After seeing my shiny T-zone in photographs at the Primped Look Book event, I knew it was time to change my foundation. I had a good run with Clinique’s Superfit Makeup, but it really was time to move on.
I first stumbled upon Chanel’s Vitalumiere Aqua foundation when I peeled a sample sachet off a fashion magazine. After I completely squeezed out every single drop of fluid from the foil, I knew I had to get the full-sized bottle.
Description:
A new-generation texture. An unprecedented sensory experience. A unique makeup result. Rapid and easy application. VITALUMIÈRE AQUA. Apply your makeup without thinking about it.
Its soft and evanescent ultra-fine fluid texture is a real surprise. Although it is exceptionally delicate and light, an incomparable “second-skin” perfecting result is achieved. The complexion appears amazingly even, fresh and energized. The skin glows with seemingly nude beauty. As if glowing from within. Bathed in light…
Its formula, endowed with a UVB sun filter and mineral sunscreen, protects the skin from damaging sun rays (SPF 15). Its crystalline fragrance accentuates the sensation of freshness and pleasure on application.
Okay, that description was too frou-frou, even for me. Bathed in light? I half-expected rays of sunshine when I picked up the bottle! 😛
Here’s what the foundation really is like.
The texture is incredibly light, watery even. When I applied it on my skin, it spreaded effortlessly. This foundation gives medium coverage, which suited me just fine. I wasn’t looking for anything heavy, not with my oily skin anyway.
I really like how light this is. It felt as though I had no makeup on, even after sweeping my favourite loose powder on top. My T-zone, especially the nose, remained oil-free for hours. I don’t normally apply foundation all over my face, just the T-zone and areas that need that bit of coverage (e.g. redness around my nose and cheeks). This suited me to a T. The added SPF 15 is simply icing on the cake.
Mine was B30 (Beige-Sable)
This is my first Chanel liquid foundation, and it did pinch my wallet, seeing how expensive 30ml is. But for something that works that fine for me, well, I’d say it was money well spent.
If you have oily skin, and that extra bit of dough to spend, this is something I highly recommend.
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Makeup SPF15 retails at AU$77 for 30ml and is available at MYER, David Jones and selected pharmacies. It’s available in three colour ranges:
Ivory Beige – for a soft natural radiance
– B10 Beige – Pastel (Pink)
– B20 Beige – Tendre (Soft)
– B30 Beige – Sable (Sand)
– B40 Beige – Desert (Desert)
Rose Beige – for a healthy matte finish
– BR10 Beige Rose – Paste (Pink)
– BR20 Beige Rose – Tendre (Soft)
– BR30 Beige Rose – Sable (Sand)
Ceramic White – Beige Ocre
– BO20 Beige Ocre – Tendre (Soft) – available in Limited Edition
What I like about it: Very light in texture, oil-free, contains SPF
What I do not like about it: It’s bloomin’ expensive!
PS: It just makes me wonder, how many of us have bought full-sized products just from trying and loving those tiny sample sachets we peel off magazines?
Update (13 June 2011): Chanel’s Vitalumiere Aqua foundation started oxidising on me after a few months of use. It’s not very obvious, but I could tell my skintone looked just ever-so-slightly darker than usual. It’s not a major problem for me.
Great review! I don’t like foundations that are too light so as good as this sounds, I’ll pass on it but I have been lemming for the regular Vitalumiere forever! Just that other foundation keep adding into my stash that there’s no room for Chanel *sighs*
Thank you for the review. Could you tell me which shade would be equivalent to Teint Innocence CAMEO? (a semi-pale shade with a lot of yellow) Thanks so much.
I’ve been lemming this since the full page colour ad came out in the papers! And to answer your question.. those cosmetics companies should continue giving out the samples because it drives a lot of us to their counter for the full size product! 🙂
I got a sample of this from Instyle but have yet to try it! After reading your review, I’m so gonna try it out now! Seems perfect for the soon to come hot and toasty summer weather we’ll experience.
