Now, I've been watching make-up videos on youtube for about a year now and can honestly say that I've not seen a foundation raved about as much as the Chanel Pro Lumiere. It seems like it is the ultimate holy grail base. It's used by make-up artists on brides, catwalk models, photo shoots etc. It really seemed like this foundation could do no wrong.
Sold by the hype, I picked up a bottle at Debenhams last April. Yes, last April. I was colour matched, very well I must add, to shade 20. From the tiny smear of product on my jawline I had no qualms at all. It was only when I tried to apply it all over did I realise that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Whether I used a foundation brush or my fingers I somehow found that no matter what I did I ended up with an excess of product sliding around looking for a place to sit. My skin looked kind of shiny and not necessarily any better for having foundation on it. It was hard work to blend it in so that it looked natural, but in the end I always managed. I am very VERY patient. I figured out, and fairly recently I may add, that I needed even less than half a pump for my entire face.
So that was a year ago, and a year later I'm still trying to finish the bottle. I suppose you could say that as a little goes a long way it's relatively good value (Chanel... good value.... same sentence... lol).
Now that I've been using this for a year I can honestly give you a complete opinion, having used it in all four seasons and in all skin conditions.
You have to shake the bottle really, really well if haven't used it in a few days, otherwise it's even gloopier. That's the key thing about this foundation, the texture is like a runny wax and that's what it can look like on the skin if you're not careful. Blend, blend, BLEND! And about the packaging... the bottle is heavy and as someone who travels a lot that is not practical for me. It looks very chic though obviously.
On a positive note it creates a lovely natural highlight on the cheekbones, dispensing with the need to add any highlighter at all. It's a very sheeny, glow-y base, but without any shimmer. There is a fine line however between glowing and oily, and sometimes this just crosses that line. It's NOT good if your skin has lumps and bumps, it highlights them.
I didn't wear it that much in the summer as I was a bit tanned and the colour was too pale, but towards the end of the summer I still felt like it was a bit too heavy for me. I did need to powder my t-zone, and I actually had to buy a face powder. Before I bought this foundation I didn't even possess one because I didn't need it.
During the autumn/winter it was a little better, and I would definitely say that it's more suited to a combination-dry skin type, although I have a darling friend with oilier skin than me who loves it, proving that perhaps there is more to foundation matching than skin-type alone.
Another thing I feel I must mention is that fact that I CANNOT use this foundation without a primer. It just slides all over the place within a few hours. With primer it can pretty much go most of the day, my primer of choice being Givenchy Acti'Mine.
All in all I've grown to like this foundation. I don't love it and I wouldn't re-purchase it, but it's ok, and it has to be ok because I will finish that bottle! On days when my skin is at it's best this foundation also looks it's best. Recently I've felt I've needed a bit more coverage and less sheen and the Sephora foundation samples I've been using have proved to be far superior.
I would say that if you are interested in this foundation, and there is no reason why you shouldn't be seeing as more people seem to love it than hate it, I would make sure you ask someone at the counter to apply it all over the face before purchasing and see how you get on with it.
Wow this has turned out to be long! Hope it was helpful at least :)
Score: 6/10
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