is a bit light for my NC15/20 Chanel B20/Cameo/Ivoire skintone.

So far, my impression is that Koh Gen Do Aqua is a very, very sheer foundation in my opinion. It’s probably the sheerest foundation that I’ve tried–if my memory is correct, it’s sheerer than some tinted moisturizers that I’ve used (Tarte’s Smooth Operator, for example, seems more pigmented). If you are looking for a soft, moisturizing veil of color over relatively unmarred skin, this will work beautifully. If you have imperfections, a good concealer will be necessary.

Ingredient list (click to enlarge):

Koh Gen Do Moisture Foundation ($62/.071 oz/ Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation), comes in a red squeeze tube that holds about 1/3 less than most foundations. It’s extremely packable, and comes if a far greater range of colors:

The Barney’s sales associate matched me to 123, which is the last time in my entire life I’ll ever let a sales associate match me. It’s a bit dark. I would have wanted to get 023. I’m sorry to say that I do not have swatches, but I’m hoping to persuade Karlasugar to do a set.

Ken Gen Do Moisture Foundation is 60% water, which is twice that of most foundations and even more than the Ken Gen Do Aqua Foundation. Although the sales associate thought that Aqua foundation would be heavier coverage (and based on the math, she’d be right), I found that Ken Gen Do Moisture Foundation was noticeably higher coverage. In other words, in my opinion Ken Gen Do Moisture foundation is a medium coverage (similar to Chanel Perfection Lumiere, but the Ken Gen Do had a softer, glowy texture), and Ken Gen Do Aqua Foundation is light/sheer.

Ingredient list (click to enlarge):

When I wore Ken Gen Do Moisture Foundation to dinner last night, DH gave a favorable review. He far prefers this look to Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere on me. Honestly I loved the look of the Ken Gen Do Moisture myself. It gives a very soft and glowy look, very natural looking, and felt extremely lightweight. It absolutely looked like “my skin but better.” It uses two differently shaped powders to smooth over imperfections, give an airbrushed finish and feels both lightweight and nurturing.

Here are some swatches of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B20, next to Chanel Perfection Lumiere in BR 32. This swatch also includes the too-dark Ken Gen Do Moisture Foundation in 123 and the sheer Ken Gen Do Aqua Foundation in OC-1.

Ken Gen Do also makes some lovely primers. I got some samples of the Yellow (meant to diffuse redness) and Pearl White. These feel very moisturizing without being too oily when applied:

Here are swatches of the sample packets in the late day sun–Koh Gen Do Makeup Color Base in Yellow on the left (light and heavy swatch), and Koh Gen Dow Makeup Color Base in Pearl White (heavy and light swatch) on the right:

 

I’ve purchased Makeup For Ever’s HD Foundation recently, and my plan is to do a comparison with the Ken Gen Do high definition foundations. I’ll continue playing with these and report back soon. In the meantime, let us know if you’ve tried these and your impressions? Also, if you see these at your local Sephora, would you kindly tell us that as well?

Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Instant Cover Review and Swatches

 Foundation, Skin care  1 Response »
Oct 032011
 

If you’ve ever been subject to the rigors of traveling, moving, sports or other bumps in your life, the occasional bruise and scrape can happen.  Other skin events can draw attention where we don’t necessarily want it to go.  Recently, I had the chance to try Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Instant Cover ($40/ 3.5 oz.) (sold here).  This is a super-opaque, non-transferrable cover-up that comes in three different colors–fair, medium and deep.  I tried it in light.

The product comes in a squeeze tube with a sponge top. It’s a built-in applicator, which looks like this when the tube is squeezed:

Basically, you smooth the sponge applicator over the area that you wish to cover.  It makes application quite simple.  The product dries down quickly.  It contains soothing ingredients, including Tea Tree Oil, vitamins and wheat protein to aid healing. Ingredient list (click to enlarge):

 Although the formula has these healing ingredients, it is not intended to be used for open wounds or on the face.  When I tried Dr.’s Remedy, I found that it dried down in about ten minutes.  It didn’t rub off on clothing after it’s set.  To test it, I drew four hearts on my arm with a black eyeliner and covered up most of them (I put dashes where the hearts have been covered up by Dr.’s Remedy).  As you can see, two coats of Dr.’s Remedy covered the hearts really well.

I suggest that you apply it over a moisturizer, as you can see the product does look rather dry once it sets.  Overall, I was happy with the coverage.  I believe that this shade–light– is bit too light for my fair skin tone (I didn’t get samples in the other colors, but it’s something to keep in mind).  I’m not sure whether I could make this work without mixing it with something darker, or obtaining it in a darker shade.  If you are looking for something with a good dry-down and opacity, Dr.’s Remedy is worth a look.

