| Review | Chanel N°1 DE CHANEL Red Camellia Revitalizing Foundation
| Review | Chanel N°1 DE CHANEL Red Camellia Revitalizing Foundation
I am always intrigued by a skincare-makeup hybrid and when Chanel announced their N°1 DE CHANEL Red Camellia collection, I couldn’t resist this intriguing base product. Designed to be a foundation infused with the nourishing skincare of the red camellia, this foundation is designed to cover and treat the skin! I love anything that will promise to treat my skin! So, naturally, I had to get my hands on it and try it. I have always had great luck with Chanel foundations, they’re actually the few brands that I have finished in my collection and also repurchased. I have high hopes for this formulation and I hope it will deliver some stunning results!
The Chanel N°1 DE CHANEL Red Camellia Revitalizing Foundation retails for $70.00 USD and is available at Ulta and other retailers. This foundation is housed in a simple frosted glass bottle with a matte black cap. It is very elegant and timeless packaging, which you would expect from a brand like Chanel. The glass bottle is beautiful and has a nice weight to it. It is a luxurious bottle of foundation, as expected. The packaging includes a pump, which I always enjoy and appreciate because it is a very sanitary means of dispensing the foundation.
SHADES
This foundation comes in 20 shades, which isn’t the most expansive range, considering many brands these days are offering 40 or more shades. However, we have to keep in mind that Chanel offers many formulas so, offering over 40 shades in each of them will get quite costly and hard to maintain.
There are three undertones available in Chanel foundations – yellow/golden undertone (BD), neutral beige (B), and pink/cool undertone (BR).
If you have used Chanel foundations before, their shade range names carry on into most of their base products. I find that if you are a shade in one foundation of theirs, that is most likely your match in another. I find very little variation in the shade ranges from foundation to foundation. I am a B40 in the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation (full review here) and the VITALUMIÈRE AQUA Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Sunscreen Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 so, I also chose B40 in this foundation range.
B40 – This medium beige shade has a nice subtle warmth to it but still remains mostly neutral. It is a very flattering shade match for anyone who has a medium skin tone. The shade matches me pretty perfectly and I will say it is consistent with the other foundations in the Chanel range.
FORMULA
This foundation has a creamy and slick texture that really glides on the skin effortlessly. It has a slightly slippy texture and when you look at the ingredients list, silica is pretty high up on the list. The formula really blends and fuses with the skin effortlessly! The foundation has a texture between a foundation and a tinted moisturizer, it is hydrating and creamy but it also has really nice coverage.
When I first applied this foundation, I used my fingers and it was a beautiful means to apply the foundation. It also applies beautifully with a brush or sponge. It went on so smoothly and evenly. There was no streaking and the foundation could be easily layered on in areas that needed more coverage. I would say this foundation has a sheer to a full-medium coverage. One layer of the foundation will cover faint redness and a second layer will cover redness, spots, and imperfections. If you have a larger pimple or imperfection, it is best to just use a concealer to completely cover the spot because this formula isn’t designed to get to full coverage.
Even layered quite heavily, the foundation looks incredibly fresh and skin-like! The foundation looks really flawless, seamless, and like really healthy skin. The foundation doesn’t sink into lines or emphasize texture. It makes the skin look really fresh, plump, and healthy. This finish is incredibly unique and something I call “surreal skin”. A surreal skin finish is a foundation that mimics the texture of real skin but just looks very healthy, plump, fresh, flawless, and glowing! It doesn’t look at all like makeup on the skin but it perfects the skin to the point of an unbelievably perfected finish! This is the kind of sin I dream of and I have only achieved this finish with other foundations that are significantly more expensive than this foundation!
The finish is very fresh, healthy, and glowing! It looks like very hydrated and healthy skin but not a dewy foundation. There’s a very clear difference because with a dewy finish foundation it looks like makeup on the skin, whereas, this foundation looks like really amazing skin! The foundation blurs imperfections and offers a soft-focused effect to the complexion. When I looked at my skin after application and throughout the day, I was just mesmerized and wowed by the look of my skin! It is the best my skin has ever looked and that is exactly what I want from my foundation!
While it is a very glowing and dewy foundation, this formula can work for all skin types if you properly prep the skin. When I let my moisturizer fully sink in, the foundation was not as dewy on my skin. Personally, since I have dry skin, I prefer a dewier finish. However, if you have normal to oily skin, you can use a mattifying primer in your oiliest areas to turn down the dewy finish of this foundation. I think the formula is ideal for normal to dry skin types but it can work for an oily skin type. I just don’t think it will be the most long-wearing or best choice for someone who produces a lot of oil.
