Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Velvet in 30 Beige

Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Velvet is a real minx and I'll tell you why. Intended for normal to oily skin, this foundation promises to smooth, mattify and essentially leave "a flawless finish." I, however, have dry skin with patches of oiliness across my T-zone -- Perfection Lumiere Velvet will not play nice if your skin is even the slightest bit dry and will also emphasize flaky bits.

Swatches of Beige 30 without flash unblended (left) and blended (right)

Swatches of Beige 30 with flash unblended (left) and blended (right)

Tried as I might, I used several different techniques in order to apply Perfection Lumiere Velvet.

With fingers and no primer - So you know how I mentioned having dry skin is not even an option? Well, imagine having dry hands as well. My digits turned into sponges and absorbed most, if not all of the foundation I was attempting to apply. The finish was patchy and my skin looked drier than usual -- I wanted to stick a fork in it, because I was done. Sorry, I don't have a picture, but trust me when I tell you the situation was dire.

Dry foundation brush and no primer - not as bad as my fingers, but I was sincerely hoping for a miracle. Layering several different kinds of facial moisturisers failed me, too.

A damp foundation brush and no primer - the results were marginally better as I had an easier time smoothing out the foundation. Notice the flakiness in the hollows of my cheeks?

Damp foundation brush and primer - Magic! The primer helped to fill in my pores, smooth imperfections and reduce the amount of flakiness. The foundation could finally get on with things and do its job.

Using a primer was a last ditch effort and I'm so thankful it worked. Here I used Clarins* Beauty Flash Balm, yet another product I could't wrap my mind around and scared the bejesus out of me from the smell alone.

Did you learn a valuable lesson? I certainly did -- I won't be so quick to pull the trigger.

In other news... look who I found. It's Sebastian!! Scott and I randomly crossed paths with him in Sydney. And to think I almost didn't visit the Chanel counter in Myer.

Despite Sebastians' warnings of needing properly hydrated skin, I still bought it anyways and I wasn't even in the market for a new foundation!

If your skin is unlike mine, please do check out Sabrina's review for her thoughts and swatch comparisons of Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Velvet.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Velvet:

78.00 AUS / $45.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

6 out of 10 bags — I might stow this bottle away for summer to see how it performs when my skin is a little less dry.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

Sebastian sold me on this brow kit, now I need to justify the expense. Tho, the more I think about it, I'd rather save up for the Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats.

*PR sample provided (Clarins Beauty Flash Balm) – Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.