Unsung Heroes: Chanel Poudres Universelle Libre Natural Finish Loose Powder

My buddy Kat was giving me a ride to the airport last week when we got to talking about what I like to call, “The Chanel Effect.”

Whenever I visit a Chanel counter only intending to look, or only planning to get one thing, like a lipstick, or snagging a sample of eye cream, but then one of the makeup artists says, “Here, try this on,” hands me a mirror, and I see in my reflection what can only be described as a makeup miracle, that is The Chanel Effect.

LOL! I made myself laugh… 🙂

I experienced it a few weeks ago with Chanel’s Poudre Universelle Libre in 040 Dore, otherwise known as Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder.

It was a Saturday afternoon. Bloated and cranky, I’d been buffeted by a monster riptide of hormones, and through a veil of tears, I told El Hub that one of two things was about to happen. Either I was going to go to a Chanel counter right then and there, or I was going to stab him with a fork.

Wisely, he suggested the former.

At the counter, one of the makeup artists talked me into trying Chanel’s $52 Natural Finish Loose Powder, a sheer, light-coverage matte powder.

After seeing myself with it on, I shot the artist a look like, good gawd, woman! I had to do a double take. The girl staring back at me in the mirror looked like she was 26!

No wonder the stuff gets such consistently high marks, despite the price and the fact that it’s only available in three colors.

And my goodness, it’s soft. Like cake flour run through a sieve half a dozen times. Everything I want from a great loose powder, it does, from setting my foundation, to evening out my skin tone and cutting down the shine on my combination dry/oily skin so I don’t have to reapply my makeup as often throughout the day.

But its best ability would be considered a curse if it were a camera lens. The powder contains special reflective pigments that create a beautifully blurred soft focus effect.

Chanel says the effect helps disguise imperfections, and I have to agree. When I wear this powder, I do feel like my pores and fine lines are less visible, but I don’t feel like I’m wearing heavy makeup.

I know — $52. That’s the bad part. For what it’s worth, though, a little goes a long way, and I love the way it looks both on bare skin and atop foundation.

History: Chanel

When did the iconic Chanel No. 5 first freshen our atmosphere? How about a video that answers that and more?

This is the first in a series of original short films from the brand, each one tracing the events and people who influenced the brand’s history and Coco Chanel.

Oui, cherie, if you watch it, you may find yourself wanting to don a strand of pearls and a tweed jacket when you’re done… 🙂

The Unsung Heroes series, a long-running series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog, features some of my favorite permanent collection products from a variety of brands.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen