April 28, 2010

Reader Review: Chanel Liquid Foundation Review

4 stars out of 5

I recently bought the liquid version of Chanel’s Teint Innocence foundation, in Cameo 20 (I live in the Northwest…I’m pale, yes). It’s a light-weight foundation (oil-free!) that gives a light to medium coverage. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you’ll still be able to see your darker spots (acne scars, dark freckles, what have you), but that’s mostly because you know where they are and are trying to spot them. The average person, upon looking at you, will prolly just think your skin looks dewy and fresh. That’s seriously what this does. It brightens your skin, giving it a fresh glow, and anyone who’s close enough to pick out the little flaws should be punched anyway, right? 😀 I really like the light-weight feel of it, and the fact that I can touch my face without fear of having makeup all over my fingers. I also tend to rest my head against my boyfriend’s shoulder when we’re on the bus, and other liquid foundations have smudged onto his jacket (which, thankfully, rubs clean quite nicely, being Gore-Tex and all).

The foundation has SPF 12 in it, which isn’t a lot, but I use Clinique’s City Block SPF 25 every day anyway, so the SPF situation doesn’t concern me very much. I do sometimes set it with a powder, if I want a matte look, but it’s not necessary and usually I don’t bother.

I apply with my fingertips, which was weird for me the first time around. I’ve since adapted, though, and it’s fine. I just dab dots onto my face and blend gently into my skin. Works beautifully. So, here’s the bottom-line:

Pros: light, non-greasy, formula; gives you a dewy, fresh glow, while smoothing out imperfections and giving you an overall “flawless finish” look. I haven’t experienced break-outs or drying out, and I don’t look like I have foundation caked or packed on. It really just smooths into your skin, making your skin look better than it is. Who doesn’t love that?

Cons: price. At $47 a bottle, it’s a bit steep, but that’s Chanel for you. I personally feel like if I’m going to indulge in anything pricey, it should be foundation, since your skin is so important. The bottle also does not have a pump, and though it’s easy enough to pour out what you need, I can imagine it might get a bit difficult towards the end when there’s very little left in the bottle. But it looks like it’ll last for quite some time, so I’m satisfied.

Overall: I like it. I like it better than any Clinique liquid foundation I’ve tried (which are considerably cheaper), because the color match is perfect and the formula feels better – easier to blend and such a soft, radiant finish. Win!

9 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • LINDARRAGNAR

    sweet <3 I've always wanted to try this foundation or there pro luminere. But since this one is smoothing that would be so much more conveniant.

    hopefully the ivory one is light enough! thanks for the review!!

  • Washington DC

    This is the only foundation I’ll use. I love how dewy and soft it is on my skin and it definitely helps create that flawless look. And it lasts forever! Even with almost daily use, I can usually get about 6-8 months of use out of the bottle. My only (small) gripe is that it rubs off fairly easily, but I find that Laura Mercier setting powder keeps it in place so long as I don’t do too much fiddling with my face.

  • Julia

    “I personally feel like if I’m going to indulge in anything pricey, it should be foundation, since your skin is so important.”

    EXACTLY. Cheap eyeshadow – no problem.
    Cheap foundation – no. Some cheap ones might be good, but my skin is really sensitive and doesn’t look so good usually, so I need a good foundation. I actually thought about Clinique – what did you not like about those?

    • Larie

      I had trouble color matching my skin to some of the Clinique liquid foundations; I’ve tried two: the Even Better formula, and the Superbalanced Makeup. The sales associate at the Nordstrom counter matched me, both times, but out in the daylight the color just looked very different. The Even Better formula was a little thick and goopy, and while I was able to get it to spread out nicely on my skin with a brush, the undertones were far too pink for me (I’m Asian, with yellow undertones). Same with the Superbalanced formula. If that’s not an issue for you, you might try it – they don’t feel bad on the skin, and offer a nice medium coverage. Plus, Clinique has never been bad for my skin (I’ve gone through a couple of their powders), so it’s definitely worth a try! 🙂

      • Julia

        Thank you!
        Hm, my face already has a kind pinkish tone to it, so I’m not sure if I want to put even more pink onto it.
        I guess I’ll try some more brands. Thanks!

  • Michelle

    Hi Larie.

    I purchased the Chanel compact version of this liquid foundation because I have quite a few friends at Chanel who have said getting out of the bottle once it becomes half way empty (of full), becomes very difficult and they don’t really recommend it. The one thing about the compact version ($56 by the way, so I feel your pain in the pocket book), is that there are no refills for the compact!! I was really saddened by that, because MAC recycles all their bottles and what not, and for the money we spent on these products, (I have tons of Chanel, don’t know about you, but I’m a Chanel fanatic when it comes to their cosmetics and nail laquers) you would think that they would (a) have a pump since all their other foundations in liquid form come in a pump bottle and (2) have a re-fillable compact for the compact version.

    What do you think?

    Thanks for sharing!

    • Larie

      I agree, it should be refillable…it would cut down the waste and the cost, for sure! I purchased the double perfection powder, and that’s not refillable either…boo! I still think for the quality of the foundations, that I would prolly still pay the full price, though. And I haven’t hit the low point with the liquid foundation, but I can see it becoming a problem to get product out. I wonder if storing it upside down would help? The cap is flat and big enough, and I think it’s possible.

      The reason why I got the liquid version rather than the compact (I tried both at the Chanel counter) was that the compact turned out a little dull on my skin, and I liked the subtle glow of the liquid version a lot better. Have you tried both?

  • Elise

    Hi Larie,
    thanks for the review! I LOVE that foundation, the only drawback is that I’m between shades, and I’m not going to buy 2 bottles to blend it!!! Cameo (20) is a bit too yellow/dark on me but it looks awesome on pictures and I always got compliments when I wear it.
    The bottle is annoying, so I transfered it into a dollar store mini-squirt bottle (being a snob, I still left the bottle in the cabinet, it’s too pretty to hide!!!) Some users on makeupalley were complaining about the smell but I like it: it has a vague smell of incense, very luxurious!
    The compact is nice (looks awesome) and convenient and that’s what I was using and led me to purchasing the liquid.
    And yes, definitely, if you gotta splurge on 1 makeup item, do so on foundation, it’s the biggest difference between a nice look and an awesome one, and people can’t pinpoint it!!! While you’re splurging, match the concealer from Chanel, it’ll last FOREVER and just does the trick really well. Love it!
    Can’t wait for Chanel to a) make that bottle more user friendly and b) make that compact refilable!