Chanel Vitalumière Aqua Review

Vitalumière Aqua in shade 40 - courtesy of assistants who cannot match foundations.

 *WARNING: THIS IS A LONG NEGATIVE REVIEW. TAKE YOUR CUP OF TEA AND SIT BACK. BUT, HEY, THIS MIGHT SAVE YOU 38 EUROS!!!*

Vitalumière Aqua is probably the most raved-about foundation from the Chanel foundation range. You can literally say everyone loves this foundation if you look at reviews or videos on the web. That is everyone, except me.

Seconde peau, huh?! Guess you're right: this feels like a mask on me!

Vitalumière Aqua is targeted to all skin types, although I genuinely think it suits only normal to dry, and dry skin types. That is probably my problem with it: I have combination skin. Not oily, but combination, still. And what this foundation does on combination skins is, it makes them greasy on the T-zone.
I hate powdering my skin because it is a normal to combination, so if I powder it, some parts of my face become uber dry in a completely unhealthy way. However, this foundation forces me to use powder. That is the first reason why I am disappointed.

The second reason why I don't like this foundation is because it is too light in coverage terms. As you all know by now, I have little red scars from acne right below my cheeks, so I feel the need to cover them up. I know I can use concealer for that purpose, but for everyday use, I tend to use a medium coverage foundation that assures me an evening out effect at least. This foundation does not even cover redness on the cheeks if you don't apply it twice. And when you apply it a second time, rest assured, the "light" feeling will disappear, because your skin will look just too dewy.

Say hi to an oompa loompa beauty secret!

If you look closely, you can see the oranginess, which is even more evident on my face. It doesn't look bad here, right?! Well, just know if I have the driest skin ever on my body. Especially on my hands.

Third reason why I don't like Chanel Vitalumière Aqua is the absurd color range: the colors are either rosy or orange! I mean...who the hell has orange skin? You're supposed to match the warm tones to beige/olive skins. Can you find any orange tones in them?! Because I cannot. And from a high-end foundation, I cannot accept that. No one should pay almost 40 euros only to end up looking like an oompa loompa.

There is a fourth reason why I do not like this foundation, although I have never heard anybody else saying this, so you might not have the same experience: it oxydizes on my skin. That is, only from my cheeks down. It becomes so dark and orange, I feel ridiculous. I cannot even wear it to the gym, because I just feel ridiculous. Has this ever happened to you? And boy, how much I hate a freaking 38 euros foundation that dares to oxydize!

That being said, I don't think this foundation is horrible per sé. I just think it should not be advertised as something for all skin types. I know people (dear friends of mine, so I know they're not lying or anything) that swear by it: well, they all have dry skin. They all have flawless skin. No redness. No acne scarring. This foundation looks awesome on them.

However, I think it is very unfair for Chanel to push this as something for all skin types, when combination, oily, and problematic skins will find this horrible. The foundation costs 38 euros and they're tricking you into buying something that will deeply disappoint you if you do not have dry skin. Not to mention the profoundly discriminatory color range, that only serves caucasians and UV lamps aficionados (and I tell you, girls, that kind of color range is drugstore worthy).
Listen to me, non-dry-and-non-pink-skinnies: invest those 38 euros in a MUFE, Mac, or Madina foundation. You will definitely be happier with it.

PS: the dewiness in this foundation also accentuates enlarged pores, so this accounts for a fifth reason why I..well...HATE it.

What is your experience with this foundation? 

What do you think of products that are marketed as being suitable for all skin types?

What do you think of brands that sell orange foundations for yellow and neutral undertones?