 This product was sent to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration for review.

 

Chanel Perfection Lumiere: Initial Review, Thoughts and Musings

 Chanel, Foundation  20 Responses »
Oct 012011
 

I’ve been wearing Chanel Perfection Lumiere ($55) for the past few days, and wanted to post some initial thoughts:

  • Incredible shade range.  Swatches and the ingredient list are here, with some comparison swatches here.
  • I was matched to Beige Rose 32 (bottle pictured above), although I normally consider myself to be warm and very fair.  Typically, I wear Chanel foundations in Intensity 1.0 and go for the warmer shades in the line (Cameo, Ivoire).  I was surprised to find that Beige Rose 32 is a pretty good match.  It’s more neutral than cool on me.  I’ve also purchased some colors from the Beige (warmer) line, particularly to use after my summer color fades so I’m curious to see how those will work.
  • The foundation starts out very matte, and then settled into a matte-satin after about 30 minutes once it warmed to my skin.  I like the finish, it looks natural and like “real skin.”  In my opinion, it’s appropriate for both men and women (if you’ve got an HD TV, you may have noticed more men wearing foundation than in prior years, so I thought I’d put that one out there).
  • On my combination skin, it remains stable the rest of the day.  The “glow” that I usually get mid-afternoon on my forehead is far less apparent than usual.
  • Some sales associates have told me that this is not designed for dry or aging skin.   I think they mean that, unlike Pro Lumiere, this foundation does not give a “glowy” finish.  Having said that, it does well on the dryer parts of my face without emphasizing anything. You would need to add glow (by adding a glowy finishing powder or fluid) if that is the look that you are going for.
  • This is a medium coverage foundation that can be applied lightly with a brush for sheer coverage, or layered for heavier coverage.  It layers well without caking.
  • Perfection Lumiere’s coverage is higher than Vitalumiere Aqua and the discontinued Tient Innocence fluid, and roughly the same as Pro Lumiere, Lift Lumiere and Vitalumiere (fluid).  It is not as intense (or as glowy) as the Tient Innocence creme compact.
  • Highly transfer-resistant.  I love a good white blouse and use an iPhone close to my face–no problems so far.
  • No breakouts or clogging after three days of wear.
  • The feel is very light.  I cannot feel the foundation once applied.
  • There is a scent when first applied–it’s a touch of perfume and I can detect alcohol.  It fades after several minutes, but it is detectable when first applied.
A few more notes–right now, I’m have a good skin moment.  I’ve been slowly using most of the items recommended by Colbert MD at this post, including his skin care line (reviews to follow), and its working.  So far, I’ve worn Perfection Lumiere without a primer, and with Le Blanc de Chanel primer and had good results both times.  Typically, foundations do not oxidize on me (I do not consider the color shift that happens within the first 1/2 hour of the application of Perfection Lumiere to be oxidation, because it is absolutely stable on me the rest of the day). Overall, I like the finish, texture and coverage of Perfection Lumiere.  The coverage and finish are a good everyday finish for the office or whenever I want to look polished. For me, another Chanel foundation success.

More reviews:

  • Front Row Beauty is here.
  • RAEview is here (video).
  • Lacroix the Beauty Blog is here.
  • Lisa Eldridge Audrey Hepburn tutorial (using Chanel Perfection Lumiere) is here.

Chanel New Foundation Brush #6

 Brushes and Tools, Chanel, Foundation  5 Responses »
Sep 302011
 

With the release of Chanel’s new Perfection Lumiere Foundation (swatched here and here), Chanel released a single Foundation Brush ($45) (#6) (Chanel Brush/ Les Pinceaux de Chanel Pinceau Fond de Teint).  Some stores have not yet received these in stock, mine was purchased from Chanel.com.

According to some sales associates whom I’ve interrogated (yes, Cafe Makeup brings it when we visit a makeup counter, and sometimes we feel a little bad about that), Chanel’s brush redesign should be completely up for sale around Spring ’12.  Please note that “Spring ’12″ in the makeup world means “late December ’11.”  We’ll have to see what actually happens, because none of this information is official and may have been obtained under duress.

The brush is just over 6 inches long.  As you can see, Chanel has dramatically changed the brush head into three colors, which if inspected closely have three different textures.

