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

foundation overview #20: Giorgio Armani Designer Lift.

after seeing a review for this foundation on Front Row Beauty, i instantly wanted to try it. unfortunately i had to wait a few weeks until the new foundation from Giorgio Armani called Designer Lift was released in germany.
this is a new foundation targeted towards the more mature skin or drier skin, it claims to restore
"up to 10 years of luminosity, firms lines up to 87%, and firms skin by 73%. For 12 hours of lifting action."

well, although i don't need any of this and also don't have dry but even oily skin, i still wasn't put off regarding the nice experiences i made with other lifting foundations like the Guerlain Parure Gold which is also aimed towards mature skins.

the Designer Lift foundation claims to give you an "Invisible Face Lift" thanks to its unique "Stretching Micro-fil™ technology [...] that immediately stretches, softens and firms the skin surface".

the fun part is their claims of this foundation to give you a special luminosity and glow since they are using Prussian blue pearl pigments to create an "intense depth and luminosity to revive skin and correct color irregularities, while relieving dullness. Soft focus effect creates a youthful glow."

i'm not that big into the process of creating a foundation, the mixture of pigments and so on, i guess the Prussian blue pigment thing is something new that they use to blend into the colour but i don't know what other sort of blue or any colour is used normally - it would be great to get an expert opinion here ;)
well, key is: it's not blue(ish) in any angle or lighting, but i also don't see any serious objective difference to another good foundation that i like.

i ordered this foundation on douglas.de, it costs 48.95€ on there.
the Designer Lift comes in the same packaging as the Luminous Silk foundation by GA, a frosted glass bottle with precise pump that feels nice in my hands.
after seeing some online swatches and reviews, i chose shade #4 (my regular GA shade #4.5 is not available with this new foundation) for my NC20-25 skin in MAC since i found #3 looking too light for me. #4 is a medium shade with honey golden undertones. the colour does oxidise minimally on me, what begins with an NC20-colour ends up as a NC25 10 minutes later. see my swatches below to compare to other GA foundations.

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation freshly aplied

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation 10 Minutes after application

comparison

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk in 4.5 - GA Designer Lift in 4 - GA Lasting Silk UV in 4.5 - MAC Pro Longwear in NC20

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk in 4.5 - GA Designer Lift in 4 - GA Lasting Silk UV in 4.5 - MAC Pro Longwear in NC20

the foundation has a creamy, soft consistency. it blends very well, with the fingers i get a lovely even finish but i love to apply this foundation with my Le Métier de Beauté Blush Brush the most. buffed in gently with the tips of the brush head, it creates a flawless dewy finish with a medium, buildable to full coverage. it covers all marks and blemishes and diminishes all of my redness.

the foundation feels nourishing but lightweight on my skin, it sets after a few minutes to a glowy finish but dry to the touch. it makes my skin appear refined, even and lush without a cakey look, settling into pores or fine lines. it provides an spf of 20.

i still need to set it with powder, though - i find it works amazingly well with the Giorgio Armani Micro-fil Loose Powder to give a smooth, velvety and luminous result.

the Designer Lift foundation lasts about 7-8 hours on me before i become too shiny, but it still won't be blotchy. i really like how this foundation doesn't smudge, but when it does, the coverage still remains even.

the finish reminds me of Chanel Pro Lumière foundation, very perfected and smooth, unless the staying power is much better than Chanel. it's also similar to Guerlain's Parure Gold foundation but is a better colour match for me.

in comparison to Giorgio Armani Lasting Silk UV, this one is dewier and creamier with a comparable staying power and better coverage. the GA Luminous Silk is also not as dewy as this one and doesn't apply as nicely.

take a look at my other foundation reviews here.

tihilw

without any make up - with Giorgio Armani Designer Lift in #4 and GA Master Corrector in #2 (i don't know why this fdt. photographs so incredibly yellow...)

