Initial Impressions of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B10

I have been hankering after the highly raved Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua ever since it was hyped up on the blogosphere and Youtube but couldn’t justify spending the money on a new foundation without trying it out. I had too many experiences with expensive foundations that didn’t really live up to expectations and in the end, they just sat collecting dust in my drawer.

Luckily I managed to snag a couple of sample satchets from a very kind SA at Chanel Takashimaya. I wore them for two days over about 6 to 7 hours.

I was matched to shade B10. Was initially concerned with it being too fair for my skin tone since I was thinking I might be a shade B20 but she assured me B10 will be fine so I took her word for it.

Boy was she right! The shade matched my skin tone perfectly without making me look geisha-white or too ashy.

Day 1:

5hrs of wear

7hrs of wear

I wore this over Loreal UV Perfect SPF50 sunscreen which, on its own, is rather shiny (not heavy) and at the end of 7hrs, you can see my face looked very dewy on my T-zone and cheeks. You cannot tell from the pictures, but the foundation didn’t seem to stay on well on my skin. It threatened to rub off if I touch my face with anything. I sneezed into a tissue and I could see my foundation coming off.

Not a good combination I would say. But I think the problem lies with the sunscreen as this happened with a couple of other foundations. Therefore I only like to wear this sunscreen either on its own or for short periods of time.

Day 2:

5hrs of wear

5hrs of wear

7hrs of wear

I paired the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua with the Biotherm UV Supra D-Tox SPF 50 sunscreen today. The Biotherm sunscreen (though using the same technology as L’oreal) is less greasy and seems to absorb better without looking shiny.

You can probably tell this combination works better. The foundation has a tendency to slide around my face but it wasn’t as bad as Day 1′s. The foundation also went on better and smoother.

My thoughts:

This foundation leaves a soft, illuminated finish and has a very lovely scent due to the lotus oil content. I absolutely love the look it gives; it’s natural, non-cakey and very nice in general. Its creamy but light texture makes me feel like I’m not wearing anything. However, it wasn’t as sheer as I hoped it would be. I was hoping it’d be similar to Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation (as reviewed here) but it has at least 10% more coverage. It doesn’t mean I dislike it, in fact I see why it is so highly raved and the additional coverage is a huge plus. The finish is amazing and it looks even better in pictures as my camera captures the dewy, glowy look that is highly coveted. With that said, you cannot expect good oil control from this foundation.

Best for:

People with dry/combination skins who needs minimal coverage.

Not good for:

People who have oily skin types. This will not last on you unfortunately.

Will I purchase the full size?

I am still on the fence about it. While I like the finish, the ease of application and the subtle floral scent, the lack of oil control can be a bother especially if I plan to wear it more than 7hours. Also, the tendency of it to rub off is annoying. I don’t touch my face throughout the day, but it is inevitable that some will rub off when I’m dabbing the corners of my mouth after eating or putting a tissue to my nose. Longevity is something I look for a lot in a foundation especially in our humid climate and that we are always perspiring at microscopic level, whether you are aware of it or not. This wouldn’t be so bad if my sunscreen is mattifying but mattifying sunscreens, I realize, come only in Japanese formulations and more often than not, the protection levels aren’t as high as European sunscreens (which are thicker and creamier).

This foundation also comes with SPF 15 which is a thumbs-down in my books because it limits the versatility of this foundation. If you are one who likes flash photography, this foundation leaves a white cast under flash (makes it a no-no if you want to wear it on night outs).

If I were to get this foundation eventually (which I think I just might), I would probably wear this on days when I’m only travelling to and fro school/work when I can afford to use a lower-protection mattifying sunscreen.

Review: Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation #20 Watts

I bought the Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation some time in 2009 during the Luxasia sales and it’s been forgotten in my drawer until recently I was researching on the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and someone compared them both. Then I was thinking, “HEY I have the Stila!!!!”

I still remember it was Hannah who recommended this to me

Anyway. I’ve been starting to use it again ever since school started and over the holidays, I had developed a penchant for light makeup (ie. looking like I’m not wearing anything even though I am). I know liquid foundation is the last thing you’d ever want to put on in the morning when you are rushing for time but the Stila is so quick and convenient to use.

Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation (fond de teint liquid lumineux)

It comes in a sturdy frosted glass bottle that feels very luxurious to the touch. However, the cap is fragile – I had spotted some cracks along the edges when I didn’t even drop it or anything.

pump dispenser

This product has no SPF. Which is fantastic in my opinion as it will be suitable for use with those unstable sunblocks. I’m really not a fan of SPFs in my foundations. Like as if I’m gonna slap on 1 teaspoon of liquid foundation everyday? And besides, SPF in foundations have a tendency to interfere with the stability of our regular sunblocks.