Hi, Tine. Thanks for the review. How do you apply this foundation? Using your fingers? Is it easily spreadable? I’ve been thinking about buying this but the price is kinda steep..
Hi I use this foundation and I think it is absolutely fabulous – dont apply with a brush as most beauticians suggest – use your fingertips to apply and you dont need a lot. I love this and yes it is expensive but by golly worth every cent.
great review and yeah i was one of them too, got a free sample in B30 and went to Chanel to check out the other colours and now I am very likely to buy one 🙂
but i was wondering where you have the information from that the B-colours are for radiance, and BR-colours are matte? I can’t find this anywhere else and other people seem to think B is cool toned (yellow based) and BR is warm toned (pink based)
thanks 🙂
To Beeneelicious: The OP is incorrect regarding the radiance & matte. Here are the facts about this foundation, straight from the CHANEL site:
There are 3 different formulas available & they each provide a unique finish. The categories are: Rosy Beige, Beige, and Ochre Beige.
Per CHANEL’s site:
Rosy Beige: for an energising & radiance-boosting result (dewy!)
Beige: for a natural skin tone-matching result (NOT dewy!)
Ochre Beige: for a natural result (specially developed for Asian skin)
“Each category offers a range of light to dark intensities to adapt to the skin tone of every woman.”
I will first say that this is truly a breakthrough formula. It provides the same sort of coverage as TI, but because of the real-skin finish, the look is different. On me, this really does look like I’m not wearing foundation – it looks like I don’t need any. Note: I did not say it makes me look flawless. As a woman of a certain age, a flawless look is also an unnatural, and usually masky, look. So it evens out my skintone perfectly & camouflages the sunspots well enough so that they’re just barely noticeable, at close range; thus, a realistic, but *very nice* realistic look. Again – I truly look like I’m not wearing foundation. In this sense, this is a remarkable, cutting-edge formula.
I am NC20 (Cameo in Teint Innocence) and I chose B20 – Beige Tendre because I *thought* this would be a dewy/radiant formula, based on the info on THIS site. Wrong. This is as close to matte as you can get without actually being matte. The finish is absolutely a real-skin finish.
This shade (B20) is an absolute dead-on match for my NC20ish, semi-pale w/yellow skin tone. B20 is actually a very neutral shade, with just a slight hint of yellow. I prefer the stronger yellow tone in Teint Innocence’s Cameo for neutralizing the pink in my face, but perhaps this new shade just takes some getting used to. I’d like to test the Ochre Beige at some point, as that appears to be much more yellow than the other shades, since it was “developed for Asian skin.”
I also prefer the semi-dewy, satin finish of Teint Innocence, as it provides a more polished look. Then again, a *polished look* is not what this new foundation is about – it’s about looking natural & real (nicely, though!) – and it does that, as promised! So for times when I want to look completely natural – but still lovely! – Vitalumiere Aqua would be the way to go.
Consistency: Yes, you really have to shake the bottle well, but what I’ve found is that if you shake it for at least 1 full minute, it’s not watery at all. It comes out in a virtual cream consistency!
Feel on the skin: There is no feel. It is completely weightless & non-tacky to the touch. Feels like real skin w/nothing on.
Hope this was helpful.
Link below for CHANEL Vitalumiere Aqua site.
(NOTE: Click “DISCOVER VITALUMIERE AQUA” in top right corner of the CHANEL page!)
http://www.chanel.com/en_SG/fragrance-beauty/Makeup-Foundations-VITALUMI%C3%88RE-AQUA-118356
Thank you for this info, i have been looking for a full ingredients list for a long time haha. I just want to know if it’s ok for dry and pretty sensitive skin ( since I have ezcema ) I don’t want to waste a whole tube just because I have a reaction :/ my mom would also dissaprove of ALL bb creams if my skin reacts bad w/ this one ( first bb cream ) so will it be ok for dry / sensitive skin?? Thank you so much!
this isn’t bb cream though, it’s a lightweight foundation, almost a tinted moisturizer
I actually am still squeezing out every bit left of the little sachet I pulled out from the fashion magazine! I’m surprised the shade B30 matching me quite well, almost like second skin on my skin, love wearing it at night when I want to look like I’m going out barefaced but want to look evened out, natural looking and doesn’t feel heavy… I really want to get the full size now after trying out the sachet sample! Argh! AU$77… =(
I took the Instyle sample on holiday with me , to save space in my bag.
