What the brand says:
“Long-wear flawless fluid makeup with SPF10 – Effortless to apply, with seamless blendability for a naturally flawless effect, this breakthrough foundation is the ideal all-day, everyday formula – suitable for all skin types in a diverse range of 20 shades.”
A replacement for Pro Lumiere? Pro Lumiere was certainly one of the most loved foundations amongst makeup professionals. Chanel discontinued it to introduce Perfection Lumiere, which was rumored to be a replacement or an improvement for it, but I must warn you right now that this is not the case, both products being very different.
The Pro’s
A very fluid, easy to apply formula that come in a glass bottle with a pump
A light but delicious fruity smell, that doesn’t linger on for too long
A medium coverage in one layer, that can be build up to full
A nice satin finish – it’s not dewy at all, it’s not matte either, I actually find it still looks like skin even though it makes it more even thanks to the good pigmentation
Long lasting – I can easily get along with 8 hours of wear before feeling the need for a touch up
20 shades in the range, divided into Beige Rose (pink undertones) and Beige (yellow undertones) just like the Vitalumiere Aqua range
The Con’s
I don’t get the SPF 10. It’s not enough to protect you agains the sun on its own, and it might be a problem in flash photography – although Chanel foundations notoriously photograph well despite the SPF. I haven’t tried this one with flash, though.
As usual, Chanel has picked a limited selection of shades for each country. Even though my country has Vitalumiere Aqua in B10, the lightest shade offer for Perfection Lumiere is B20, so I had to go with that even though it’s a bit too dark and too beige. I can make it work but it upsets me that I didn’t have more choice. Also, we only have one BR shade, that is 12, the lightest one. I think it’s an extremely limited choice.
Even though it’s good that this bottle has a pump, the glass is quite heavy and bulky.
The comparison with Vitalumiere Aqua, and some other foundations.
While VA has a thicker, kind of gel like texture, Perfection Lumiere is definitely liquidy. I guess that’s the reason why it’s in a bottle and not in a plastic packaging like VA.
In terms of finish, I find there are a lot of similarities, but of course Perfection Lumiere can look at bit more dry because of the high pigmentation, while VA is obviously more sheer, hence more natural.
I think I could summarize things by saying that one layer of Perfection Lumiere looks like 2 good layers of Vitalumière Aqua. I still prefer VA for everyday use, especially as I find that it lasts for a very long time on me as well, but on days where I have redness or blotchiness to hide, it goes faster to apply one quick layer of Perfection Lumiere and be done with it than to build up more coverage with VA.
If I compare Perfection Lumiere with another high coverage, long lasting foundation that is Clarins Everlasting, I’d say the Clarins one is thicker and more creamy, but it’s more matte and more drying and looks less natural on the skin.
If I compare it with Dior Skin Nude, which is very long lasting on me as well, I’d say that Perfection Lumiere is much less luminous/dewy and has more coverage.
Chanel Perfection Lumiere isn’t cheap: €43 – USD 55.00, but it’s an excellent foundation for anybody looking for flawless skin, natural finish, medium to full coverage and long lasting result.
Hope this helps, MUGs!
VampiressSam5190 on , May 21, 2012, 10:56 pm
sassycass on , May 21, 2012, 10:06 pm
mags13501 on , May 21, 2012, 10:04 pm
Shelly on , May 21, 2012, 9:20 pm
futuremakeupartist711 on , May 21, 2012, 8:14 pm
