Just in time for Summer (we all know how shiny things can get during hot weather..) Chanel launched a brand new foundation promising a velvety matte complexion, in a spiffy but mostly very pretty chic black bottle. Perfection Lumière Velvet is quite the light foundation, both in texture and coverage - although it’s perfectly buildable to a good medium coverage finish for those seeking that little something extra. While dry skin types probably haven’t really been waiting for anything like this to arrive (matte powdery finishes don’t do well on dry skin), this one can be a true treat for normal to oily skin types. 


The foundation itself is quite fluid (similar to Giorgio Armani’s Maestro foundation) and super easy to smooth out over the skin. It’ll leave a tiny layer of product on your skin, diminishing light imperfections and smoothing out skin tone. It quickly dries down to a velvety powdery finish. I won’t lie - this can be a bit of a tricky one for people with flaky dry skin around the nostrils. Although I have a combination skin with an oilier T-zone, the tiny area around my nose is quite dry for some reason.. which can get a little visible with certain fluid products. This is a problem I encounter with most foundations, but it tends to get a little more visible with the matte finish types. Luckily Perfection Lumière Velvet doesn’t flake anywhere else on the skin (and that’s immediately where it differs from Armani’s Maestro). Either way - there are tricks to help you with this little problem. I like applying a good ‘thick’ siliconey primer on the area, as this’ll create a smooth barrier for the foundation to adhere to and settle in with. My favourite one for doing this is currently Rouge Bunny Rouge’s Genesis Original Skin Primer - it does the job perfectly. Application can be done with a brush as well as with your fingers. I tried both and have no real preference, although using your fingers does take a little less time as it blends faster.  


The result is quite unnoticeable on the skin, but of course there is this velvety smooth matte thing going on so it’s not completely undetectable. It covers lightly, but if you add an extra layer like I do it can achieve a medium coverage finish. I’m wearing two layers of foundation in this picture - you can see how it has well concealed all redness on my cheeks but does leave a little visible pigmentation caused by some acne spots on my lower cheek and chin. Moderate & heavy acne patients will not like this type of finish & coverage, but girls with some minor imperfections, enlarged pores & redness will definitely enjoy. In terms of wear this one does last through the day, although I have to admit that I need to do powder touch ups a couple of times a day. Especially on my chin this tends to move a little, so I re-set it with a finishing powder whenever needed. The shade range is not super extensive, but still pretty good in my opinion. Being quite the pale girl (I have a NC15 skin), I’m pretty stoked there’s actually a good shade match - this is sadly not always the case. In Belgium, we get a slightly more limited shade range than the US line-up, containing pink-toned Beige Rose 12 and yellow-toned shades Beige 20 to 70. I use Beige Rose 12, which is the lightest shade and has a pink undertone. In other regions there’s also a Beige 10 available, another light shade but with an outspoken yellow undertone. Another good thing to note is that the shades Beige 20 and Beige 30 are different in colour in Europe/US and Asia. 

Chanel’s Perfection Lumière Velvet comes in a pretty 30 ml bottle and retails for €42.00. How long this will last you really depends on the clarity of your skin - based on if you need just one or two layers. And one last tip.. Don’t forget to shake the bottle before using!