Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Review and Swatches in BA40 Beige Ambre Desert and 20 Beige

So while I wait for the trickle of Fall collections to hit Europe (which is notoriously slow over here) I thought I'd do a quick review of my current favourite foundation, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. As I'm in between shades ( and I can't find another B40 anywhere to purchase) I'm mixing a combo of 20 Beige and BA40 Beige Ambre Desert. I should note that BA40 is much darker than the standard B40 so don't mistake one for the other as I did! Formula wise it's a gorgeous product- light but enough coverage to perfectly blend away any blemishes. You have to give this one a good old shake before you use else you'll end up using all the watery bit and get left with a thick gloop afterwards. It has a SPF of 15 built in which is always a bonus.

It dries down pretty fast so you need to move quickly and it has a semi matte finish, even on my oily skin I never get particularly shiny with this on even if I don't use any powder. I get a whole days wear from this one even in the heat (it has been 35-40 degrees here recently) so I highly recommend it. I've been using this sparingly with my ThisWorks Perfect Skin Miracle which I reviewed earlier to get the perfect amount of coverage for the summer. I should also note that I started using Vitalumiere Aqua since it was launched and have never experience any reactions to it with my uber sensitive skin. It has a light scent but soon disappears once applied.

Swatches...

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, left to right: 20 and BA40 (daylight)

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, left to right: 20 and BA40 (flash)

Bourjois 123 Perfect (53 Light Beige) Foundation Swatch & Review

123 Perfect is the latest foundation from Bourjois, I came across this whilst browsing in Boots but I haven't seen this around in Spain yet so I'm not sure of its availability worldwide. It's supposed to have 3 correcting pigments (yellow, mauve and green) and 16 hour wear time. I find it's very similar to Chanel Perfection Lumiere, perhaps a slightly more matte finish (although this isn't that surprising considering it's part of the same company).

I picked up 53 Light Beige but I've noticed that it dries down a little darker than Healthy Mix or Healthy Mix Serum. It has a gel like texture with medium coverage and blends in with the skin perfectly to give an invisible finish. I would say that this is more suitable for normal-oily skin types as it is quite mattifying. It comes in a glass bottle with a pump nozzle. Overall this is yet another really lovely foundation from Bourjois and at a great price point.

Swatches...

Bourjois 123 Perfect 53 (daylight)

Bourjois 123 Perfect 53 (flash)

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Beige (30) Swatch & Review

 Chanel's latest foundation offering is this- Perfection Lumiere. It's supposed to replace their Pro Lumiere which was discontinued, so it has big boots to fill as Pro was many Make Up Artists favourite base. This is 30 Beige which is a medium yellow-neutral tone. Texture wise this is more similar to Mat Lumiere, it has a medium coverage but blends more seamlessly into the skin. It is a matte coverage but it doesn't appear flat or cakey. I found this lasted the whole day without any need for touch ups. It has a sweet floral scent (reminds me a bit of the perfume used in their Hydramax range) but doesn't linger once applied. Perfection Lumiere also has an SPF 10 which is fine for the winter but in the summer probably isn't enough for most people (I've been told by a Estee Lauder rep that a lot of cosmetics companies avoid going higher than a SPF 10-15 as it changes the formula quite substantially).

Swatches...

Perfection Lumiere Beige (daylight)

Perfection Lumiere Beige (flash)

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow (I'm so money, honey) Review & Swatch

The latest offering from Benefit's foundation collection is this- Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow. I picked up I'm so money, honey which is around a Mac nc25 shade, but perhaps not as yellow based. Texture wise- it's quite liquid and lightweight which makes for a lovely and almost invisible appearance on the skin. It dries quite quickly so you need to work relatively fast, but once it's set I found it lasted me all day with no need to touch up. This one is semi matte, so unless you have super oily skin you can get away with little or no powder at all. 

It's also oil free and has an Spf of 25 which saves you from having to use a separate product for sunscreen. What's particularly nice about this foundation is that even though it's quite a thin fluid you still get a good coverage, I'd say it's a medium-buildable formula. It's fairly simply packaged and has a pump which gives enough product out in 1-2 pumps to cover the entire face, the transparent bottle is also handy as you can see how much you have left.

Swatches...

Hello Flawless- "honey" (daylight)

Hello Flawless- "honey" (flash)

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer St Moritz Review & Swatch

This is the latest foundation from Nars, it's a lovely tinted moisturiser with a built in SPF 30. I purchased the shade St Moritz, a medium yellow tone (about a Mac NC30) which is slightly too dark for me at the moment but in a few weeks as it's getting warmer it should be about right. I especially like the texture of this one, it's virtually undetecetable, a bit like my favourite Bourjois Healthy Mix foundations, and gives a sheer to medium coverage which is a touch more than your standard tinted moisturiser.

I use this straight on top of bare skin (no other moisturiser) as I have oily skin, it gives just the right amount of hydration with out making it greasy or too shiny. I would say this is a satin finish, it's not matte but it's not dewy either so I can skip powder. This also has great lasting power, I wore it all the way through 8 am to 11pm and it hadn't faded or slipped off. This will definitely be my base of choice through the summer as I love being able to put on moisturiser, SPF and foundation in one go.

Packaging is nice and practical in a black plastic squeezy tube and you get a very generous 50ml (1.9OZ). I can't comment on it's skin brightening abilities as I haven't had it for long enough but I will update when I've tried it for more time.

Swatch...

Nars St Moritz Tinted Moisturiser (daylight)

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation 09 Swatch & Review

This is Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation, it's suppose to look like real skin, be easy to blend and suitable for all skin types. This reminded me of Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum initially, they have a similar gel like texture which smoothes out to give a natural coverage which is buildable. I do find that Illamasqua's needs a bit more care when blending to avoid the streaky bits (a good flat top brush like Mac's 109 does a perfect job) so you're better off buffing rather than brushing it on. It also works quite nicely when used with hands as the warmth from your fingertips helps it adhere to the skin better.

I would call this sheer to medium coverage and it has a semi matte finish. It does say that it's suitable for all skin types but I would say it was better for normal-dry as I find it can slip off after a few hours even if you set with powder. If you have very dry skin this might not be suitable as I have found that it can cling to any dry patches and look a bit cakey.

The shade here is 09 and I think this would suit around a mac nc30 (it's very yellow based) but if it's worn sheer then you can get away with a bit more variation in tone, say nc30-35. I should also point out that this contains mineral oil so if you're sensitive to it (like me) you might want to give it a miss!
Packaging is practical and simple, it comes in a plain plastic squeezy tube which is perfect for travelling.

Overall I think this is a nice foundation, if you have good skin and just want something to enhance it then it's well worth checking out!

Swatch...

From left (unblended & blended): Illamasqua Skin Base 09 (daylight)