OMG. I love it! There was enough in the sample, 0.9 ml, to apply to the T zone and inner cheek area at least 8 times. The bottle, though expensive, will probably last for ages.
I wore it to several dinner parties and a number of people commented on my “beautiful skin”. Not bad for a 70 year old. The colour, B30, smoothed on seamlessly. A definite plus with fading eyesight. I normally use a 10x magnification mirror to check my makeup, and with this lovely foundation, I saw no “tide marks”.
Is it cheaper to buy it online?
Maybe a nice result for the face.
But I would never use so much chemical toxic poisons even to become Miss America.
FORMULA: Deadly preservatives and dangerous silicones mixed with Silica.
I prefer life than beauty! I will be the one who decide when I want to kill myself.
Excellent review!!! And thank you soooo much for showing us the ingredients…. I almost always research the ingredients in makeup before I buy but so many people dont post them (including the brand itself). And to anybody who says these ingredients are deadly…. please do your research before you assume somthing is true. Actually the main ingredients in this are all safe and mostly natural. parabens arent these cancer causing things that everyone is hyped up to believe. I guarantee you NOBODY IN HISTORY (yes, parabens can be natural and have been used for a very long time. The paraben in this case is natural and harmless.) has ever got cancer directly from the parabens, let alone died.
nobody may have gotten cancer ‘directly’ from using parabens .. but i think perhaps you too should do some research.. paraben’s are one such chemical that alter hormones in the body… and what causes most cancers.. imbalance of hormones etc…
I would adore to try this foundation as it sounds like its exactly what my 40 yr old skin is searching for… but because i have spent the past 15 years researching cosmetic ingredients due to my profession and rosacea tormented skin, alas i will not.
As for natural paraben’s… as expensive as this foundation is, looking at the other ingredients i’m doubting very much they would be adding extra expense by using natural ones…
i wouldn’t be giving any kind of personal guarantee, in 10/20 years when the info ive been privy to reading becomes mainstream you may just eat your words…
it does a very similar thing to the body as bpa plastics… so why have nearly all the governments in the world banned the use of bpa plastics in baby bottles…
Its all about being informed and then making a choice for yourself… so if you choose to use something that IS questionable thats your choice but don’t slam someone who actually has educated themselves on these ingredients beyond google and pay them the same respect you have to make a choice for themselves..
after all this is a forum for putting up opinions on the product… and the ingredients are part of that 🙂
Eek thanks so much for ur comment! I’m very paraben-cautious and almost none of my products have them – except this foundation. It’s so bad because I KNOW they’re bad for u and I knew they had parabens, but not three! I’m wearing the foundation today and definitely used up 70% of the bottle :/ My friend gave it to me and I loved the light texture and great coverage. You are right though, it’s everybody’s choice for themselves. Gah! I really should throw it away today :/ How disappointing of Chanel to include THREE parabens in their hella expensive foundation. Bourjois Healthymix is almost as good with NO parabens!
Thanks again Helen
I was a devote Chanel skin care user for over 30 years. One day, while I was at my sister’s house, she had received a delivery for about 8 of the same moisturizers!!! Of course, I asked her if this product was good, and she conveyed that she couldn’t live without it. It was the Lady Soma “Renewal Serum” and oh my Geez, I am so happy I have found it.
I was so impressed. The compliments are still coming my way, 2 years later. I am 51 years old, and my skin is so youthful thanks to Lady Soma. I strongly recommend giving this product a try!!
Parabens? Too expensive to have such cancer causing toxics!