FOTD: Chanel perfection lumiere vs Clarins Everlasting foundation

Today's foundations to test are Chanel Perfection Lumiere and Clarins Everlasting Foundation. The former one is on my left face while the latter is on my right face.

Clarins still performs very well. It is the best foundation so far I have. Beautiful finish. Flawless look without looking matte or dull. It last long day with spf 15 mineral sunscreen.

However Chanel is really far from 'perfection'. I have tried so many foundations and I do not think this foundation deserves the hype. Yes it is a quality foundation, but it does not perform as it claims. The coverage is maximum to light medium. The staying power is not bad but not as good as Clarins. The packaging is as elegant as always. The scent is classic and sweet. But except the scent and the packaging, I do not see anything superb in this foundation.

Overall, Clarins Everlasting foundation is still the best in terms of coverage, staying power, and beautiful finish.

Review: Chanel sublimage masque essential regenerating mask

This mask is probably the best products among the Chanel Sublimage line.

The mask has a very elegant scent, which is very calming and soothing. The texture is not thick, yet very moisturizing. A little bit goes a long way. I use it as a night cream and it moisturizes very well. I also use it in the last step of my night time skin care routine. I do not feel it's necessarily to wash off after 10 minutes and it does not make me break out.

If you want to try products from Chanel Sublimage line you can start with this mask. It can work as cream and mask and it gives skin beautiful glow in the morning time.

Chanel Les Beiges healthy glow sheer powder poudre belle mine naturelle

Chanel's powder foundation is famous for its sheer coverage and natural looking, this powder is no exception.

(photo courtesy: www.chanel.com)

The shades of this powder seems to be too dark and pink. N10 is too pink for my skin so I picked N20. Though it looks dark, and it swatches darker than my skin tone, it's not really pigmented when I use kabuki brush to apply on my face.

I do not agree with Chanel who claims it can be a powder foundation. No it cannot be working as foundation at all. But it can be a good touch up powder for my sunscreen. This powder has a very classy Chanel scent which I like--though I prefer makeup to be fragrance.

All in all, it is a very expensive sunscreen powder to me. It retails at $60 CAD plux tax. It can be a good pressed powder to set makeup. I do not think it can be used as a powder foundation.

Clarins uv plus hp multi-protection spf 40--dupe for Chanel sunscreen

(photo credit to thebay.com)

It's the dupe for Chanel sunscreen. A lot cheaper than other department sunscreens who have only 30ml available. Not the cheapest choice of course. It retails at $40 CAD plus tax for 50 ml.

It's a very light liquid sunscreen, much lighter than Chanel's. It reminds me some Japanese sunscreens. I cannot say it's not hydrating in the winter time, but it can be slightly dry for me in very cold days. So I always put a lot of cream before applying for this sunscreen. But it works wonders in the summer time.

To my surprise, it holds my powder foundation as good as Chanel's sun screen. The powder foundations stay very well over 6 hours without touch ups.

Though it has scent in it, it never breaks me out.  I have been using more than 5 bottles of this sunscreen and will keep using it until I find a better and cheaper dupe--a sunscreen that can protect my skin from UV rays and hold my powder foundation well.

Chanel UV essentiel spf 50

This sunscreen retails at $57 CAD plus tax for 30 ml only, it is probably the most expensive sunscreen I have ever had.

The sunscreen is in a light liquid formula, yet not drying for my skin. I can wear it in the winter time without feeling uncomfortable. It has the most beautiful scent in it. It's with white cast, but once I put powder over it, it's disappears.

I like the feeling with this sunscreen on my skin. But it's too expensive. Clarins UV plus is the dupe for it.

Review: CHANEL LE BLANC BRIGHTENING MOISTURIZING CREAM

The brightening moisturizing night cream is probably one of the cheapest Chanel's skin care products. It has 50 ml in it.

Personally I do not care too much about the brightening effects a product can bring to me. I simply like to try new products looks interesting to me.

The Chanel's night cream has a very classic and elegant look. The jar is quite heavy. The cream has some floral scent which I enjoy very much. I usually prefer unscented products. But the smell is so nice that I wish Chanel could make a perfume with the scent!

The cream is in gel-cream formula. Though it's not heavy, it's quite hydrating. When my skin is under normal condition, I can put a thick layer of it without topping anything else before sleep. When I wake up I do not feel dry, and skin is in well-balanced condition.

I am not sure how well it can lighten spots. But it makes my skin look healthy. Skin looks bright when it's healthy.

Overall, it's a good night cream that keep my skin moisturized and healthy. I like the texture and scent of it. I wish Chanel can make a perfume with that scent someday.

Review: Chanel Vitalumiere Eclat de Chanel compact makeup

This compact is probably my second most expensive powder foundation. It retails around $85 something plus tax. I got it almost free at murale, since I had some shoppers’ points to redeem.

The compact comes with a sponge, a nice brush and a nice peachy scent. However I usually do not use the included sponge and brush to apply for my makeup.

The whole powder compact weighs at 13 gram, which is a lot for a powder compact. Normally powder compact comes with approximately 10 grams.

Despite the eye catching packaging and the accessories comes with, I am not fan of this powder compact.

The compact, like all Chanel’s powder products, has very finely milled powders in it. The texture is close to Diorskin flawless compact, but not as creamy as Diorskin though.

I like the fact that it’s very hydrating. It does not accentuate any dry areas on my skin. But that is the only benefit to me. The coverage is sheer, much worse than mat lumiere powder compact.

The lightest shade they offer here in Canada, B20, is too orange and dark for me. I know there are lighter shades such as BO10 and B10 available in some other countries. I hope they can bring more shades here in the future.

In a nutshell, it’s a high quality powder compact which does not suit me. Nevertheless if you are looking for a low coverage powder with decent hydration, and if you love Chanel, it’s your best choice.

 

Review: Chanel Mat Lumiere Luminous Powder Makeup Spf 10

Chanel products are famous for the quality and the high price. The case of this powder foundation is with a simple black design, yet very classy and identical.

 

The powders are super finely milled. The texture is smooth and silky. There’s no scent to it.

The powder foundation is slightly dry for me in the winter time. The finish is towards to matte side when you just finish applying the makeup. But if you look into your skin closely, you can feel there's somewhat luminous effect to it. Just like its name—mat lumiere luminous powder.

The coverage is medium to the most. It can even out the skin tone, it can conceal around 80% of dark circles-- if you try to build the coverage up hard enough.

In my view, Chanel mat lumiere powder is more like a setting powder than a foundation. I never use any liquid foundation or bb cream underneath it, but I am sure it will do the job very well as a setting powder.

All in all, this mat lumiere luminous powder should be used as a setting powder, rather than being used as a foundation by its own. If you are looking for a great setting powder with some spf, it’s the best choice.