Coming soon: Chanel Vitalumiere Loose Powder Foundation and Le Blanc de Chanel in a pump bottle!
This weekend I’ve been testing out the new Chanel Vitalumiere Loose Powder Foundation which launches on August 29th. First things first, the packaging is amazing. How could you not love a powder pot with its own dinky kabuki brush?
The foundation is composed of two powders enriched with a canola oil derivative, designed to offer day-long hydration. So it’s a moisturising powder foundation. These soft-focus powders create a ‘blurring effect’ on the skin caused by light-reflecting micro beads.
The powder is indeed incredibly fine and I found you only need the teeniest bit. It’s very easy to apply; using the kabuki, you just tap off the excess, then buff it in, in small circular motions over your moisturiser and it blends in really smoothly.
The problem I first had was that I used too much and the result was visibly dry cheeks and a bit of a ‘dead’ effect. The next time I tried it, I used a little more moisturiser and a lot less powder. That did the trick. The result was a very nice medium-coverage effect that felt light, but not dry.
I suspect this formulation is best for those with youthful, hydrated skin rather than dry or combination but I did love applying the foundation with the kabuki. The foundation comes in five shades which I really think is a little skimpy – come on Chanel, time to up your shade offer please. These will retail at £55 but considering how little you need, one pot should last ages.
I’m usually a cream blush girl (Tory Burch Lip & Cheek Tint is my current go-to) but Chanel’s powder blushers are always lovely. The two new ones (also available 29th August) are 170 Rose Glacier and 80 Jersey (Europe-only limited edition). I tried Rose Glacier (£31, below) on top of the powder foundation. It’s a versatile candy pink with a hint of golden iridescence that you can apply lightly for day and intensify for evening. On the skin it’s not as scary as it looks in the compact and it has the prettiest scent of just-picked roses. I was slightly dubious about putting powder blush on top of powder foundation but everything blended beautifully, with not a flake in sight.
Finally, good news for all those people who love Le Blanc De Chanel highlighter fluid but hate the bottle. The new version comes in a 30ml pump bottle (below, on counter from 29th August) so no more worries about leaks and spillages. Amen.
[PS, in the photo I’m wearing Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Queens Of Hearts]