This foundation really fuses with the skin and moves with the skin. Since the finish is so skin-like, it isn’t really designed to last a long time. This foundation will last about five to eight hours without a primer or setting powder. Due to the beautiful finish of the foundation, I would not recommend using a finish-altering primer or powder. It defeats the purpose of the surreal skin finish. The wear time depends on your activity level, the weather that day, and how much you’re touching your face. This is not a face mask-friendly formula, it will rub off and with the heat under a mask, it will break down from sweat. In general, I think this is not a great formula for a really hot day or climate because it will not stay on very well.
The foundation looks amazing throughout the day and it still looks fantastic as it fades off the skin. Since it is so skin-like, as it fades, more of this skin shows through but foundations still offer a healthy veil of glow and tint to the skin. Even as it wears away, it just looks like my skin! You don’t see the demarcations of makeup wearing away, which I love and appreciate about this formula. You don’t find this kind of formula often. I wish more foundations were like this. This may be due to the skincare infusion into the formula that makes it wear so nicely.
This formula is designed to be a skincare-makeup hybrid. The formula is supposed to be infused with the N°1 DE CHANEL Red Camellia skincare and is designed to nourish and improve the skin while you wear the foundation. This formula definitely feels comfortable for long-term wear and continues to look good throughout the day. This formula does lean more toward skincare than other foundations that claim there is skincare infused into the formula. While I wouldn’t rely on this foundation to be my sole form of skincare for the day, I do appreciate the inclusion of skincare in this formula. I believe that every little bit helps and I will always choose a formula that has skincare than a formula without.
The brand claims the following improvement in the skin after a month of use:
At the heart of the N°1 DE CHANEL line is the Red Camellia flower, whose revitalizing powers and extraordinary energy give it perennial youth.
Red Camellia Oil delivers comfort and helps maintain skin’s barrier function. Immediately after application, the complexion appears 33% more radiant* with 55% of comfort restored**. After 1 month, skin looks smoother***.
*Clinical evaluation of 20 women immediately after use
**Self-assessment by 35 women immediately after use
***Clinical evaluation of 39 women after 1 month of use
I don’t wear foundation every single day and even when I have a more makeup-heavy month, I may choose to not wear foundation or this foundation.
INGREDIENTS
The full ingredients list is shown below:
Aqua (Water), Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, C9-12 Alkane, Glycerin, Silica, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Dextrin Isostearate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate, C8-12 Acid Triglyceride, Trihydroxystearin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Chlorphenesin, Parfum (Fragrance), Isostearic Acid, Aluminum Hydroxide, Tocopherol, [+ / – (May Contain) CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Mica, IL62A-I.
When you take a look at the ingredients there are a few skincare ingredients listed near the top middle of the ingredients list. This means that there is a decent amount of skincare in the formula. Is there enough to make a noticeable difference in your skin? This is a very subjective concept because if you have severe skin issues, the amount of skincare in this formula may not do much for your skin or if you already have really nice skin, you may not notice a difference in your skin either. Keep in mind that when using just skincare, not a skincare-makeup hybrid, you may not see results for at least three months! So, you can’t expect something that isn’t solely skincare to be more potent than some skincare. My point is, you may not see a difference in the quality of your skin for a long time or at all.
THE LOOK
You can see the true texture of this foundation in my first look. It looks very filtered and glowing, like real skin. The second look, I allowed my skincare to sink in for a couple hours and the foundation didn’t look as juicy on my skin. If you have dry skin, I highly recommend prepping your skin well before applying any foundation. This one is a little more forgiving but it still doesn’t look as good as when my skin is well moisturized.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I LOVE this formula! This foundation surpassed my expectations and delivers one of the most beautiful finishes to the complexion! This surreal skin finish is one that I have rarely encountered except for foundations that are significantly more expensive than this one. The dewy, soft-focused, and luscious finish of this foundation makes the skin look naturally flawless and healthy! The formula has excellent coverage and the real-skin finish is just so beautiful and hard to describe. You will love the way your skin looks in photos and in real life. The addition of skincare in this formula is a nice bonus. I can’t emphasize how unique and impressive this formula is. If you truly want naturally perfected skin that looks like the skin in your dreams, this is the foundation for you! It isn’t like a foundation but a magical perfecting veil that filters the skin in a realistic way! While this formula is expensive, it is 100% WORTH IT and I plan on continuing to purchase this foundation again and again! I can’t recommend this formula enough and it is one you should run out and get ASAP!
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