Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation Review

I received a sample of this foundation in Glamour Magazine in the shade B30 Beige, and having left my usual foundation [Clinique Even Better]  in Leeds, I thought I'd try this as I've not been that happy with any foundation since my Holy Grail of Clinique Superfit which they annoyingly discontinued (whyyyyyyy!!!!).

I have combination/dry (Type 2 Clinique) skin.

It is described as a 'Longwear Flawless Fluid Makeup' with SPF10 and is oil-free

At first I thought the Perfection Lumiere was really good. When I squeezed some out of the sample, it had a lovely scent and felt velvety smooth, a quality that I loved about Superfit. I applied this in my windowless bathroom on Monday and being in a hurry to get out of the door, I didn't bother to check it in natural light, and I think I also may have forgot to moisturize! I did notice that it clung to my peach fuzz and my nose which is a weird oily/dry combo that can't make up it's mind so I thought it would be better trying it again with a thick moisturizer. Also, the coverage wasn't too great on my problem areas even when I layered up over them (jawline and cheeks have some purple/red spot scars- this has only started in the last 6-8 months!!). I continued with bronzer/blush and eyes and set off.

On Tuesday I ended up wearing Rimmel Match Perfection in True Nude as I had to rush (again) to a driving lesson, but I did remember to moisturize. This was probably a little too dark for me [This was the 'emergency' foundation I bought] but gave a nice finish with a heavy moisturizer under it and the Sleek Blush in Turbinado on the apples of my cheeks. Although it doesn't do much to cover spot marks as it's a lighter coverage than the Clinique Even Better or Anti Blemish (I recommend this so much if you have spot/acne scarring on your face). Again, my usual concealer wasn't with me, so i was using Rimmel Stay Matte. I wouldn't bother with this concealer again, it's pretty rubbish.

Anyway, back to Chanel!

So, today I wanted to try again with Perfection Lumiere. I went through my usual skincare routine and used a good moisturizer, waited a little bit to let it settle in, and applied the foundation with my fingers (as I had before) at my window in complete natural light. Well...

It was patchy, especially at the far end of my jaw, despite good blending, and further blending with a brush and it looked terrible. As I was going for a natural look today, there was no way I could have went out with just this foundation, concealer and blush. I had to wash it off! I went back to the back-up Rimmel... I know, washing off Chanel for Rimmel seems ridiculous, and I couldn't quite believe it myself, but I just couldn't stand how it looked.

I went to the Chanel counter today and spoke to the assistant about the problems I'd had with Perfection Lumiere. She did seem a little taken aback at first when I described the look PL had on me and that I had to wash it off, although I was just describing it honestly. Having seen Pixiwoo frequently use Chanel foundations, and loving Vitalumiere Aqua, I thought I'd give it a shot, as Perfection Lumiere is obviously too dry for me. She happily gave me a sample, although didn't properly match it to my skin, she just asked if I was happy with B30 in the PL and gave me the same, so I will review Vitalumiere Aqua in a few days!!

Chanel Perfection Lumiere 

Pros: 

Nice Scent

Would suit oily skin, as has powdered matte finish and is oil free

Huge range of shades available

Long Lasting (if you like it enough to keep it on)

Light coverage (this is a con for me)

Cons:

Patchy/ Cakey in areas

Clings to dry areas/peach fuzz etc

Coverage isn't great, especially on problem areas- not flawless as described

Sets a bit too quickly for brush application

Although this foundation has more pros than cons, for me its sadly not the one. I hope it's better for others as itreally does feel lovely on the face, it just didn't look lovely on me!