The good news is that two or three years of brightening creams, serums and religious use of sun blocks have most definitely worked. The bad news is that my beloved foundation no longer matches my skin, which is back to its original weird color.Chanel Vitalumiere Fluide Makeup has been my Holy Grail foundation since 2002. I've always had a bottle in Beige (intensity 2.0), even when flirting and supplementing with other products. It was perfect for me, both in color and texture, gave me the light coverage I wanted and a natural lively finish- not matte but not shimmery or shiny. I think it's labeled as "dewy". Over the last few months I've found myself mixing and diluting my Vitalumiere to the point it was no longer effective. I had to face it: beige was way too dark for me.
An emergency trip to the Chanel counter at Bergdorf Goodman was in order. I was lucky to meet there with Jennifer, a regional Chanel rep, who was as knowledgeable as she was patient and passionate about the brand. She worked with me, tested, swatched, applied, wiped and reapplied until both of us were happy. I was quite shocked by the result- originally I thought I had to go down one shade and wear Shell. But that was still too dark and too yellow. The color that worked was Cameo (intensity 1.0). My skin hasn't been this color since the early 70s, and probably not even then, as it was before anyone even thought about SPF 45.
My new Chanel Vitalumiere foundation has the same texture and finish I've always loved, my skin looks significantly better and I'm sending a Thank You letter to the good people in Shiseido, Nars and Labortoire Remede, who are all responsible for restoring my face.
Chanel Vitalumiere Fluide Makeup ($54) is available at select department stores.
All photos are mine.
i think i'll have to go and check this out!
ReplyDeleteit sounds really good
xx
Great review. It would be lovely to see a photo of you with the new color --
ReplyDeleteit is so true that one's skin changes color over time, most obviously summer to winter, but to hold the sun at bay and keep your winter color over time must have been very restorative.
This is the same experience I've had! I am 3 shades lighter than when I lived in California, even though I always wore SPF 45 (I live near London now and wear SPF 90+).
ReplyDeleteI always thought I was a beige in Chanel, but gave up and got the Cameo, and I'm happy I did!
Great post! I love reading reviews about Chanel beauty products, especially after having worked for them last month! I love he style you put in your pictures and I am glad you found a perfect match again!
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm very interested in the regimen that improved your skin. Would you want to list what you used?
ReplyDeleteI think that's great! With lighter skin, you have more options to darken it when you want a bronze look, and your skin is probably a lot healthier. Nice work!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it fabulous to work with an expert?
Abbie, it's worth trying. Chanel has several ranges of foundaion, but this has been my favorite for years. I think they also updated the formula at some point (around two-three years ago), and the finish is even better than it used to be.
ReplyDeleteLucy, between my camera and my limited skillz, I have yet to take a good picture that shows the foundation on my face. The best ones were those where a cat inserted its fuzzy face in the middle...
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt I've done myself a huge favor. If we stop to think about it, any tan is actually sun damage.
Jamilla, that's great! I'm sure that living in London has made your skin very happy.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Catanya :) Chanel is very easy to love, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteDea, I'm not sure which product should get the most credit for the change. I've used several things over the last few years and every time saw a minor effect: a little freckle that has faded, a discoloring that disappeared. It's only recentlt that I realized how much my skin has paled and improved.
ReplyDeleteI started with a Caudalie serum, which was nice but less effective than the now discontinued Super C from Remede (I've used five or six bottles by now). Remede now offer a new product in its place, I can't remember its name, though. I've gone through jars of Shiseido White Lucent cream and a bottle of Nars brightening serum. If I had to guess or make a recommendation I'd say go with the Japanese skin care lines. They've devoted years to research such creams and it looks like they are the most effective.
A., you're right about having more options. As amatter of fact, I just discovered I can use a larger range of bronzers and can wear colors that were off limits until recently.
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