By Adele Chan
When I received the press release for Chanel’s Les Beiges collection in February, the Gel Foundation was the one item that I was dying to try. I’m obsessed with getting foundation right; because a good foundation will give me beautiful, glowing skin that I’ll keep getting complimented on — and my fingers were crossed for this one.
This week, I finally got my hands on Chanel’s Healthy Glow Gel Touch Foundation and I can say, the wait was worth it! Let me get the superficial out of the way first:
IT IS GORGEOUS!
Look at the case… it is minimalism at its finest! The compact is a simple beige plastic trimmed with black. You’ll be proud whipping this out of your bag at any event.
HOW’S THE TEXTURE?
Amazing. And I mean light, smooth and cooling — because it’s a liquid gel.
THE APPLICATION?
A wonderful experience! The puff that comes with the compact is velvety smooth and pats on just the right amount of product onto the skin each time. It feels comfortable and cocooning against the skin, plus coupled with the familiar scent that comes with Chanel makeup products, the whole experience of patting on this foundation is lovely. Chanel is also releasing a Retractable Foundation Brush ($80) as part of the Les Beiges launch, which can be used to apply this foundation, but I’ve tried both and I highly recommend using the sponge that comes with the compact. The finish appears more even and you get more coverage this way.
THE FINISH:
Speaking about the finish, it is as the product name implies: a healthy glow. The coverage goes from light to medium (depending on whether you use the brush or sponge, and if you build on the layers), and what I found particularly impressive was that it brightened my dark undereye rings. I can actually skip concealer under my eyes with this foundation, and the only other foundation that I could previously do this with, was shu uemura’s Petal Skin Fluid Foundation (also very good, but that’s a story for another day).
A few friends on Facebook have asked me what I think of this product, and I could honestly say that I like it, and that I would recommend it. The only thing is that it’s pricey, but then again, it’s Chanel.
Price: $88, available from 15 June 2017.
Comes in 7 shades: No 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 12, 22.
Here are some tips on how to tell if a foundation is good and right for you:
- Get the colour right first. Never force a shade to work; for example, thinking a shade that’s too light will oxidise and darken over time.
- The final result should not look like a mask or like a flat colour. Good foundation will look natural on your skin, maintaining highlights.
- You want to glow, not look oily — it’s not the same thing. A healthy glow makes your skin (and you) look youthful. An oily shine looks….oily.
- Skin feels comfortable when wearing a good product that suits the skin type. In fact, it will feel like you’re wearing nothing at all. A lousy feeling is when your skin feels uncomfortable in any way — in particular, when it’s breaking out in rash! And that would be an allergic reaction!!!
How to choose the right shade of foundation:
Select three shades that appear closest to your skin colour, and swipe them each down the side of the face. The one that “disappears” into the skin is the right colour for you! That’s it!
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