REVIEW: Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer

I tried quite a few foundations in 2014, always looking for that mystical unicorn that would work well for my combination-dry skin and match my neutral-cool, super-pale neck and chest. Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer ended up putting the nail in that coffin: it was the tinted moisturizer to end all tinted moisturizers, but it still wasn't pale enough to match me. I might've wept. I might've screamed. I definitely decided I was tired of falling in love with things that were two shades too dark for me.

It's probably for the best, considering this base's specs. It costs a whopping $67 for 1.7 ounce of tinted moisturizer. Yes, that's more than the usual 1 ounce, and the squeeze tube with a nozzle makes it nigh on impossible to dispense too much. But you'll still need a goodly glob of the stuff to cover your face and neck. Also, the SPF rating is a measly "15." Some people may be okay with that, but I really prefer tinted moisturizers in the SPF30 range; 15 seems like a throwaway to me.

The actual product, though, is just lovely. It has an incredibly smooth, creamy texture, and it blends easily with fingers or a brush. You can see that it provides light coverage, evening out my redness and discoloration without looking fake. It really does look like it's "just skin." I did have to powder my oily nose halfway through the day, but the product didn't get pool in my pores or "break down"; it just got a smidge shiny.

 There is a faint and vaguely floral smell to this product, but I didn't notice it once it was applied to my face.

Here's a macro shot of the product after it's been on my skin for 15 minutes. Now, granted, I have good skin to begin with. But do you see how natural it looks on my face, even this close up? There are very few products I've tried that have managed that feat. This is makeup that perfects without looking like makeup.

Unfortunately, Alabaster is not the right shade for me at all. While it looks like a neutral N10-ish cream when I dispense it from the tube, it quickly darkens to a quite pink NW15 shade on my face. Proof:

I posted this image on Makeup Alley and was told that I was being entirely too dramatic, that nobody would notice the difference between my face and neck when I wore this otherwise gorgeous tinted moisturizer. Rest assured, it was more noticeable in person. I only felt comfortable wearing it in public when my hair was down (camouflaging most of my neck), or when I was wearing something with a relatively high collar. Beyond that, I'm a firm believer in everybody having a foundation that matches them perfectly; I don't see why I should have to settle for less than that just because I have an unusual skintone.

Still...so pretty. So sad.

Even though it didn't work for me, I won't hesitate to recommend Chantecaille Just Skin to people with big budgets. It's got fantastic coverage for such a light, natural-looking product, and it will flatter most people with dry, combination, and normal skin types. Trust and believe that if Chantecaille ever comes out with a paler shade than Alabaster, I'll be all over it like white on rice.

RATING: 5 out of 5

Chantecaille Just Skin is available at the Chantecaille website.

REVIEW: Chantecaille Future Skin

First off: welcome back to Bad Outfit, Great Lipstick! It's been a lovely break, but I can't deny that I've missed you all. :3 Let's get this welcome back party started with a bang: a new foundation review! And it's for a very expensive, much-lusted-after foundation: Chantecaille Future Skin.

Image yoinked from Chantecaille.com.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you: this is a $75 product. I'd love to pretend that I'm rolling in spare cash from a major lottery win and I totally bought a full tub, but no, I'm still a broke adjunct professor. I was actually given a super-generous sample by a friendly MUAer. Regardless of your own personal makeup budget, or how much a product costs, I highly recommend getting a sample to try out first. That goes double for a luxury product like Future Skin. (PS: I promise that I'm reviewing some more affordable products soon!)

I'm not going to read off the big list of claims from Chantecaille.com, because I think that's crazy boring and you can do it yourself. I will, however, summarize some relevant points: this is an oil-free cream foundation sans SPF. It comes in a jar without any sort of spatula or spoon (I double checked on that), which icks me out; the average consumer isn't going to think about how contaminated their foundation may become if they keep sticking their fingers in to the pot. Chantecaille claims that this product has "medium to full...adjustable coverage" and that it "transfer[s] water into the skin without the use of any oil." Interesting claims. Shall we test them, my friends?

I decided to test Future Skin after a minor chemical burn on the bottom half of my face had healed. My skin is normally combination dry; because of that chemical burn, I was also left with some beautiful chin zits and extra-dry patches. One zit stayed around long enough that I decided to give him a name. Folks, meet Percival! Percival was kind enough to act as a "coverage ruler" for this foundation review, so go you, Percival! You're okay by me.

Now, the Chantecaille website recommends applying this foundation with a brush. I did a quick test on the back of my hand to see how this might look when applied with a brush, plus I surveyed the lovely people at MakeupAlley, and yeah, that's a big pile of NOPE. Even after plenty of buffing, you're going to get quite a streaky finish. I was told to apply the product with my fingers, so that's what I did for this initial test.

I applied one layer to my entire face, working in sections, and immediately noticed two things. First, this foundation has a really interesting feel to it, like a liquid-powder mixture under my fingers. Very high-tech and cool! Second, there is no way you could get full coverage with this product, at least not by my definition of full coverage. One layer is, as these photos show, effective but sheer; it'll even out the skintone and soften up blemishes, but it won't completely cover them. I patted a little more on the my chin and in between my brows, and this brought the coverage up to about a medium level. No shame in that, but it's not a medium-to-full coverage foundation.

