Chanel Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint
IT TOOK ME 7 MONTHS TO PURCHASE CHANEL LES BEIGES WATER FRESH TINT.
…because it was sold out every single time I tried to buy it. For SEVEN months!
Chanel is no stranger to beauty products that gain an insane cult following. Remember when you couldn’t find Soleil Tan de Chanel anywhere? Rouge Noir Nail Polish Anyone? How about Notorious blush which made contouring a thing before it was a thing; People were buying it on eBay for 4-5x times the retail price for years!
Initially, when I heard about Chanel Water Tint I wrote it off as one of those nothing bases. It seemingly had no coverage, was stupid expensive and even seemed a bit… gimmicky.
I was sceptical, to say the least.
But people just kept raving about it. One of my friends over on Instagram referred to it as “the perfect good skin day in a bottle” and naturally, I immediately wanted a good skin day in a bottle!
So I set out to buy it… or at least I tried.
It took 7 months, of popping into my local Nordstrom regularly. I had my name on call lists. I had them check other locations. It was sold out everywhere and of course, the hype in my mind just grew and grew.
Now often when this happens I inevitably talk myself out of “needing” something. The hype dies, as does my interest. But there was just something about the Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint that kept pulling me in.
Perhaps its that I’ve always had really good experiences with Chanel foundations and base products. Perhaps I’d just lost the plot. You decide.
CHANEL LES BEIGES WATER FRESH TINT
AVAILABLE AT: Nordstrom | Hudsons Bay | Chanel
WHAT IS IT: “Lightweight, hydrating and instantly refreshing, the ultra-light formula is composed of 75% water. Created with micro fluidic technology, micro-droplets of encapsulated pigments melt into the skin on contact creating a radiant bare-skin effect. A blurring and smoothing effect unifies the complexion and a lightweight, sheer coverage allows the skin texture to show through.”
THE SHADE SELECTION: It’s not fantastic with only 6 options catering to light-tan skin tones, leaving out fair and deep. One caveat I will mention is that this product is really, really sheer, so it’s not the kind of product you need to match exactly. I wear Light- Medium.
THE FORMULA: As the name suggests, it feels like water! It’s a really unique feeling base product, with essence like feel to it. The little encapsulated pigments burst on contact to give colour.
THE COVERAGE: Super sheer, possibly building up to sheer. This isn’t the base you reach for when you’ve got something to cover.
THE LONGEVITY: This, unsurprisingly, isn’t the coverage product you are going to want to wear if you need to last 16 hours. It wears really well because of the fact that the coverage is so sheer, and other products wear well over it, especially if set with powder.
THE BRUSH: Yes, this is one of those products that come with a brush. To my surprise, it’s actually very good and is designed to work really well with the product. Shocker! Ultimately, I would rather the product cost less and have the option to purchase the brush; It’s annoying when you go to repurchase a base product you love and know part of the cost is going to an applicator you already have.
THE FINISH: It’s has the look of when you apply a serum to the skin and actually sinks in, so it isn’t overly dewy in my opinion, but certainly not flat. I think one of these things that’s created some magic around this product is the fact that it sinks in and just makes your skin look better, like a skincare product that also has some pigment to it.
THE FRAGRANCE: It has the classic Chanel foundation scent that you will be familiar with if you’ve tried them previously. I personally love it, and don’t find it overpowering or lingering in any way.
MY THOUGHTS: My first concern with Chanel Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint was the price – this stuff is $85 CND! Part of the reason I was able to convince myself was that I’ve previously had great experiences with Chanel base products; Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua is one of my favourite foundations of all time!
The texture of Water Fresh Tint feels like a step in my skincare routine. Almost as a primer that delivers more than a primer. Each time I apply it, I catch myself saying, “ugh its not enough coverage” and then something magic happens: My skin just looks amazing.
It’s like giving yourself a good skin day to start with.
I’ve been loving wearing it with some concealer to spot correct and beef up coverage where I need it, like some hyperpigmentation spots. The finish is SO skinlike it makes me look like I just woke up with amazing skin… which is why I see the appeal and subsequent 7-month long waitlist!
It’s more than a foundation, or tinted moisturizer… it’s completely unique to itself. If you’ve loved Chanel foundations and base products in the past, you will likely love this too.
SHOP CHANEL LES BEIGES WATER FREST TINT