There are very subtle shimmers in the product but are largely invisible to the naked eye… Unless the sun is shining right in your face and/or you are taking pictures using flash.

On me (approx 4 hours of wear):

with flash

Verdict:

No one I asked could tell I had foundation on, and that’s the exact same reason why I love this liquid foundation. It is sheer, light and goes on with the coverage of a tinted moisturizer but better. It makes my skin look nice and smooth without being “made up”. The texture is lovely – liquidy but not runny, almost like very lightweight gel. This dries down to a dewy finish, definitely not matte!  Oil control is average at best, I find myself oiling at around the 2nd hour or so (but it could be due to my sunblock).

My application for this is a little unconventional. I would apply this using fingertips, smoothing out one area before progressing to another and then spray with MAC Fix+ to “fix” the liquid foundation. After drying, it can still be a little tacky so I will go over with a light dusting of MAC MSF Natural to take away some of the stickiness. It’s dewy in nature and I like the glow so I didn’t want to put too much powder on top. It might be possible to wear this LF alone without powdering but I find that it will just slide away to nothing in this tropical heat.

Bear in mind that the coverage for this liquid foundation is meant to be sheer, but coverage is slightly buildable. I usually just wear one layer of this on its own and put on a second layer if I want to look more “made up”.

Buy this if:

This is suitable for people who have dry/relatively clear skin and just need an extra radiance boost. People who are new at makeup and are not ready to put on full foundations as yet will also find this a good investment. Basically this is a good foundation for people who like the natural no-makeup look but are generally uncomfortable with heading out without anything on the face.

Do not buy if:

You will hate this if you’ve been using (AND LOVING) foundations like Revlon Soft Flex, Estee Lauder Double Wear, Covermark (or other full coverage foundations). This might also not be very suitable for oily skins because of the shimmers (tend to make you look oilier than you already are).

Price:

SGD63 at Escentials (Tangs Orchard)/30ml

I am still looking forward to checking out Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua though

Kate Dual Carat Eyes + Shu Uemura Blush M Pink 33C

Haven’t been posting any FOTDs recently because I’ve been so damn busy preparing for my exams and hardly went out

I might have to wean off blogging for a while because of 2 other papers coming up till mid-May.

We’ll see how it goes!

FOTD:

I have been wearing the same old pair of falsies so pardon me if they look worn out and old at the band. It’s tough to clean those areas

Products Used:

The Loreal True Match Liquid Foundation is an “old flame”. I had left it at SO’s house and JUST recently got it back because it was seriously under-used. It’s good for oily skins I suppose because I find it slightly too mattifying for me.

Kanebo Kate Dual Carat Eyes BR-3:

The Dual Carat Eyes are from Kate and they have since been discontinued. I think it’s a real pity because these are superduper shimmery and pigmented. It isn’t as fine as other high-end Japanese eyeshadows but still, it’s good value for the money paid.

See how sparkly it is? The brown shade has colorful glitter flakes in it and the highlighting creamy-white shade is nice and frosty.  Just the way I like my highlighters to be

On my cheeks, I used the Shu Uemura Powder Blush in M Pink 33C. It’s super old. One of my first blushers I think.

It’s a pale pink with a hint of mauvish undertones to it.

See how it just shows up as pink on my cheeks? It’s hard to overdo this blush, I had to swipe a gazillion times for it to show up in the camera because it is SO SHEER.  It’s pretty though, very natural for daily looks and whatnots.

This could be my last FOTD for a long time, till then!

UD Alice in Wonderland Palette – Gold Look

Did this neutral look using Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette, using mostly gold, browns and blacks to match my gold nails

FOTD:

Products Used:

I was using MAC Venomous Villian Beauty Powder in Oh So Fair:

Not sure if you can see it here, but it’s a pale pink that appears slightly peachy on me The weather was sweltering when I put my MU on so it looks slightly uneven as I was perspiring.

I’ve had my Lunasol Modelling Water LF for quite some time now, almost a year if I recall correctly, but I seem to have lost my love for it after trying out other brands of BB creams and LFs. This isn’t as long-lasting as I’d have liked, and isn’t sweat-resistant. When I dabbed away beads of perspiration, I could see LF coming off (even when the MU had set) on the tissue and it left patches on my skin like the perspiration was melting my base makeup. This doesn’t happen with my other LFs. I might continue to use this, but I probably won’t wear it shopping or when I have to do a lot of physical activity because I’m pretty much sure this won’t stay