| Review | Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint



| Review | Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint 

Makeup has such a huge spectrum from the barely-there natural look to the full-on glamour smokey eyes and cut creases. For so long, I have felt the industry focuses it's efforts on the latter end of the spectrum because the trends were more is better but in recent years, we are seeing s resurgence of the minimalist and natural makeup re-emerge. While this barely-there look isn't for everybody, I appreciate that Chanel is trying to encourage people to embrace their own natural beauty with their latest collection. If you're a big fan of the no-makeup makeup look, you're going to LOVE this new release from Chanel!


PACKAGING & PRICE 

The Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint retails for $65.00 USD and is available at Nordstrom and other retailers. This new base formula is packaged in a very iconic plastic bottle, that we often see Chanel use for their skincare line. The clear plastic bottle allows you to see the very cool and unique texture of the product. It has a pump dispenser, which is very convenient and easy to control the amount of product being released. This product also comes with a brush, which I will speak more about later. 



SHADES

This skin tint comes in 6 shades ranging from light to deep. The product is extremely sheer, so it is very forgiving and your shade choice is not crucial. When I say extremely sheer, I really mean it! This product offers little to no coverage, that is why it is called a tint. The shade I chose is Medium Plus, which suits my NC30-35 skin tone very well. While I have been asked a lot about how to choose a shade for this product, I would say go with your gut. You can easily buy this product blindly because the formula is so sheer and forgiving.





Swatched


Lightly Blended


More Blended


Fully Blended

FORMULA 

Many of you may be thinking, what is the purpose of such a sheer product? Initially, I felt the same way. When I first applied the product and realized it offered no coverage, I was quite disappointed. However, I was mostly disappointed because so many of the Chanel reps referred to this product as a "foundation", which it is most definitely NOT! When you put in the perspective of a skin tint, you will embrace the sheerness and the finish a whole lot more.


This product has the texture of a serum if you have ever used any of Chanel's serums is the same super lightweight water-like gel texture. This product has little micro-beads of pigment suspended in the serum and as you work the product, the micro-beads will burst, releasing a bit of the pigment. In the insert included with this product is says this: 

MICROFLUIDICS FOR A UNIQUE SENSORY EXPERIENCE  
On the cutting edge of microfluidic technologies in the cosmetics field, CHANEL creates LES BEIGES WATER-FRESH TINT, the first hybrid foundation product with pigment micro-droplets. Based on innovative technology, it's ultra-light texture, composed of 75% water, offers a real moment of freshness on application for a unique sensation of vitality. Enriched with a natural Tamarind seed extract, known for its moisturizing properties, it delivers comfort and hydration all day long.  
Captured with suspended micro-droplets, colour pigments are preserved in their utmost state of purity, ensuring the best affinity with the skin and the sensation fo wearing nothing. Delicate notes of Neroli and the comfort of a fresh texture provides and a burst of energy. 
A NUDE SKIN EFFECT FOR A NATURAL AND LUMINOUS HEALTHY GLOW  
Beyond foundation, this water-fresh foundation evens out the complexion with a sheer finish for a nude skin effect and a natural-looking skin texture.  
Specifically developed for optimal application, It's dedicated brush allows the pure pigment micro-droplets to melt onto the skin and create an imperceptible and weightless veil. Colour imperfections are unified and skin is smoothed for a luminous and ultra-natural result. The complexion shows off the freshness and radiance of beautiful skin in the great outdoors. 

I have to agree with pretty much all the statements and claims made in the insert. Upon application, this tint feels very refreshing and cool, like splashing water on your face. I can believe that the formula is composed of 75% water because it really feels like it, however, I would not say that this product is particularly hydrating. While it does offer some hydration,  I would still highly recommend prepping your skin with a moisturizer beforehand. I strongly agree that this product feels like you are wearing nothing on your skin, which is impressive! For those of you who don't like foundation or find foundations too heavy,  this is for you! This product actually makes it feel like you are wearing nothing because the serum-like texture just absorbs instantly into your skin and disappears, leaving no residue behind, just a tint. This product is truly imperceptible and just makes your skin look really healthy, without looking like you have anything on. It offers the most beautiful healthy and natural radiance of really hydrated skin without any shimmer effects. It just leaves your skin with this slightly glossy and hydrated looking glow. The tint does dry down a little bit but you will still have a bit of a serum texture on your face.

