Now available in Australia is the new Chanelfoundation range, called "Perfection Lumière Velvet". Hubby was kind enough to purchase mine when he was on a business trip on the day it was released from the Chanel Makeup Studio (in Myer, Sydney City). If it is not yet available across all Chanel counters in Australia, it should be soon!
I've been a fan of Chanel's foundations - in particular, the Chanel Vitalumière Aqua and the discontinued Teint Innocence Compact, and given I mostly have combination skin throughout the year (normal to dry on the outer edges of my face during winter), I was highly anticipating this new velvet foundation!
I have tried the Perfection Lumière Foundation as well and this new foundation is in the same family in that it is extremely lightweight (actually, Perfection Lumière Velvet is even more so to the point that it is weightless), fluid, melds seamlessly on the face, following its every movement such that you can't tell you have anything on; has buildable coverage and more noteably, has a matte finish and gives a flawless (perfect) complexion.
The formula, however, is similar to the Chanel Vitalumière Aqua in that it is water-based and very fluid and requires thorough shaking before use. It is also packaged exactly the same way as the Chanel Vitalumière Aqua, except that it comes in a sleek, black colour.
[ The outer box packaging ]
[ Black, plastic bottle which is compact, lightweight and convenient for travel ]
[ Above: size of the bottle with respect to my smaller than average hand ]
[ Above: back of the bottle ]
[ Above and below: comparison of the new foundation to the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua bottle ]
Here's what Chanel say about this new foundation:
PERFECTION LUMIÈRE VELVET is a lightweight second-skin foundation. It naturally smoothes and evens out the complexion for a velvety matte makeup result.The lightweight texture of PERFECTION LUMIÈRE VELVET makes it perfect for normal and combination to oily skin. This ultra-soft emulsion instantly becomes one with the skin, transforming into a natural powdery matte finish that disappears onto the skin.
• The Perfect Skin Affinity complex acts in perfect affinity with the skin to maintain hold and radiance all day long.
• The "smooth-effect" powders selected by the CHANEL Laboratories diminish surface irregularities and instantly smooth pores.
• The patented* Perfect Light Control complex (combination of two semi-sheer hemispherical powders) perfectly evens out dark spots and lightens redness, without a hint of thickness.
Chanel's application recommendations:
Apply PERFECTION LUMIÈRE VELVET after your daily skincare product, without using a sponge or brush.Blend in with fingertips, from the center of the face outwards. Adjust the makeup result by dabbing more onto specific areas of the face.
PERFECTION LUMIÈRE VELVET can also be used as a concealer by dabbing onto areas with blemishes.
So far, I found all Chanel's claims above spot on. First, I apply my holy grail base - Le Blanc de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base, then after shaking the Perfection Lumière Velvet thoroughly, I squeeze a couple of pea sized amounts (I need more coverage at the moment due to a few new dark spots [Grrr!], ) and smooth it onto my face with clean fingertips. The texture is fluid yet so airy light (yes, VELVETY!) I haven't come across anything quite like it. :) Just as Chanel describe, it definitely has an instant fluid to powder texture and finish (yes, cream to powder I've come across before with cream blushes, but *fluid* to powder?! Amazeballs! ^_^) I dab on a bit more on just the darker areas of my face as instructed and it gives a bit more coverage. However, for very dark spots, I found I still needed to apply a concealer. C'est la vie! I don't really have any redness apart from just under my nose and this foundation dealt with that with no problem. Similar to the Perfection Lumière foundation, it starts very matte (which made me nervous), similar to just having applied a matte powder foundation, but after about twenty minutes, it settled into looking more like my skin. I did not bother to apply any powder afterwards as it is already matte. The weather is a little cooler now so parts of my face are quite dry, but to my pleasant surprise, it did not emphasise the dryness and did not look caky. Instead, the skin feels very smooth and indeed, velvety (for lack of a better word). And, yes it did soften or smoothen out any irregularities and noticeably reduced much of the large pores I have on my cheeks! I'm so glad I don't have to use a separate product to deal with large pores! *happy dance* I was concerned of the usual inevitable natural oils seeping through after several hours around my T-zone, but this foundation did not let that happen. It made my face look as fresh as it did the very first moment I applied it 'til 10 hours later with absolutely no touch-ups required. HUZZAH!!!! This is a first for me!!! :D It wasn't until the 11th hour(!) that I could notice just a slight fading and a little bit of my natural oils coming through a little on my forehead and T-zone, and it would be at this point that I would need to powder if I had a long evening out, but most nights, it would be time to take it all off and go to bed!
So far, everything about this is spectacular. I used to get excited by lightweight formulas, but this stuff is weightless on the skin! I'm amazed by the effect it has - almost as if it were magic because I can't feel nor see it on the skin (even up close in front of a mirror). It feels dry to the touch on the skin, but not drying - instead it feels soft and supple. I'm also amazed by how impervious it is to oily skin and its extreme longevity. Despite being recommended for use on normal and combination to oily skin, I think even on dry skin, this looks flawless and feels comfortable provided you prep/moisturise well beforehand. I would be interested to see how this performs in the summer heat and humidity! Will see later in the year...(fingers crossed).
I also love the scent of it. It's quite subtle compared to Perfection Lumière and Vitalumière Aqua. It reminds me most of the Chanel Les Beiges Powder or Healthy Glow Cream (a review of the latter will be posted soon!), but even more subtle and more pleasant to me. It can really only be detected upon application, but not afterwards, which is great if you are sensitive to scents.
If I had to pick one gripe is the insufficient sunscreen coverage of 15. Why bother with 15? SPF 30 is the standard in Australia. I would still need to apply a SPF 30 sunscreen base underneath for when I need to wear this out during the day, which is another layer of product and step in my routine. Slightly annoying, but at least everything else about it is perfect. :)
Shades
There are eight available shades with 50 Beige being the darkest compared to Perfection Lumière which goes up to 60 Beige. Seeing as it's coming close to winter, I picked up 30 Beige. For summer, I would have to pick 40 Beige possibly even 50. I find that the 30 Beige in Perfection Lumière Velvet is more pink-toned than the 30 Beige in Vitalumière Aqua compared to Perfection Lumière and Vitalumiere Aqua (see comparison swatches below). I still have a bit of the summer (olive ~NC35) tan so, I require bronzer on the outer edges and high-points of my face where the sun normally hits to make it appear more seamless. Otherwise, it should be a better match come mid-winter. :) I think it should suit NC30 skin tones. It did not oxidise or change colour on my skin at all during wear. I'm usually horrified at pink-toned foundation, but this one isn't actually too noticeable once my makeup is completed and warmed with a little bronzer, etc, it all appears to work fine, even though I would prefer more yellow-tones.
Swatches
L - R: For reference, Chanel CC Cream in 20 Beige, Chanel Vitalumière Aqua in B40 Beige-Désert, Perfection Lumière Velvet in 30 Beige, Vitalumière Aqua in 30 Beige and Perfection Lumière in 30 Beige.
I think I may have found my new HG foundation...I mean what foundation? I'm not wearing any. ;) I always look this fresh and flawless naturally. *coughs* Seriously, though, this is perfect for days when you feel like you want a matte finish. This is not for those who prefer a dewy finish or dewy to the touch foundation.
Hope this was helpful.
If you've tried it, let me know what you think below!
Thanks for looking. ^_^ xo