Review: Chanel Mat Lumiere SPF 15 Foundation

A great beauty purchase tends to follow a satisfying beauty purchase. As funny as it sounds I find it very likely. When you're in good mood you tend to make good business decision. Here is an example. Only Chanel Vanites eyeshadow and Rouge Coco Shine were in my mind when I hit the beauty floor last month. I've been happy with my Dior Skin Nude foundation so I was fantasizing for a replacement. Then the sale associate just put some foundation to complete the makeup. And Voila! I got hooked and came home with Mat Lumierre (not to mention Vanites and Biarritz).

Chanel Mat Lumiere ($54 for 1 oz) has a satin rather than matte finish on my skin. It doesn't set on my fine lines. It's hydrating, light-weight, very comfortable to wear despite SPF and doesn't smear through out the day. It provides medium coverage though buildable for full coverage. The texture is so smooth in a way that is very similar to Armani Luminous Silk and Lasting Silk but less liquidy.

Chanel Mat Lumiere has limited shade ranges but fortunately Beige 4.0 matches me perfectly. I set it with either Laura Mercier translucent powder or Giorgio Armani Micro-Fil loose powder. I prefer the latter since it adds a tough of subtle sheen to my skin and doesn't look chalky on top of Mat Lumierre.

This foundation dries a little bit faster than Giorgio Armani foundations I've tried (Luminous Silk, Lasting Silk, Face Fabric) but is still very easy to blend. I loving using a foundation brush (like a Sigma foundation brush) to apply Mat Lumierre as either my finger tips or a sponge sheers it out too much.

Mat Lumiere (Beige 4.0) under mild shading. It is heavenly smooth!

Mat Lumiere under direct sunlight.

Overall I LOVE Mat Lumiere so so much! If you can find a good shade of Chanel Mat Lumiere for your skintone, I highly recommend it. Even if you have drier skin you might still like it since it is hydrating.  

Comparison swatches are coming up soon.... here.

Note: I have normal combination skin, i.e. oily T-zone and normal to dry cheeks. My complexion has yellow undertone. I prefer medium to full coverage foundations and translucent setting powder.