setted with Giorgio Armani Micro-fil Loose Powder

ingredients:
octinoxate 7.5%, titanium dioxide 1.9% water, cyclopentasiloxane, phenyl trimethecone, cyclohexasiloxane, butylene glycol, cetyl peg/ppg-10/1, dimethicone, pentylene glycol, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, fragrance, tocopherol, phenoxyethanol, adenosine, magnesium sulfate, peg-10 dimethicone, peg/ppg/18/18 dimethicone, ethylhexylglycerine, cellulose gum, silica, limonene, benzyl salicylate linalool, synthetic fluorphlogopite, sorbitol, acrylates copolymer, disodium stearoyl glutamate, methylsilanol/silicate crosspolymer, butylphenyl methylpropional, aluminum hydroxide alumina, hexyl cinnamal {may contain} iron oxides, ferric ferrocyanide, bismuth oxychloride, titanium dioxide.

foundation overview #19: Chanel Perfection Lumière.

this is one of my new foundations, the Chanel Perfection Lumière. it has been released this fall in lieu of the Pro Lumière Foundation that has been discontinued (i have already reviewed the Pro Lumière here - i loved the finish but i hated the bad staying power).
this foundation claims to have a long wear formula which creates a flawless finish -this is just what me and my oily skin always wanted in Chanel - a really long lasting foundation.

with the Perfection Lumière, Chanel has launched their greatest shade variety until now with 20 shades subdivided into 3 undertone groups (pink, peach, yellow) so that every woman should be able to find a match. now the idea sounds great but its realization isn't, of these 20 shades we only got 8 here in germany. as one of many i wasn't able to find a good match in the range, shade #20 Clair that i normally use in Chanel foundations was kept back from the german market and the next available shades are either too light, too pink or too peach/dark.
i had to order mine in the shade B20 (or 20 Beige) from the US from Maureen and have been testing it over the last month.

it comes in a beautifully classic frosted glass bottle which is a bit wider and shorter than the Pro Lumière bottle and has a nicely working pump. it has an spf of 10, contains 30ml and costs 55$/45.90€.
B20 is a good match for my skintone (i'm currently about NC20 in MAC), it's lighter than Chanel's #20 Clair in other foundations (Teint Innocence and Pro Lumière) and more yellow and less orange than the Pro Lumière. the colour stays true and doesn't become darker or orange on my face.
it has a creamy and smooth consistency with a fresh scent. it blends out ok, i find that this foundation is best applied with the BeautyBlender sponge. although i think it builds up quite much in my sponge, the BeautyBlender gives me a flawless, streak free and even result the easiest. with a brush the finish is often streaky and application with the fingers makes the foundation settle into pores, lines and dry skin with an uneven coverage. the coverage is medium and slightly buildable, the Perfection Lumière covers redness well but doesn't conceal dark marks entirely.
the formula sets quickly to a matte finish - Chanel seems to go back to the roots with the release of the Rouge Allure Velvets and this matte foundation after all the dewy-finish-trend. but unlike other matte foundations, i really like this one!
it's not a chalky or dry matte look but gives an illusion of a fine, velvety skin texture, smooth and even with a hint of radiance. if i'm having a short day, i don't like to set it with powder to keep that perfected finish.
this is not a lightweight foundation. it doesn't feel heavy either, but i can definitely tell that i'm wearing foundation with this one. it has medium oil control abilities, settled with Chanel's Loose Powder i get uncomfortably shiny around the 7-hour-mark. the staying power is not exceptionally high, but it outperforms other Chanel foundations i've tried with its 7-9 hours of (good) wear.

all in all i like this foundation better compared to the Pro Lumière, and i like to have a good matte finish foundation in my stash because it's easier to wear with shimmery cheek colours or highlighters. it's not a replacement for the Pro Lumière at all, and shouldn't be seen as that. i don't think it's an epiphany in terms of application or wearing time, but the finish is beautiful and a nice change from the sheer dewy ones. if i could only have one foundation, this one wouldn't be my choice, though.

one drop of: Chanel Pro Lumière in 20 Clair - Chanel Teint Innocence in 20 Clair - Chanel Perfection Lumière in 20 Beige - MAC Pro Longwear in NC20

