foundation overview #21: Le Métier de Beauté Classic Flawless Finish Foundation.

wow, no foundation post since over 8 months? i came to the conclusion that writing about things i'm most passionate about is the hardest for me (hence i'm delaying all the brush postings!). one struggles to find the most suitable expressions, minutely and rhetorically of the highest quality to describe the product the best way possible and to transfer the own sympathy for it to the reader.

well, let's not take this as an excuse anymore - otherwise you'll never going to find out about my Suqqu, Chikuhodo and Le Métier experiences ;) you'll just have to take what comes tumbling out of my fingertips.

as the first of a dozen new foundations and tinted moisturisers i want to introduce to you my current foundation obsession today: the Le Métier de Beauté Classic Flawless Finish Foundation.

i never heard much about this, their Peau Vierge ultra luxurious anti-aging tinted moisturiser is much more popular. but when Le Métier entered zuneta.com, i became curious about this foundation and looked for reviews on makeupalley.com. obviously those were so positive and promising that i took the plunge and purchased it.

here is what Le Métier promises:

"This luminous, silk formula adds warmth and brightens the skin, while evening out pigmentation. High-performance ingredient Nylon 12—a stretchy, elastic molecule that allows makeup to move with the skin, expands and contracts with your contours eliminating cracking and settling into fine lines on the skin. Simultaneously pampers the skin with Vitamin E to stimulate the health and production of new cells. The finely crafted, oil-free, liquid formula dries to a true skin finish and works well with sensitive skin."

i've been using this foundation for almost 3 months now and i.LOVE.it! it's my absolute favourite and i'm ambivalent between wanting to use it each and every day (and ignore my 2 drawers full of other great foundations, tinted moisturisers and BB-creams) and wanting to save up every single drop of it or even planning to back up on this (crazy, i know).

the LMdB CFFF comes in an iconic frosted glass bottle with a rubberized plastic cap and normal pump. it contains 1fl. oz. = 28,35g of product and costs 68$/£55/~70€.

online reviews and swatch pics on the internet were quite uncertain, i could have chosen shade 4 just as well, which seems a bit more yellow from various swatches, but in the end i went for shade 3 (described as "for fair skintones with neutral undertones" on Zuneta) for my NC20ish skin in MAC because i knew that too yellow foundations can make me look dull.
i'm so happy that i bought shade 3, it matches well and has a peachy undertone which makes me look extremely fresh and bright. it eliminates dullness just like an undereye corrector, but all over - without making me look like an apricot. i also noticed that i have to use less concealer on the undereye area with this since it already counteracts my dark circles.
unlike many other foundations with a peachy undertone, this one doesn't oxidise to a more orange shade on my skin, which is a big bonus.
uh, and i adore the fresh and soothing creamy scent of it! i could sniff it all the time - to me, this is how skin should smell ;)
it has a silky liquid consistency at first, but the more you spread it, the more it becomes creamy and emollient (i feel like that is the moment when it unfolds its magic and self-levels on your skin to an absolute even and smooth surface) before it sets to a soft satin finish.

one drop of: MAC Pro Longwear in NC20 - LMdB Classic Flawless Finish Foundation in III

LMdB Classic Flawless Finish Foundation freshly applied

LMdB Classic Flawless Finish Foundation 10 minutes after application

the time i started to try this i had quite oily skin with lots of redness and blemishes, enlarged pores and uneven texture. using mild chemical peels regularly, i then also suffered from flakiness and altogether i was just super unhappy with the appearance of my skin and how it didn't want to cooperate with my foundations as normally. many foundations felt a lot heavier than normal while they still couldn't create an even coverage and just sat on the surface quite obviously, giving me a cakey, flaky, old look.
but then this miracle foundation came to my rescue, and i'm grateful ever since. 1 pump of it was enough to even out my skin tone and create a smooth-skin-illusion, on "special occasions" i'd use 1 1/2 or 2 pumps for a high coverage and perfected complexion. the Le Métier de Beauté Classic Flawless Finish Foundation merges with my skin like no other and becomes a weightless silky veil that conceals any imperfections, unevenness or dull appearance. the finish is so ethereal (even better than Chanel Pro Lumière which i adored for the perfect finish it creates but which i don't use due to the bad staying power) that i could just stare at my foundation-face, completely stunned and with the permanent urge to touch my cheeks. it mimics beautiful, lush and healthy natural skin. the finish is not exactly dewy, but not "just" satin and it sets dry to the touch.
the great part is that this foundation actually lasts! it doesn't transfer, doesn't fade or get blotchy the whole day (8-10h) and stays as perfect as it started off. i only need to blot excess oil once after about 5-6 hours.
i have applied it with my fingers, the BeautyBlender and different types of brushes and i think the best way is with the Louise Young Super Foundation Brush. it creates such an amazingly flawless finish that i fell back in love with this brush all over, these two products work so perfectly together - i almost think they should be sold as a set ;) and if so, they should pack the Dior Capture Totale High Definition Radiance Loose Powder in it as well, because it's just the best to go with this foundation, believe me. the powder doesn't mess with the beautiful finish of the CFF foundation but it makes the skin even smoother and still looks astonishingly natural. my skin actually looks more delicate and fine after i put on this foundation/powder-combination than before (i struggle with "thick" skin), even up close in a magnifying mirror - no cakiness at all.

a match made in heaven: Louise Young Super Foundation Brush ♥ LMdB Classic Flawless Finish Foundation

+

Dior Capture Totale High Definition Radiance Loose Powder

= i'm lovin' it!

and finally, tihilw:

no foundation at all - with LMdB CFFF

some sharper DSLR pics where i was wearing the foundation

full face makeup

3 small downsides, though: there is no information about spf on it (EDIT: Elle told me in the comments that it has SPF 8, quite marginal though and probably only because of it's coverage ;) you'd definitely need other suncare with this) - it's quite expensive - it's not widely available here in europe (hence colour matching is quite difficult). BUT: zuneta.com offer samples of this, you can get them with each purchase but often they don't have all 12 shades at a time (i don't know if you can purchase the colour samples only).
i think this is a wonderful foundation, it holds up to its claims and then some. i have tried many great ones, but this foundation has that special something about it which lifts it up above the others, something i can't put my finger on even if i'd tell you the whole long day how good it is. and if i were to choose only 1 that i'm allowed to keep out of all my foundations, for now i wouldn't hesitate to name the Le Métier de Beauté Classic Flawless Finish Foundation.
as you can see, i'm raving about this foundation from the first line to the last. i love it, my skin loves it, my camera loves it. go try it!

ingredients