The foundation clung horribly to the dryer parts of my face, as shown in this macro shot, and it was somewhat obvious in natural light. It did soften up after about 15-20 minutes, as foundations are wont to do, but it still wasn't very flattering on my dry areas. Not surprising: when a foundation is labeled as "oil-free" and is used by a lot of combination and oily skinned people, you get the picture that it's not exactly for you

Suffice to say that there was zero water being "transferred in to my skin." It didn't parch my skin, but it didn't help it, either. Still, I was hoping to be impressed by how well this worked on my oily nose.

As the text shows, the photo on the left is Future Skin applied with my fingers, then I added some concealer. The photo on the right shows Future Skin applied with a damp beauty blender, with concealer over my blemishes and a bit of my trusty D&G powder foundation brushed over my t-zone. (Both of these products were taken roughly 30 minutes after the initial application.)

I was inspired to try the Beauty Blender by Holliday Grainger's Bonnie and Clyde makeup, which I love love LOVE, and it's definitely a better option for dry skin. It gives you a more sheer coverage and it sucks up some of your precious product, yes, but it doesn't cling quite as much to dry patches. I mean, there's still some clinging, but it's not as noticeable.

Also, despite the powder-ish feel of it, I found that liquid and cream blushes apply on top of the foundation without issue.

But again, I skipped setting powder during my first test because I wanted to see how the foundation held up on oily skin. Thanks to the advertising and the way the foundation sat on my dry patches, I was expecting miracles. In reality, it was...okay. The foundation didn't exactly fade or separate, but I definitely got super-shiny on my nose; when I touched it, I picked up a bit of grease. My mother wanted me to accompany her to the grocery store right after I took this picture, so I had to blot to feel comfortable with it.

With that in mind, I would recommend this formulation to people with normal, combination, or slightly oily skin. You'll want to dust powder over, or use a mattifying primer on, any parts of your face that produce a decent amount of oil. People with slightly dry skin could get away with this if they applied it over moisturizer or used a damp beauty blender, but I think there are better products out there for our skin type. If your skin is super-dry or super-oily, I'd guess that this isn't The One for you.

So Future Skin is a workable product on me, and in an ideal world I'd finish this truly generous sample. Unfortunately, the Porcelain shade is too dark and too pink for me. I'd peg it at about NW15 once it has fully dried--not workable for my face and neck. Still, Chantecaille Future Skin has a decent shade range, with 16 shades ranging from light to medium-dark. It's not the most impressive or inclusive range I've ever seen, but it's a sight better than what most brands offer.

In the end, this is a nice luxury foundation that didn't work for me. But it is not, as advertised, medium-to-full coverage, and the packaging could use some work. Throw a spatula in to the box and temper your claims that it's going to "reduce sebum production" (ie, will work miracles on very oily skin), and you'll earn a 5 out of 5 from me.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

Chantecaille Future Skin is available at Chantecaille.com.

My Makeup Bag

I'm one of those women who really should get out of the habit of carrying a makeup bag. It was a necessity when I was in graduate school because I almost always rolled out of bed after 2 hours of sleep and slapped on a full face of makeup whilst riding the bus to the office. Now that I'm seeking employment and rarely spend my nights at other people's houses? Not quite as necessary. I could get away with my lip color and a powder compact. But I stubbornly cling to the carry-a-makeup-bag tradition in the hopes that I'll have more adventures, find exhausting but gainful employment, and never be without an essential touch-up item.

One thing I definitely need to put in this bag, though, is a travel packet of makeup remover wipes. I'd never rely on a makeup wipe to clean my face on a regular day, but if I get stuck somewhere and can't access my complete skincare routine? Girl.

First, the non-makeup stuff I carry! I always worry about running out the door with messy, smelly hair, so I carry my spin pins, a bobby pin, a ponytail holder, and a solid perfume. The solid perfumes from One Hand Washes the Other are a godsend because they won't leak or melt and make a mess out of my bag! My emergency skincare treatment of choice is the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Daily Moisturizer for Face, which is creamy enough to moisturize my face, but light enough to mix with other products. I've only seen that product in kits, but keep your eyes peeled at TJ Maxx and Marshall's! Last, but not least, a mirror my friend Jessica gave me. I'm paranoid about food getting stuck in my giant horse teeth, so I check that mirror more than I'd like to admit...

And the makeup! A few of these items rotate in and out: the sample Chantecaille gloss is there in case I want a bit of shine, I'm due to replace the Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara with a new mini, and I switch the Becca Beach Tints every month or so--they're sheer enough to work with most lip colors. The Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Soft Blonde isn't the Holy Grail that Shu Uemura Hard Formula in Seal Brown is, but it's still quite pretty and very travel-friendly. I do think I need to find an alternative to the Palladio Rice Paper Sheets...they aren't terrible, but they kick up a good bit of powder when I pull them out, which defeats the purpose of carrying a pseudo-mess free powder.

The other items are major loves of mine and definite makeup bag staples! Benefit High Beam has been one of my all-time favorite highlighters and all-around wonder products for years, and it really breaks my heart that they no longer sell this $10 travel size. :( On the bright side, many of the kits contain mini-High Beams! I also keep a travel-sized Anastasia Clear Brow Gel to hold my crazy brows in shape and, if the need be, to add some shine to my lashes. That's one of the few products I own a full-sized AND travel-sized version of, because I never ever want to be without it. Lipstick Queen Jean Queen is a Holy Grail that stays in the makeup bag because it's suitable for any and all makeup looks. And of course, my base products: the Tarte BB Tinted Treatment in Fair and the Clinique Airbrush concealer in Fair. Both of these products are sheer, lightweight, and absolutely bulletproof.