My Holy Grail Foundation: Chanel Vitalumiere

In the beauty world, Holy Grail (HG) is used to refer to a product that epitomises absolute perfection, everything that you could possibly look for in a product.

Once you find your HG anything (foundation, mascara, concealer, etc etc) you DON'T let it go.

So far, I had only found my HG concealer - the Bobbi Brown corrector in Peach (those of you who have read my "3 makeup things I can't live without" post will know how much I adore it)...

Until... about a month ago while browsing in the House of Fraser cosmetics department on Oxford Street, I decided to pop over to Chanel and try the "Lumiere" range of foundations. Now these include ProLumiere (for the professional look), LiftLumiere (to reduce signs of ageing), MatLumiere (to give a matte finish) and the original - VitaLumiere!




After a quick discussion with the lovely Chanel artist about my skintype, what kind of coverage I'm looking for, etc we decided that VitaLumiere was the way to go. Ten minutes of patch testing later I had found my perfect colour - 20 (also referred to as Clair or Cameo). She applied it all over my face and when I turned to look at the mirror, love happened.

The Vitalumiere had given my face just the right amount of coverage, yet still remaining true to its satin finish. What this translates into in layman's terms is that it evens your skin out wonderfully, and gives it, WAIT FOR IT, that PERFECT ALWAYS-SOUGHT-AFTER GLOWY SKIN look!

Not too matte, not too greasy - just the perfect dewy, my-skin-has-always-been healthy-and-I-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day glow! I could go on and on...

Its reasonably priced, too. You get 30mls for around 30 pounds - the same price you pay for Bobbi Brown or MAC foundations and this is more of a high-end brand than those!

I thought I should include a picture of myself wearing it - this is from my birthday last Saturday. I'm so pleased it comes out looking lovely in pictures too. If you can see the glow around my eyebrows, on my nose and the higher points of my cheek, that just shows you what a dewy finish it has. Yet not over-the-top glowy to make me look greasy!

A word to the wise - if you have problem skin or acne, spots, etc, I suggest you try ProLumiere because VitaLumiere won't give you enough coverage. But if, like me, you have mostly decent skin with a few irregularities here and there, you'll love this.

So there you have it - my HG foundation: the Chanel Vitalumiere!

Has it won over the hearts of anyone else out there?

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Skincare Reviews: Neutrogena scrub & Loreal moisturiser!

Hey my fellow makeup addicts!

For me, the discovery of good skincare products is cause for celebration enough to justify a little dance in the middle of my room. I guess that's just because I've tried so many products and been disappointed more often than I'd have liked!

Recently I've been using a new facial scrub and moisturiser that seem to be working out pretty well for me so here's a mini review on each!


Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub: this is such an awesome product to kick start your day with... it has a really energising, refreshing minty smell that instantly wakens the senses and when using it my skin felt kinda tingly and cool, as though I was lathering mint all over it. I will say that the name puzzles me a bit because this scrub didn't really foam at all... but other than that (and that really wasn't a huge deal for me at all) I'm really impressed.

After using this my skin felt really fresh, alive and super squeaky clean down to every last pore! Yet it didn't feel stripped or dry or tight... it was still soft and supple, just very clean and fresh. I'm totally won over by this scrub!



Loreal Paris Triple Active Day Multi-Protection Moisturiser: Phew... it takes me as long to say the name as it does to use this product! :P This is from the Loreal Dermo-Expertise line, for those of you interested, and the packaging promises protection, hydration and radiance. The main features of the moisturiser are Vitamin E, Ceramide and it's UV filter.

When I first scooped this cream out of the jar, the texture made me think "uh oh, this is going to be thick, greasy and Nivea-like!" but then I applied and blended it into my skin and I was thinking "whoa... what just happened!" because this is a very lightweight moisturiser that sinks quite comfortably into your skin.

Now I will say this: if you live in London or elsewhere with a cold and dry climate, this probably won't work for you unless you really lather it on which will result in going through the jar fairly quickly. But if you live in a warmer, humid climate this is an EXCELLENT moisturiser to invest in.

I know that whenever I'm back home my dilemma is - no moisturiser hence skin dry OR moisturiser but skin greasy in 30 minutes?

Protection - yes! Hydration - certainly! Radiance - not so much...



So have you tried either of these products? Loved it? Hated it? Let us know!

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