Chanel Perfection Lumière in B20 right after application

Chanel Perfection Lumière in B20 10 minutes after application

tihilw

ingredients (copied from makeupalley.com)

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S) TITANIUM DIOXIDE 3.1% . INACTIVE INGREDIENTS AQUA (WATER), CYCLOPENTASILOXANE,CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, METHYL TRIMETHICONE, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, ALCOHOL, DIMETHICONE, METHYL METHACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE/DIMETHICONOL CROSSPOLYMER, SODIUM CHLORIDE, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, STEARIC ACID, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, HYDROLYZED ALGIN, PHENOXYETHANOL, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, ISOCETETH-10, ZINC SULFATE, HYDRATED SILICA, DENATONIUM BENZOATE [ /- (MAY CONTAIN) CI 77007 (ULTRAMARINES), CI 77491, CI77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), MICA]

foundation overview #18: Sisley Phyto Teint Éclat.

from the drugstore topic on to something completely contrary, today i want to show you a super luxury foundation by Sisley, the Phyto Teint Éclat.
i wanted to have this foundation for a few years now after testing a sample of it, and i finally purchased it during the last Glamour Shopping Week in early october. i took the chance since normally this foundation costs 83€ for 30ml, at parfumdreams.de it costs ~79€ and with a discount of 15€ it was quite acceptable ;) with a simple packaging design and not many expensive marketing campaigns, this foundation appears rather promising to me in terms of the worth of its ingredients compared to other brands where i'm more likely to assume that i pay for marketing, design and famous spokespersons.

this is an oil-free, long wearing foundation that should be suitable for all skin types (there is no information about the spf, though). it has natural plant extracts of Gardenia, Linden Blossom and Woodmallow to soften, moisturize and nourish the skin. it claims to provide a smooth, luminous finish.

ordering this foundation, i also got a set with luxury samples of some Sisley skin care products worth about 60€ (i've tried the hydrating mask and gosh it's sooo lovely!).
it comes in a colourful packaging, the frosted glass bottle lays nicely in my hands and the pump works precisely. i chose the shade #1 Ivory which is the second lightest colour in the german range, it has a slight yellow undertone and is a great match to my skintone, which is about NC20 in MAC at the moment.

one drop of: Sisley Phyto Teint Éclat in #1 Ivory - MAC Pro Longwear in NC20

Sisley Phyto Teint Éclat freshly applied

Sisley Phyto Teint Éclat 10 minutes after application

the consistency of this foundation is creamy and very fine, it has a pleasant herbal scent. the texture is incredibly easy to smooth out and looks even and streak free with whatever tool i use. this is one of the very very few foundations that i absolutely enjoy applying with the fingers because of the lovely natural result and i even prefer this method over my beloved BeautyBlender.
it feels lightweight on my skin and gives a semi-matte/satin finish with medium, but buildabe coverage. i really like how the foundation sets to a dry finish that feels fresh and clean, like if you have just washed your face. applying powder over it is very easy, the powder glides on smoothly without any tacky feel and if you have normal skin (and not oily like mine) you could totally skip the powder step.
it keeps my skin soft and moisturised over the day without feeling heavy and greasy, it doesn't settle into fine lines and enlarged pores or emphasize on flaky skin areas but refines and smoothes the appearance of my skin.
it wears nicely on me, it doesn't oxidise and lasts all day with a natural look. i do get a bit shiny after about 7 hours, but the coverage is still there.
do i think that this foundation is worth its 83€? yes, every single cent and i would gladly repurchase it. it's not a must at all, but it's soo nice! a treat for yourself and your skin.
if you have slightly oily skin with few imperfections, the Phyto Teint Éclat would be perfect for you, you should really try to get a sample of it.


and that's how it looks worn: i've photographed it on different occasions and didn't know which set to choose to demonstrate how it wears ;)

no foundation at all - Sisley Phyto Teint Éclat applied with BeautyBlender

with complete make up

 

on another day, more natural lighting and still applied with the BeautyBlender.

 

with complete make up

 

here i applied it with my fingers.

ingredients

please check my foundation overview post to see more foundation reviews, shades etc.