For lack of a better word, I’ve come to think of this as a “tri-fiber” brush  head.  Chanel’s former international (non-U.S.) foundation brush was somewhat similar.  The fiber closest to the ferrule is very stiff, so that the brush head holds its shape when wet with liquid foundation, and pressed against all of the different parts of the face.  The center portion (the dark brown) has more flexibility and seems quite absorbent to hold the liquid well.  The bristle tips are soft and feathery, which is a good brush texture for blending an airbrushed finish.  The ends taper to a very fine point.

The handle has the same feel as Chanel’s former international (non-U.S.) brushes–it feels like wood (or a wood composite), which is not too heavy but sufficiently substantial to give you a good grip.

The text on the back is simple–only the brush number (#6) and brush name (“Foundation”) are printed there.  Curiously, I did not see the country of origin stamped on the brush.  This is true even on the ferrule, where Chanel had previously stamped its country of origin.  Like Chanel’s now-discontinued brush, this new one is made in China:

Some of my former Chanel brusheswere made in China have held up very well for years, and perform extremely well.  I would not have noted this at all, except that I occasionally get questions.

Comparison of three foundation brushes–my well-worn Chanel now-discontinued foundation brush (#16), Shiseido’s new Perfect Foundation Brush (reviewed here) and Chanel’s new foundation brush:

I liked the brush head of the new Chanel Foundation Brush (#6), better than the discontinued Chanel foundation brush (#16).  The feathery tip helps me get a flawless look with fewer brushstrokes.  The finish that I can achieve with the new foundation brush and Perfection Lumiere has drawn compliments (it does look better, in my opinion).

If you are choosing between Shiseido’s Perfect Foundation Brush and Chanel’s new Foundation Brush #6, here are my thoughts:

  • As you can see, the brush head shape of either is remarkably different;
  • The Shiseido brush tends to be faster, because the flat head absorbs and deposits foundation very quickly;
  • If you are inexperienced or rushed, the Shiseido will give you a slightly heavier coverage (those with more experience or care can work well with either);
  • The Chanel brush shape is a classic shape used for layering foundation–it’s more intuitive for light coverage that is then “built up” only where needed;
  • Shiseido’s compact size is perfect for travel and less expensive;
  • Chanel’s seems to be easier and faster to clean (this isn’t really a performance issue I thought I’d point it out).
  • Bottom line, if you are choosing between them you cannot go “wrong” with either one–really, it’s going to come down to your personal foundation style and use preference.

Overall, the new Chanel Foundation Brush is a positive step forward.  I far prefer it to the older Chanel foundation brush–the smaller size, the feathery bristle ends, and the tapered top deliver a better product.  To get The Beauty Look Book’s views, see her review here.

More Chanel Perfection Lumiere Swatches

 Chanel, Foundation  17 Responses »
Sep 292011
 

Lovely readers, after thinking about Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation ($55) (full swatches are here), I was curious about some color comparisons.  I thought I’d create a little sketchbook with the pictures to share.

First, I wanted to check Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere against my other foundation shades.  Here is a comparison of:

  • Chanel Vitalumiere Fluid 20 Clair/Cameo
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere B10
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere B20
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere B30
  • Chanel Tient Innocence Fluid in 20 Clair/Cameo (discontinued)
  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B10
  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B20
  • Chanel Lift Lumiere 15 Ivoire
  • Chanel Pro Lumiere 20 Claire Cameo
You’ll notice considerable variation among these.  In shade with flash:
In sun with flash:
This one compares the Perfection Lumiere Beige Rose 32 both wet and dry.  I want to emphasize that a quick arm swatches must dry down.  On the left is a freshly applied swatch of Perfection Lumiere BR 32 that has not dried at all.  On the far right is the same foundation that has dried down for a good 20 minutes, maybe longer–what a difference in color that dry down makes.  In the center is a swatch of Vitalumiere Aqua in Beige Rose 30, which is darker and different tonally.
Finally, I wanted to compare a medium skin tone color across all of the different color tones.  Here are swatches of Beige Rose’s deepest shade,  Perfection Lumiere in Beige Rose 52.  Also, there is Perfection Lumiere in Beige 60, Perfection Lumiere in Beige Ambre 64 and Ambre 94:
It’s so interesting to me that numerically, the first three shades toward the left of this picture are all near 60.  But the undertones are so very, very different.  Beige Ambre is so warm, it’s really an amber in the true sense of the word.  Even the “Beige Rose” does not seem very pink to me. The shade range in this release is certainly enormous for Chanel.  Even if you don’t find your perfect match, it may be that you get much closer than with any previous Chanel release.  It’s certainly good to see a very high end luxury line take notice of the wide range of color shades of women. This is available with free ship online at Nordstrom.com.
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