The tint provides only a tint and nothing more when it comes to coverage, I find the best way to use this product if you want more coverage is to apply concealer on first, in particular, one that sets down and is long wearing. Cover any major imperfections and heavy discoloration. Then, go on top of the concealer with the tint to even out the skin tone and add a healthy finish to the complexion. 

The texture and finish of this product is what sets it apart from other skin tints and makes it such a beautiful product! The tint looks like a healthy and glossy glow that is unlike any product I have tried before. It really gives the skin a glass-skin look that is created by skincare and not makeup, even though it is makeup. 

That being said, I want to reiterate that this product is not for everyone! It is extremely sheer and will not provide coverage but it will lightly perfect the skin and create a beautiful glowing veil over the skin! The skin tint can last up to 8 hours or more depending on your skin type and the conditions in which you are wearing the product. In the warmer months, this may wear a significantly shorter time because of sweat but if you are in cooler conditions, this will stay on longer. Also, because it isn't meant to control for oil, oily skin types will have a more difficult time keeping this product on.



INGREDIENTS

While Chanel doesn't seem to claim any skincare benefits from using this product, it is very reminiscent of their Hydra Beauty Micro Serum. As with any skincare-makeup hybrid, I don't believe that the skincare in a product will do anything revolutionary but it will just be a bonus feature to the product. Skincare infused makeup is always nice because it tends to be more nourishing and help the skin feel good throughout the day.

The only two ingredients I see that may benefit the skin are bitter orange flower extract and tamarind roots extract. Bitter orange flower extract is meant to be calming and balancing for the skin, which is great for those with oily skin because it will balance the oils in your skin. Not to be confused with oil-controlling, which will prevent oils from surfacing. In my research, this extract can make your skin sensitive to the sun and as this product doesn't claim to have any sun protection, I highly recommend applying sun protection when using this product. However, listed on the box is titanium dioxide, which is a physical sun protector. Perhaps it's in a high enough volume to be considered sun protection but may counter the effects of bitter orange flower extract? Who knows, but its better to be safe than sorry. I always apply an SPF daily before any of my base products.  The tamarind root extract is meant to be extremely hydrating, supposedly better than hyaluronic acid, which is apparent in this formula because the skin tint is very hydrating. It is also supposed to contain a lot of nutrients, which helps with anti-aging.



Here are the full ingredients listed on the box:



APPLICATION

Let's talk about the application of this highly unusual base product. I was told by every Chanel rep that I had spoken to, that "You HAVE to use the included brush". I am here to say, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE THE INCLUDED BRUSH! Many Chel reps were very adamant about using the included brush because they said that the product will not apply evenly to the skin otherwise and etc. but I believe this is because they are taught that this is the only way. As a makeup artist and a sensible consumer, I do not believe there is only one way of applying a product and no surprises here, I am right.



The brush included with the skin tint is a very small dense synthetic angled buffing brush. It is small enough to fit in the palm of my hands, which makes it ideal for travel or touchups. The bristles seem to be of very high quality and they feel very soft on the skin.  The brush is angled and has a flat edge, making it great for getting around the contours of the nose and around the eyes. I find that I don't like applying this product with the brush at all because the formula is light, the brush seems to soak up the majority of the product. Also, the brush is so small that it is a bit tedious to apply the product to the entire face.



I think the most ideal application of this skin tint is with your fingers. The Chanel reps will tell you this is a big "no-no" because it will be streaky and gritty. They are wrong! You have to massage the product into your skin until it is fully absorbed and all the micro-beads have fully dissolved. Yes, initially, it will look like the product is applying very unevenly because as you break the micro-beads, they will release little bits of pigment everywhere, but as you massage in the pigment, the tint looks very even and your skin looks just a touch more perfected. Because the formula is so light, you can continue to layer until you get your desired effect. I wouldn't recommend trying to achieve coverage with this product because that will never happen, but just get an overall tint and glow to your skin then go in with concealer for your imperfections. 

The other alternative for application is to use a larger dense buffing brush to apply the product. Chanel was on the right track when they created the brush to go with this tint but it's much too small to be effective or convenient. If you can find a really dense larger brush, this is ideal for breaking up the micro-droplets and buffing the product into the skin without losing so much product to the brush. The one applicator I would not recommend is a sponge! This will completely eat up all your product because the tint is 75% water! Not only will it be a waste but you will not be able to apply the product to your skin.


USES 

This product can be used in three different ways, as a primer, as makeup, or as a touch-up product. These are recommendations from Chanel and I find the last one particularly intriguing. Let's talk about how it works for each of these three purposes:

Makeup 

As a base, this product is extremely sheer and offers little to no coverage but provides a nice tint and offers a beautiful glossy and healthy glow to the skin. This is best for really good skin days or for those who don't like wearing foundation. I like to use this on my no-makeup makeup days and use concealer to cover imperfections, as I need to.


Bare Skin (no makeup) - You can see my sun spots, residual acne marks, and redness. 


With several layers of the Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint on - You can see my skin is lightly perfected and those imperfections are less obvious

Primer 

As a primer, this skin tint works so well! I was very pleasantly surprised when I applied foundation over it. It seemed to provide a very smooth canvas for the foundation to sit on and my foundation seemed to offer more coverage than usual.  I only needed a very little bit of foundation for a full coverage and flawless finish to my skin. The glowing finish from the skin tint still shines through and give your skin a beautiful healthy glow. This product is not meant to control for oil, so if you have issues with oil,  I recommend only using this on parts of your face.


With Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint as a primer - My skin is very glowy from the skin tint and completely perfected from the foundation.

Touch-up 

I was very curious about using this product as a touch-up product because this is something I would have never thought of. For touching up, you want to make sure you are using this over skin that isn't heavily powdered. I don't really worry about this because I hardly set my skin because it is so dry but also I often set with a very light powder and throughout the day, it usually wears away. The second thing to note is to be sure you use a brush and make sure you break all the mico-droplets on your hand first before applying to the face. This way,  you will not need to buff the product as much, which may cause your existing base to become patchy or be removed. I recommend gently pressing and stippling the product onto the skin and only buffing lightly if you need to. Because this product is so sheer, it actually works really well for refreshing the complexion and offering a touch more coverage without looking cakey. Personally, I don't think this product is ideal for touchups, especially because it isn't specifically designed to do so and carrying around that bottle would be a nuisance. I think if you're going home before an event and want to refresh your glow, this would be nice but as far as helping with coverage of any imperfections, this will not help.


With the Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint layered on top for a touchup - My skin looks fresh and glowy, as if I had just applied the foundation

FINAL THOUGHTS

First of all this isn't a foundation, it is a skin tint, which is clearly labeled on the packaging itself. This means that this product isn't for everyone. This is a great product for those who hate foundation. The super sheer finish is best utilized by someone who wants a barely-there coverage and look. While it looks beautiful under foundation as a primer, you can achieve this effect with just about any illuminating primer. Using this product strictly as a primer would be a waste. This product works well for touchups but isn't ideal. Therefore, if you aren't planning to use this product alone, it really isn't worth the cost. The value in this product comes from its unique finish and texture when used alone to perfect the skin. If you find that this is too sheer, you can apply concealer underneath or you may want to save your money and pass on this product all together. 

I think it's a beautiful product for those days when you really don't feel like wearing anything but you want just a little something to make your complexion look healthy. This is a great summertime vacation product when you want something super lightweight and quick to apply. This will get you out the door quickly and have you looking a touch more polished. I admit that I personally prefer a little more coverage but I really love the concept of this product for my lazy no-makeup makeup days! This is the perfect product to give you that true glass skin look, where your skin still shows through and looks really natural and healthy. For me, I am happy wearing this all over and a touch of concealer where I need it but if you're not a bare skin kind of person, this is definitely too sheer for you. 

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5 Comments

  1. I believe this is the best in depth review, I've read so far. I'm so underwhelmed reading the same reviews everywhere,like a press release, here I have found a fresh air in this community. Congratulation!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for this post! It looks like it was made over a year ago, but still relevant today! I'm exited about my new purchase but need this post to help figure out the best way to use it. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent review! Very informative, thoughtful and accurate. Thankyou

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for your in depth review. Very helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great review and thanks for being so thorough. Do you think this would be good to use over a sunscreen? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete